United Airlines Does Not Offer a 25-Minute Flight from LAX to Burbank

A viral post on Threads claims that United Airlines offers a 25-minute flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR). This claim has drawn widespread attention online, but our fact-checking found that it is misleading.

Social Media Post

The viral post reads: “Did you know that United has a 25-minute flight that goes from LAX to Burbank? How is that even possible?”, suggesting that the flight exists as a scheduled United Airlines route, implying passengers can book it as a regular service.

Source | Archive

Fact Check

No Direct United Airlines Flights Exist

An examination of United Airlines’ official website and flight aggregators such as Google Flights, Trip.com, and Kayak shows no direct United flights between LAX and BUR.

Any bookable itineraries involve at least one layover, commonly in cities like San Francisco, Denver, or Las Vegas, with total travel times ranging from several hours to more than a day.

According to FlightConnections’ route map, United Airlines operates 227 domestic destinations and 153 international destinations in 76 countries as of November 2025.
This wide-network map underscores that United’s model is built around medium- and long-haul routes and high-volume hubs, rather than ultra-short intra-metro hops such as between LAX and BUR.

Given this network profile, the absence of a scheduled between LAX and BUR service aligns with the broader operational profile of United, as evidenced by public schedules and route listings.

United Airlines’ official route listings confirm there is no nonstop service between the two Los Angeles-area airports.

Flight-tracking data show that UA 3911 operated LAX to BUR on 09 Nov 2025 (approximately 11 minutes airborne). However, this appears to be a single operational leg rather than a marketed, regular passenger service.

Moreover, this flight number is operationally assigned on other routes, most notably a published service from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

This inconsistency indicates the image is misleading: it does not depict a regularly scheduled United Airlines commercial flight from LAX to BUR, but rather a route assignment that differs from the claim.

Source

Distance, Practicality, and Estimated Airborne Time

The two airports are approximately 17-20 miles (27–32 km) apart. Due to this short distance, a commercial flight between them would be uncommon. If such a route existed, total travel time, including check-in, security screening, boarding, taxiing, and deplaning, would likely exceed the drive time, which typically ranges from 30–50 minutes depending on traffic.

According to AirMilesCalculator, the estimated airborne time between LAX and BUR would be approximately 43 minutes under ideal conditions. This figure represents a theoretical flight duration rather than an actual scheduled route.

Short commercial flights between major airports within the same metropolitan area are generally avoided due to cost, fuel inefficiency, and air-traffic management restrictions. In the Los Angeles region, travelers typically use cars, rideshares, or trains between LAX and Burbank, which are both within the same metropolitan network.

Why ultra-short commercial flights are rare

Commercial airlines rarely operate very short flights between two airports in the same metro area, primarily for operational and economic reasons. A 2014 academic study found that short-haul flights are generally less efficient and less profitable than longer routes (Source). The issue is that many operational costs, such as boarding, taxiing, ground handling, and turnaround procedures, remain largely the same regardless of flight distance. On very short routes, these fixed costs make up a much larger share of the total flight time, meaning airlines spend nearly as much time and money on the ground as they would for a longer flight, even though passengers are in the air only briefly.

Simple Flying explains that fuel use, aircraft maintenance, and turnaround logistics make very short flights less economically viable. There is also growing regulatory and environmental scrutiny of short-haul flights. Some studies show that very short flights generate higher emissions per seat-kilometre than longer flights, because a large part of the operation is take-off/landing rather than efficient cruising.

Conclusion

The viral claim that United Airlines operates a 25-minute flight from LAX to Burbank is missing context. Our investigation found no evidence of a direct United Airlines route between these two airports. While a single operational flight (UA 3911) was tracked on November 9, 2025, this appears to be a non-commercial repositioning flight rather than a regularly scheduled passenger service available for booking.