HOUSTON — Officials said that nearly 2 million people are set to go through Bush Intercontinental and Hobby Airports for a July 4 travel surge that will shatter previous records for holiday traffic.
“This is a record holiday for us,” Jim Szczesniak, Airport Director for Houston Airport System, told KHOU 11 News Monday. “We're seeing the biggest, busiest travel numbers that we've ever seen at the airport system.”
The 1.9 million travelers expected between June 29 and July 8 is an 8% increase from the same holiday stretch in 2023.
To handle that surge, the Houston Airport System took proactive measures, including adding more staff, increasing the number of shuttles to off-site parking and suspending construction at Bush Intercontinental.
They also said travelers and people going to and from the airport can help alleviate the pressure from the record travel.
That includes making parking reservations ahead of time. A reservation can guarantee a spot and availability can be seen on the airport’s website and app.
People picking up travelers are asked to wait in cell phone lots until the person they are picking up is outside their terminal on the curb. That could help reduce traffic congestion.
Those using ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft are asked to wait until after they have their bags in their possession from baggage claim, before ordering a ride. The concern here is that ordering too early may cause a missed connection and therefore more traffic congestion.
“We got to do all the little tips and tricks that we can at the airport to be able to be able to push this many people through, because it is a challenge that we've got during especially during peaks,” Szczesniak said. “We've got waves of people that come at us and it's one of those things that we want to make sure that we can efficiently do that.”
Construction at Bush Intercontinental is set to resume after the return trips from the Independence Day surge are completed.