HOUSTON – Houston Airports will welcome over 1.9 million passengers to George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and William P. Hobby (HOU) airports during the busiest holiday travel season of the year – the 13-day Thanksgiving travel period. The number represents a 159% increase from the same period in 2020 and a -15% difference from pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels in 2019.
Hobby Airport will serve over half a million travellers starting the Thursday before Thanksgiving to the Tuesday after the holiday. Bush Airport is expected to serve approximately 1.4 million passengers during the same time. Houston Airports is asking passengers to plan ahead and prepare for the holiday travel rush, especially at IAH, as a major improvement is coming to the big airport.
Construction has begun at Bush Airport’s Terminal E to make way for the new International Terminal, including the demolition of the Terminal D/E garage. There are roadway construction projects that will impact traffic congestion, mainly during peak travel times. As we work to minimize the impact on the travelling public, we ask passengers and their families to follow these important recommendations to ease traffic delays and enhance the passenger airport experience:
Arriving at the airport
Due to the ongoing construction at IAH departing passengers and people picking up or dropping passengers should expect roadway delays. Please build in an extra hour to your arrival time so you can comfortably get to your gate on time.
To reduce traffic congestion, family members or friends who are picking up passengers should wait at the cell phone lots until the arriving passenger is ready at curbside for pickup.
Plan ahead and reserve parking online for IAH and HOU. It’s the easiest way to guarantee a parking spot at the Terminal garages or ecopark locations.
Anticipate high parking volumes at the Terminal garages. Please allow extra time to find a parking space, and possibly navigate to another parking location if your first choice is full.Please wear a mask. The federal mask mandate is still in place.
