Bush airport/Twitter The scene at Bush airport in Houston on August 30.
Houston’s two airports – Hobby and Bush – are both major hubs and both airports closed because of Hurricane Harvey flooding.
When will the Houston airports open again?
Both airports are reopening on August 30 at 4 p.m. with limited service, with full service expected by the weekend. Service remained limited at both airports on August 31.
Hobby and Bush wrote on August 31:
Flights still limited today. If you have questions about a flight, contact your carrier. Telephone at BW8 flooded all other roads are clear.
Flights still operating at limited capacity today. If you have questions about a flight, contact your carrier. IB and OB roads are clear.
However, some of the bigger airlines are not operating out of Hobby until the weekend. “If you’re traveling out of Hobby, be advised that the bigger air carriers are expected to begin service on Saturday,” reported ABC13. That includes Southwest, which said on Twitter that it’s resuming service at noon on Saturday. See Southwest flight information here.
United is “operating a limited schedule,” though, reports CBS News. Check with your individual carrier to be certain. United wrote on Aug. 31, “Hurricane Harvey continues to affect flights to and from Texas and the Gulf Coast United flights to and from Texas and the Gulf Coast continue to be affected by Hurricane Harvey. There are now a limited number of flights operating between Houston and other major U.S. airports, but many flights to and from Houston continue to be canceled.” See details here, including on waivers.
Hobby airport wrote on Facebook on August 30:
Hobby Airport is planning on resuming flights today at 4 p.m. Here is what you need to know:
The Houston Airports plan to resume limited domestic airline passenger service TODAY at 4 p.m. following severe weather caused by Hurricane Harvey. We will attempt to begin a phased return to service, with full service expected by this weekend.
Contact your air carrier for specific flight status updates regarding your flight.
Only those with a ticket for a confirmed scheduled flight should come to the airport.
Many roads around the City of Houston are still unsafe for travel, therefore, we urge all passengers to take their time arriving to the airports and to solidify a safe route to and/or from our facilities.
Bush airport posted an identical message about Bush.
On August 27, Bush airport had suspended commercial flights, writing, “All commercial flight operations have been stopped until further notice. IB/OB roads are closed due to flooding.” The airport clarified on August 28: “To clarify, flights into/out of the Houston Airports are limited to humanitarian flights and first responder support for Hurricane recovery.”
Check with your specific airline to see when it will resume flights to and from the two airports. It was previously reported that United and American are planning to resume some flights out of Bush and Hobby on August 31.
UPDATE: Flights to/from HOU have been cancelled through noon, Thursday.
Affected Customers can check status/rebook: t.co/mlAe9VbmGl
Both airports previously posted on social media that they had suspended all operations because of Harvey. One of the key problems is the fact that roads to the airports are flooded.
Just after 4 a.m. on August 30, Bush airport wrote on Twitter that water was starting to recede around the airport. “Ops still suspended. Water has receded on roads. JFK open; Will Clayton open to McKay; HPD onsite to direct traffic,” the airport wrote.
The airport noted that the sun was starting to shine and posted the hashtag #HoustonStrong.
For everyone asking, our ecopark lots are in good shape!
The severe flooding continues in Houston, however, and it’s costing lives, homes, and necessitating thousands of rescues because of the unprecedented rainfall. People flying into or out of the Houston airports are advised by them to take great care in deciding whether to traverse flooded streets.
The flooding around the airports was severe.
William P. Hobby Airport is “Houston’s second largest airport, has 4 runways & serves more than 12 million passengers each year,” the airport notes on Twitter.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport “served 42.9 million customers last year & offers service to more Mexican destinations than any other airport in the nation,” that airport said on Twitter.