Houston Airport officials expect nearly 888,000 travelers for Labor Day weekend, surpassing last year’s record traffic.
Jim Szczesniak, aviation director for the Houston Airport System, said George Bush Intercontinental Airport is expected to see about 682,000 travelers — a 3% increase from last year. William P. Hobby Airport expects 205,000 travelers, about 9% more than last year.
The days leading up to Labor Day — particularly Aug. 29 and 30 — will be the busiest this year, according to Szczesniak. Demand for air travel may be lower on Aug. 31, he said.
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“If you are looking for a last-minute getaway and don’t want to pay peak prices, Saturday (Aug. 31) is your best option,” Szczesniak said.
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United Airlines expects more than 400 flights a day from IAH. The most popular destinations are Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando, Cancun and San Antonio over Labor Day weekend. Overall, United expects more than 2.9 million passengers nationwide, up 3% from last year.
“The record-breaking number of customers traveling with us this Labor Day caps off what has been a truly exceptional summer travel season,” said Andrew Nocella, United’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, in a statement.
American Airlines officials are also expecting a high number of passengers for the Labor Day weekend. According to the company, a total of 3.8 million passengers will be counted on almost 36,000 flights nationwide – an increase of almost 14%.
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David Seymour, American Airlines’ chief operating officer, praised the airline’s resilience and recovery during the severe weather and nationwide CrowdStrike outage.
“We have had the privilege of being part of the travel plans of millions of customers and I am pleased we were able to fulfill that wish,” he said in a statement.
Transportation Security Administration officials also announced Wednesday that they are preparing to screen more than 17 million people across the country between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4. On peak travel day, Aug. 30, the TSA expects to screen 2.86 million people.
“People are traveling more this summer than ever before, and TSA, along with our airline and airport partners, is poised to break the record for highest travel volumes this upcoming Labor Day weekend,” said TSA Commissioner David Pekoske.
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The summer surge in air traffic was the highest in TSA history, according to the agency, which said it screened 239.8 million people since Memorial Day weekend.
“This summer has shown that demand for air travel is stronger than ever, and we look forward to maintaining that momentum this fall and offering our customers even more world-class experiences,” said United’s Nocella.
United announced new digital language signage in terminals at IAH that will allow native Spanish speakers to read gate information. The United app has a translator when the phone is set to Spanish. The airline has also added new routes from Houston to Guyana and Houston to Tulum.
July was United’s busiest month, carrying 16 million customers.
Szczesniak said Houston airports saw an increase in air traffic over the summer, but then saw a decline due to the start of school. Now, just before Labor Day, they are seeing another increase.
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Szczesniak provided insights on how travelers at Houston Airport can prepare for Labor Day weekend.
Guests can reserve their parking space to receive a discount on parking fees. Travelers can download their airline’s app and prepare for TSA in advance by checking their website to see how the screening process works. You can also check the Houston Airport System website for current TSA wait times.
The airport arrivals area is designed for active loading only, meaning a traveler waiting to be picked up must stand at the curb to board the vehicle.
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The TSA recommends travelers enroll in the TSA PreCheck Trusted Traveler program, which allows passengers to skip removing shoes, belts, 3-1-1 liquids, laptops, food and light jackets at the checkpoint. Members should verify that their Known Traveler Number is included in the flight reservation so it appears on the boarding pass, a TSA press release said.
Although Houston saw an increase in air traffic over Labor Day weekend, Szczesniak said volumes were still not as high as they were during Christmas and Thanksgiving.
