BUR vs LAX: Which Airport to Fly Into for Your LA Trip

Burbank or LAX? Pick by where you're sleeping, not by habit. Here's the two-minute answer, with real drive times.

Most people fly into LAX because it is the only LA airport they have heard of. For a lot of trips, that is the wrong call. Hollywood Burbank Airport is smaller, faster, and closer to Hollywood and the Valley. It is the one locals pick when the schedule works. Here is how to choose in two minutes.

New for fall 2026: Burbank's brand-new terminal opens October 13. See what changes at the new Burbank terminal.

Burbank vs LAX: the short answer

Staying north of the Hollywood Hills? Fly Burbank. Staying by the beach, or flying in from overseas? Fly LAX. Beverly Hills and West Hollywood can go either way.

That is the whole decision for most trips. The rest of this guide is the detail behind it.

Where each airport actually is

LAX sits on the coast at the south end of the Westside, off the 405 at the 105. From the curb, plan on 25 to 35 minutes to Beverly Hills outside rush hour and 40 to 60 in it. West Hollywood at 5 p.m. is about an hour. Anywhere in the Valley is 60 to 90 minutes.

Burbank sits in the Valley off the 5. It is three minutes from Burbank, ten from Universal City, twelve from Studio City, and twenty from Hollywood and West Hollywood. Beverly Hills is 25 to 30 minutes. Santa Monica or LAX is 45 minutes to an hour.

Fly into Burbank if

• Your hotel is in Burbank, Studio City, Universal City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, North Hollywood, Hollywood, or West Hollywood.
• Your trip involves a studio: Warner Bros, Disney, Universal, NBC, or CBS Studio Center.
• You are here to drive Mulholland or Angeles Crest and want to start on the right side of the hills.
• You travel with a carry-on and have no patience for airport lines.
• You can fly Southwest, which runs a lot of West Coast flights out of Burbank.

What Burbank feels like: a small terminal, short lines, and a quick walk from the gate to the curb. No rental shuttle. No giant rental center. It is as close to easy as commercial flying gets.

Fly into LAX if

• Your hotel is in Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Playa Vista, El Segundo, or anywhere along the South Bay coast.
• You are flying in from another country. Most airlines from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania land at LAX.
• You want a specific airline lounge that LAX has and Burbank does not.
• You are booking with points and the seats are only out of LAX.
• You are connecting to a partner airline that only flies from LAX.

What LAX feels like: big. The walk from gate to curb can take 15 to 30 minutes depending on your terminal, and then you still need a shuttle or a ride. The shopping is better. The lounges are better. The overseas flights are unmatched. It is also exhausting.

Which airlines fly into Burbank and LAX

Burbank in 2026: Southwest is the big one, with Alaska, JetBlue, United, American, Delta, Frontier, and Avelo all running smaller schedules. JSX flies semi-private service out of Burbank too.

LAX in 2026: just about everyone. Every major U.S. airline, plus more than 60 international ones, including Singapore, Qantas, Emirates, Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, KLM, ANA, JAL, Korean, Cathay, and Air New Zealand.

If your route flies into Burbank, we would pick Burbank almost every time. If it only flies into LAX, the choice is made for you.

Staying in Beverly Hills? It's a toss-up

This is the one people ask about most. You are staying at the Beverly Hilton, the Maybourne, the Peninsula, the Four Seasons, or the Waldorf Astoria, and you want to know which airport.

Outside rush hour the drive is about the same: 25 minutes from LAX, 30 from Burbank. In rush hour, LAX to Beverly Hills on the 405 stretches to 50 or 60 minutes. Burbank to Beverly Hills on the 101 to Coldwater is more like 35 to 45.

So the airport itself breaks the tie. If you can fly into Burbank, the smaller airport and the steadier drive make it the easier trip. If you can't, LAX is fine. We deliver to LAX too, and Beverly Hills is one straight shot up the 405 to Wilshire.

The cars we deliver most from each airport

From LAX: the BMW X7 M Sport for families with luggage, the Kia Telluride for bigger groups, the Mercedes CLE Cabriolet for PCH weekends, and the BMW 3 Series for Beverly Hills business trips. See BMW rentals from LAX and family SUVs from LAX.

From Burbank: the BMW M3 Competition for canyon weekends, the BMW 3 Series for studio-area business trips, the Toyota Camry Hybrid for long Valley stays, and the Mercedes CLE Cabriolet for a Mulholland-then-PCH weekend. See Burbank Airport pickup.

So, is Burbank better than LAX?

If you hate airports, yes, any time your route allows it. If you have lounge access and TSA PreCheck and the size does not bother you, LAX gives you every flight in the world.

Still not sure? Tell us your hotel and your airline. We will tell you which airport, and bring your car to that curb. Reserve a car and skip the counter either way.