Burbank Airport travelers rage over $50 ‘tacos and water’ and more price gouging at gleaming new terminal

At Burbank Airport’s fancy new terminal, the food is flying first class.

Just weeks after the bite-sized Los Angeles area airfield’s $1.3 billion-dollar reinvention welcomed the public, travelers are already fed up over the cost of a gateside nosh.

One irate flyer rushed to social media to alert fellow flyers that popular local Mexican eatery, Poquito Mas, was charging $25 for a basic bean and cheese burrito — no meat.

“Seriously? We are still doing this bulls–t?” the traveler fumed in a Reddit post.

Outside of the airport at a separate Poquito Mas location in Burbank, the same menu item sells for just $11.95 — amounting to a massive 109% increase at the airport.

“$25? I can buy enough bean and cheese to make burritos for a month,” one Redditor observed.

“I paid $35 for the breakfast burrito and a coffee. That’s absolutely ridiculous and outrageous,” another traveler reported.

Still another pointed out that the restaurant had taken a significant bite out of their budget — spending early $50 for three tacos and a bottle of water. “Plan on taking out a loan,” they griped on a different Reddit thread.

One commenter had beef with the smash burger they’d tried at an outlet called West Coast Smash — offered for a whopping $25.

“Burbank airport is officially more expensive than Erewhon,” they complained.

Streetside, a double smash burger from the chain is sold for $15 — amounting to a 66% increase.

Even basic convenience items at the airport are a doozy.

“When I flew out of the old airport a couple Thursdays ago I was surprised how much food is now. Even the bags of nuts inside the store were ridiculously priced compared to a 7-Eleven,” said one Redditor. Elsewhere in the conversation, one person pointed out they’d paid $19.95 for a single chocolate bar.

The high prices may even go against regulations, some watchers said amid the social media chatter.

According to a 2025 concession document between the FAA and Hollywood Burbank, the price for food and beverage products at the airport must be no more than 15% higher than the established street price benchmark, much lower than the 66% and 109% markups travelers are seeing.

The California Post reached out to airport authority officials for comment.

Across town, LAX is widely known for its high prices, in part attributed to the rising city-mandated minimum wage for airport employees, which currently rise above $30 in certain circumstances — a number that’s slated to soar even higher in coming years.

By contrast, Burbank Airport’s employees can be paid as little as the California state minimum of $16.09 an hour.

First built in 1930, Hollywood Burbank Airport was in dire need of safety upgrades. Plans for the new terminal were unveiled in 2023.

The shiny new terminal opened on October 13 after just over two years of construction.

Spanning 355,000 square feet, the terminal features a modernized TSA security checkpoint, more spacious gate areas, and a plethora of locally-flavored food options, including Pasadena’s Jones Coffee, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown and longtime SoCal favorite Border Grill.

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