Burbank Airport Considers Dropping ‘Bob Hope’ From Name

The “Bob Hope Burbank Airport” may soon be the “Los Angeles Burbank Airport” if airport staff and their “private consultants” have their way.

Those supporting the change say “Bob Hope” would remain in the airport’s “legal name,” but “Los Angeles” would appear “as a geographic identifier” for those flying into the facility.

According to the LA Times, the airport hired research firm Anyone Collective (AC) to examine support for a name change in 2014 and the firm found that “‘Los Angeles Burbank Airport’ ranked highest among the options” presented to survey respondents.

AC found that many frequent fliers who do their travel east of the Rockies did not even know where “Bob Hope Burbank Airport” was. “Some said they thought it was in New York, Texas, Hawaii or even Vietnam.” And about “80 percent” of those who frequently fly out of it said they “would not be bothered by a name change.”

But Hope’s family opposes the move, as do “residents, business representatives and Burbank City Council members.” These see a benefit of perhaps adding “Hollywood” to the name, while keeping Hope’s name as well, but are completely opposed to removing his name.

Hope family representative Jack O’Neill said the Hope family told AC “they objected to removing the comedian’s name” but that fact was “left out of the firm’s presentation to the operations committee of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.”

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.