HOUSTON — After a busy summer travel season, Labor Day is expected to be another high-traffic day for Houston airports. The Houston Airport System says they expect more than 888,000 passengers at Bush and Hobby this upcoming holiday weekend.
KHOU 11 has received many messages saying traffic delays are common. Many viewers reached out after an auto-pedestrian accident blocked a Terminal C garage exit lane, causing gridlock with 2 to 3-hour waits.
We spent Sunday evening at Bush Airport to see the traffic first-hand.
The longest delay we experienced was around 4:30 p.m. when it took 18 minutes to get through the Terminal C departure lanes. Traveling through Terminals A, B, D and E took on average 5 to 10 minutes. Airport staff was at each terminal directing traffic.
The root cause of most traffic issues at Bush Airport is the temporary Terminal E international arrivals curb. Currently, it’s only one curb lane on South Terminal Road with airport staff and first responders directing traffic.
The Houston Airport System says it plans to open the new eight-lane international arrivals curb by Christmas. They previously told KHOU 11 that the new lanes should relieve a lot of the traffic issues.
Travelers say the construction has caused issues all year. One viewer tells us he and his wife couldn’t get out of the Terminal C parking garage back in February on a Sunday night due to traffic.
“We ended up parking the car going to terminal B and coming back the next day to get our car,” Todd Frease told us.
Due to the previous issues at Bush Airport, Frease said he now takes an Uber to the airport instead of parking his vehicle in the garage.
“With Bush lately, with all the construction that’s going on, you really are kind of rolling the die a bit depending on the time of day,” Frease said.
On Sunday night, there were no major traffic accidents at Bush Airport. When the accident happened two weeks ago, blocking a Terminal C Garage exit lane, the Houston Airport System said it happened during peak traffic.
Labor Day travel tips
The Houston Airport System is asking travelers to budget additional time, especially for the upcoming Labor Day weekend.
Around 682,000 passengers are expected at Bush Airport, with Friday and Monday being the busiest days.
The Houston Airport System suggests people reserve their parking spots online or through the Houston Airports mobile app.
The Airport System says there will be additional staff and law enforcement to help with directing traffic.
Anyone picking up passengers is encouraged to use the cell phone lots and wait until the passenger is ready at the curb.