Houston Airports Open As Floodwaters Recede Post Hurricane Harvey
by Daniel McCarthy
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Houston’s Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental Airports resumed limited service for domestic flights Wednesday, five days after the city was flooded by the first Category 4 storm to hit the United States in the past dozen years.
In a joint statement, the airports said they “will attempt to begin a phased return to service, with full service expected by this weekend.”
Both were open for limited service as of 4 p.m. local time Wednesday, after water receded on the surrounding roadways; inbound and outbound roads surrounding both airports, and Beltway 8, are now clear.
Flights still operating at limited capacity today. If you have questions about a flight, contact your carrier. IB and OB roads are clear.
— Houston Bush Airport (@iah) August 31, 2017
Still, travelers should check their flight status before heading to the airport, and “only those with a ticket for a confirmed flight should come to the airport,” George Bush Airport said in a statement.
In total, close to 10,000 flights were canceled because of the storm, most of them at Hobby and George Bush, according to FlightAware.
United Airlines, which has its major hub at George Bush Intercontinental, canceled 20% of all its flights, while Southwest canceled close to 10% of its total flights.
United is still offering a fee change waiver through September 12 for flights in and out of affected airports including New Orleans, San Antonio, Austin and Baton Rouge.
All Southwest flights in and out of Houston through Saturday at noon are still canceled. Southwest will continue to honor its change waiver, which includes travel in and out of Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas and San Antonio, through September 12.
