Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) Flights & Information

Located on the south side of the city, William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is the Houston Metro Area’s second-largest international airport. Unlike the sprawling George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to the north of the city, Hobby is much easier to navigate, with a single terminal building. These expert tips should be helpful to all travelers headed to Hobby, whether it’s your first time using the airport or a seasoned pro.

How to get to and from HOU

Unlike many airports, HOU is not directly connected to a major freeway, so travelers arriving by car will have to navigate surface streets from Interstate 45. Roads are also the only option for arriving at the airport - there’s no transit available. While the surface streets immediately around HOU are generally easy to navigate and free from traffic (even during peak periods) you can expect delays on I-45 during peak commute hours.

A map app with real-time traffic information can be indispensable when traveling to HOU during peak periods, as congestion on I-45 can often render some surface road routings more efficient from certain parts of the city. HOU’s arrival and departure roadways also tend to be congestion-free, but pickups and drop-offs are sometimes easier by going counter to the general flow. Sometimes I’ll request to be dropped off at arrivals in the early morning when few passengers arrive, or at departures in the evening when most flights have departed for the day.

The immediate area around HOU is also surrounded by reasonably priced airport hotels, which I’ve often used when arriving late in the evening or departing early in the morning. They take a lot of the guesswork out of travel times between the airport and the farther reaches of the Greater Houston Area.

Navigating security lines at HOU

HOU has a single security checkpoint in a large atrium filled with natural light. Security waits aren’t typically very long, except for peak holiday travel periods. There’s a separate TSA Pre lane, but if you’re booked on a late evening flight. check the airport’s website for the operating hours as it tends to close several hours earlier than the regular line. I’ve just missed the cut-off several times for late flights, but TSA Pre passengers also get some consideration in the regular line.

If you’re a CLEAR Plus member it’s also worthwhile to double-check operating hours on the company’s website, as those lines tend to close even earlier than TSA Pre. The good news, however, is that the regular lines aren’t very long outside of CLEAR Plus’s operating hours.

Airline lounges and alternatives at HOU

The lounge situation at HOU is straightforward – there aren’t any, but that’s honestly never bothered me. HOU’s gate areas are large, with plenty of seating, and I’ve rarely had trouble finding a place to sit while I wait for my flight. One of the major benefits of traveling via HOU instead of IAH is that the terminal is compact so that travelers can arrive closer to their flight’s departure time.

If you must have a lounge, the only airline serving HOU that has a lounge at a Houston Airport is American, which operates an Admiral’s Club at IAH. There are also several lounges at IAH that are part of the Priority Pass network.

Things to do during a layover at HOU

The beauty of HOU is that it’s designed to move passengers through quickly without a lot of idle time, so the terminal doesn’t have a lot of the bells and whistles of a larger international airport. If you do find yourself spending extra time there (like if you’re a connection between flights) diversions can be limited.

The terminal has a large collection of art, both before and after the security checkpoint. Most of the airside art is a large cluster of pieces in the walkway to the West Concourse (Gates 1-5), but there are also pieces placed at intervals on both concourses. Most of the artists are local to Houston or Texas.

Book lovers will also find three lending libraries in the Central Concourse – one near the children’s play area in the center, and one on each side, near gates 23 and 44. If you’ve finished your book and want to lighten your load, just drop it off, and pick up another from the selection (you don’t need to trade in a book to take one with you).

The dining options at HOU aren’t particularly inspired or even as local as they have been in the past, but if you’re a fan of chains like Wendy’s, Velvet Taco, and Chick-Fil-A, you’ll certainly get your fix. If you want a sit-down, table service experience, you’ll find it at GastroHub and Buffalo Wild Wings.

When to choose HOU vs. IAH

There aren’t many situations where you’ll need to choose between HOU and IAH because only a few airlines (American, Delta, Frontier) serve both airports. The primary operator at HOU, Southwest, has chosen the airport as their only Houston gateway. They generally fly to larger cities in the US and a limited number of destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean, so if you’re planning to fly another airline or fly across an ocean, IAH is your option.

United Airlines operates a global hub at IAH, with flights to US cities large and small, and nonstop flights to virtually every continent. IAH is also the airport favored by the large non-US carriers, so the options for nonstop international flights are much more extensive at IAH. Airlines that serve both airports also have more limited service to HOU. American and Delta each fly to one nearby hub from HOU, but both airlines have service to several more cities from IAH.

Some travelers, however, prefer the convenience offered by HOU, even if there are fewer flight options than at IAH. If you’re flying American to Dallas or Delta to Atlanta, either airport is an option. HOU’s location on the south side of Houston makes it convenient for those that live close, and the small terminal can be a shorter, easier airport transit than the sprawl at IAH. The airfield itself is also smaller at HOU, so long taxis and heavy traffic to and from runways – a standard feature at IAH – generally don’t happen at HOU.

Departing on a cruise from Galveston? HOU is the more convenient airport, roughly 25 to 35 minutes closer to the cruise port in Galveston than IAH, but it’s also worth keeping in mind there are fewer nonstops to HOU, so it may not make sense to add several hours to your journey time by making a connection to HOU if there’s a nonstop flight available to IAH.

Getting between HOU and IAH

It’s rare you’d need to get between the two airports, but it happens. I was once arriving at IAH from a long international flight to find my connecting flight – the last one of the evening – had cancelled, but there was a late evening flight from HOU. I rebooked for that flight and took an Uber to HOU. It takes about 35 – 45 minutes depending on traffic, but the short security lines at HOU worked in my favor and I made the flight with time to spare.

Regardless of which airport you’re booked to fly from, the other airport can be a bit of a “safety valve” when delays or cancellations happen. If there are no flights available from the airport you’re at, the other one can be an option. It doesn’t always work out, but it’s always worth at least checking. Depending on the circumstances, the airline may even provide ground transportation for flights delayed for aircraft maintenance or other reasons within their control.

Parking at HOU

HOU offers three types of parking – Valet, Garage, and Economy. Valet allows you to drop off your car near the front door of the terminal and pick it back up at the same place – eliminating the time spent looking for a parking spot and walking to the terminal. It’s not significantly more than the cost to park in the garage on your own. Both Valet and Garage are directly adjacent to the terminal, so it’s just a few-minute walk if you park yourself.

Economy Parking is a shuttle ride away from the terminal, for a significantly cheaper per-day rate than Garage or Valet parking. There are also several third-party parking providers near the airport that offer covered and uncovered parking a short shuttle ride away from the terminals, but for any parking option with a shuttle, the frequency and reliability of the shuttles can vary, sometimes adding 30 – 45 minutes to the transit time when wait time is factored in.