As Houstonians prepare for Labor Day travel (to, say, beachy Gulf Coast destinations) local airports are bracing for a record-breaking weekend.
Houston’s two airports — George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport — are slated to see more than 15 million passengers from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend 2023, a record for the City of Houston's airport system. According to a Houston Airports announcement, that number is greater than summer 2019, also a behemoth travel year.
Speaking of big numbers, Bush IAH and Hobby will greet more than 830,000 passengers between Thursday, August 31 and Monday, September 4. Travelers should take note of these Houston Airport stats:
- The busiest airport travel day will be Friday, September 1, per Houston Airports.
- Hobby will see nearly 200,000 people during the holiday travel period.
- Bush is anticipating more than 636,000 people to move through its five terminals (that's nearly the population of El Paso).
- Nearly 80 percent of passengers will board a domestic flight, while more than 20 percent are headed to international destinations.
With that in mind, travelers to Bush should anticipate large crowds and traffic as well as jam-packed parking. Follow Bush IAH traffic updates here; reserve valet, terminal parking, and economy lots here. For faster pickup, returning Bush passengers are advised to move to Terminals A, B, or C.
Hobby’s big expansion
This record-breaking travel news comes as Houston City Council approved a $250 million installment of airport funds towards the $470 million expansion at Hobby's West Concourse on Wednesday, August 30. Expansion work is slated to begin in early 2024 and last two years, per project guidelines.
Plans call for seven new gates that to accommodate domestic and international flights; an expanded and renovated baggage handling system and baggage claim area; and an overhead canopy along the departures curb to protect travelers from extreme weather and will also connect the Red Garage to the terminal — welcome news for anyone who's every been rained on trudging from car to the terminal.
It's been quite a 12 months for Hobby: as CultureMap reported, Hobby is the first airport in Texas, the U.S., and North America — and one of just 16 airports across the world — to land the coveted 5-star Skytrax World Airport Star rating.
More than 630,000 will travel through Bush Intercontinental this weekend.
