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Houston Airport Info

Traveling to Houston has never been easier.  As the country's fourth largest airport system, the Houston Airport System serves over 180 cities worldwide, with Bush Intercontinental Airport ranking third in the United States among airports with scheduled non-stop domestic and international service.

Houston Airport System

• 4th largest multi-airport system in the country
• 20 airlines serve Bush and Hobby airports
• 50 million passengers traveled through the three airports in 2011
• 80 million passengers traveling through HAS are projected by 2020
• Serves 116 U.S. and 70 international destinations
• Houston is the primary gateway to Latin America—No. 1 in the nation in the number of weekly nonstop flights to Mexico.
• Houston ranked No. 1 in the United States by Travel + Leisure for food options, lounges, entertainment (free Wi-Fi), on -time performance and friendly staff (2010)
• Houston ranked No. 1 by Travel + Leisure readers for America's best airports (2009).

Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

With more than 700 daily departures and 40.1 million passengers that passed through its gates in 2011, Bush Intercontinental is the largest airport in Houston.

United flies out of IAH

All five terminals are connected by an automated people-mover and underground train. WI-FI internet, retail stores, and more than 50 food and beverage outlets ensure a pleasant visit. Visitor information centers, a currency exchange booth, as well as ADA amenities are also available.

Airlines serving Bush Intercontinental Airport are AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air France, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, KLM, Lufthansa, Qatar Aiways, Singapore Airlines, TACA, United Airlines, US Airways, and VivaAerobus.

Transportation

In order to bridge the 20 miles between the airport and Downtown Houston, visitors have multiple transport options.

Taxis

All destinations within Houston city limits are charged according to the zone or meter rate, whichever is less.
Approximate fares from IAH are

• $52 to downtown area
• $60 to Galleria/Medical Center area
• $65 to Reliant Park
• $73 to Hobby Airport
• $105 to NASA Space Center
• There is a late night surcharge of $1 per trip (8pm-6am)

Rental cars

The following rental car agencies have counters at IAH:

• Advantage
• Alamo
• Avis
• Budget
• Dollar
• Enterprise
• Hertz
• National
• Thrifty

 
SuperShuttle

This shared-ride service transports travelers to and from their private address, office or hotel. It takes longer than a taxi due to more frequent stops but may be more affordable, especially if travelling alone. Private limousines are also available. For fare quotes and reservations go to www.supershuttle.com

Courtesy vans

Various hotels and lodgings offer courtesy vans to their properties. You can use the courtesy telephones in the baggage claim area to request a pick-up.

Public METRO buses

The public bus route 102 serves IAH and downtown locations.
Service runs Monday through Sunday, from approximately 5 a.m. until midnight.
To check schedules and plan your trip, go to ridemetro.org.

Airport Facts

• 20 miles from Downtown Houston
• Nonstop service to 116 domestic destinations
• Nonstop or direct service to 70 international destinations
• Houston is the largest hub for the newly merged United Airlines, measured by daily departing seats available.
• More 700 daily departures
• Ranked No. 3 in the country for most scheduled nonstop destinations
• Ranked 8th in the U.S. for total passenger traffic
• Ranked 8th in the U.S. for international passenger traffic
• Ranked 18th in the world for total passenger traffic
• 17 passenger airlines
• With nearly 30 destinations in Mexico, IAH offers service to more Mexican destinations than any other US airport
• 16 passenger airlines 
• More than 11,000 acres 
• More than 24,500 parking spaces 
• New $440 million Terminal E and Federal Inspection Services (FIS) with 84 primary inspection booths that can process more than 4,500 passengers per hour
• One of 20 airports in the nation to deploy a Global Entry kiosk that can turn an hour wait in the customs line into an average of 40 seconds.
• Travel + Leisure ranked Houston for having America's Best Airports (2010).
• Ranked No. 4 for customer satisfaction among large North American airports in a study by J.D. Power and Associates (2008)
• Voted the No. 4 airport in the country by readers of Global Traveler magazine (2008).

William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)

Hobby Airport serves domestic destinations and has seen significant increases in passenger numbers over the past two years. With 9.84 million travelers in 2011, there is a good chance it will hit the record 10 million mark in 2012.

Southwest flies out of Hobby Airport

WI-FI internet, retail stores, and more than 12 food and beverage outlets ensure a pleasant visit. Visitor information centers as well as ADA amenities are also available.

Airlines serving Hobby Airport are AirTran Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Southwest Airlines.

Transportation

Hobby Airport is located about 11 miles south of Downtown and offers various transport options.

Taxis

Taxis are available at Curb Zone 3 outside of the baggage claim area in the lower level.
All destinations within Houston city limits are charged according to the zone or meter rate, whichever is less.
Approximate fares from HOU are:

• $26 to downtown area
• $32 to Medical Center/Reliant Park
• $55 to Galleria
• $71 to Bush Intercontinental Airport
• There is a late night surcharge of $1 per trip (8pm-6am)

Rental Cars

The following rental car agencies have counters at Hobby Airport:

• Alamo
• Avis
• Budget
• Dollar
• Enterprise
• Hertz
• National
• Thrifty
  

SuperShuttle

This shared-ride service transports travelers to and from their private address, office or hotel.
It takes longer than a taxi due to more frequent stops but may be more affordable, especially if travelling alone. Private limousines are also available.
For fare quotes and reservations go to www.supershuttle.com

Courtesy vans
Various hotels and motels offer courtesy vans to their properties. You can use the courtesy telephones in the baggage claim area to request a pick-up.

Public METRO buses
The public bus route 88 serves HOU and downtown locations. Service runs Monday through Saturday, from approximately 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. To check schedules and plan your trip, go to www.tripplanner.ridemetro.org

Airport Facts

• 11 miles from Downtown Houston
• One of Southwest Airlines' largest hubs
• Nonstop service to more than 35 destinations throughout the U.S.
• Ranked 40th in the U.S. for total passenger traffic
• Ranked 150th in the world in total passenger traffic (out of 1336 ranked airports or in the top 11.2% range by total airport rankings) 
• Acquired by the City of Houston in 1937
• Rated among the top five performing airports in the world by Airports Council International (2009)
• Ranked No. 2 for customer satisfaction among small North American airports in a study by J.D. Power and Associates (2008)

Houston's Top five carriers and number of flights

• The new United - 4,238 weekly departures
• Southwest - 890 weekly departures
• Delta - 220 weekly departures
• American - 137 weekly departures
• US Airways - 93 weekly departures 

Flight Times to Houston From Key Destinations

		Albuquerque	2:05 hrs.		Minneapolis	2:40 hrs.
		Atlanta	1:50 hrs.		New Orleans	1:00 hrs.
		Boston	3:40 hrs.		New York City	3:20 hrs.
		Chicago	2:25 hrs.		Philadelphia	3:10 hrs.
		Cleveland	2:35 hrs.		Phoenix	2:40 hrs.
		Dallas/Ft. Worth	30 min.		San Diego	3:20 hrs.
		Denver	2:20 hrs.		San Francisco	4:10 hrs.
		Los Angeles	3:30 hrs.		Seattle	4:30 hrs.
		Miami	2:20 hrs.		Washington, D.C.	2:50 hrs.