HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A lot of people are flying these days and TSA expects to screen 32 million of them from June 27 through July 8.
Houston Airport System officials are expecting 1.9 million passengers to travel through Houston during that stretch.
They say that’s an 8% increase from the same period in 2023, and the number includes passengers traveling through both George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and William H. Hobby (HOU) airports.
Things are running smoothly at Hobby according to Houston Airport System Chief Operating Officer Kelly Woodward.
“Hobby’s business as usual,” Woodward said while adding that passengers should arrive two hours before their flight.
Passengers at IAH had mixed reviews of how things were going on Sunday.
Pritam Dhavale wasn’t impressed while preparing to head back to Florida.
“The experience was not very great,” he said.
Eboni Jones said she didn’t have issues as she prepared to return to Virginia.
“It’s pretty good for us,” Jones said.
Passengers have complained about getting around IAH in recent years due to multiple construction projects, but Woodward said they’ve paused those for the holiday.
Woodward also told ABC13 they’ve added personnel to help direct traffic around the various terminals.
One date to remember if you’re traveling through IAH is July 3.
That’s not only the day before Independence Day, but also the day before Lionel Messi and Argentina play in the Copa America soccer tournament at NRG Stadium.
“What we’re seeing is not only an increase in domestic passengers but an uptick in international passengers,” said Woodward.
The Houston Airport System said they expect 160,000 passengers to come through IAH on July 3.
They also said that one of their main hopes during this busy time is that cars don’t circle the airport.
Woodward asked that people flying into IAH wait to order a Lyft or Uber until they’re physically at their pick-up spot, as opposed to ordering one while waiting in baggage claim.
Houstonians picking up fliers at IAH are encouraged to wait for them in a cell phone lot until their passengers are outside of their terminal.
One other piece of advice from airport officials is to purchase parking in advance to guarantee a spot closest to either airport.
That can be done at Fly2Houston.com/Parking.
