Record July 4 travel week at Houston airports

HOUSTON — Officials said nearly 2 million people are expected to pass through Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports on July 4 in a surge in travel that will break previous records for holiday traffic.

“This is a record for us,” Houston Airport System Airport Director Jim Szczesniak told KHOU 11 News Monday. “We’re seeing the largest, most significant amount of travel we’ve ever seen in the airport system.”

The 1.9 million travelers expected between June 29 and July 8 represent an 8% increase compared to the same holiday period in 2023.

To manage this increase, the Houston airport system has taken proactive measures, including adding additional staff, increasing the number of shuttles to off-site parking and suspending construction at Bush Intercontinental.

They also said travellers and people going to and from the airport can help ease the pressure of record travel.

This involves reserving a parking space in advance. A reservation can guarantee a space and availability can be checked on the airport website and app.

People picking up passengers are asked to wait in the mobile phone parking areas until the person they are picking up is outside their terminal on the sidewalk. This may help reduce traffic congestion.

Users of ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft are being urged to wait until they have picked up their luggage before requesting a ride. The problem is that requesting too early can result in missed connections and more traffic congestion.

“We have to implement every little trick we can at the airport to be able to get as many people through because that’s a challenge we face, especially during peak periods,” Szczesniak said. “We have waves of people coming at us and we want to make sure we can do that efficiently.”

Construction of the Bush Intercontinental is expected to resume once return voyages from Independence Day are completed.

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