Houston Airports Guide: Bush (IAH) vs Hobby (HOU), United Hub, Departures, Parking Rates & Texas Airports

Flying To Houston Is Easy From Around the World

It comes as no surprise that Houston, Texas, the 4th most populous metropolitan area in the United States, is home to two airports that combined offer hundreds of daily flights to and from more than 200 destinations worldwide.

Given its prime south central U.S. location, Houston is a key gateway to Texas and the Southwest U.S. from hundreds of domestic cities as well as others in Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, South Pacific, Canada, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

The two airports with commercial airline service are uniquely different, with George Bush Intercontinental Airport being located 16 miles north of downtown Houston, while Hobby Airport is nine miles south of the city center.

Let’s take a closer look at each airport to see which one best fits your travel needs.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport/IAH

By far the larger and busier of the two Houston airports, Bush Intercontinental is served by 27 airlines offering up to 1,100 daily takeoffs and landings depending on the time of year. These flights serve nearly 200 destinations in 38 countries. IAH is the15th busiest commercial airport in the country, primarily thanks to being United Airlines 3rd biggest hub, trailing only Chicago O’Hare/ORD, and Denver/DEN in number of flights and passengers served.

Bush Intercontinental Airport consists of five terminals (A, B, C, D, and E) with a total of 121 gates. The most served route is a short one, just 225 air miles, from IAH to Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport/DFW, with more than 100 flights weekly. Of course, DFW is the largest hub for American Airlines and its home base, so there is fierce competition between United and American on the route.

On top of that, Southwest Airlines operates an average of 50 weekly flights from Dallas-Love Field/DAL, where it is headquartered, to Houston Hobby Airport on the south side of the city. Other popular routes (based on the most flights) at IAH include Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles/LAX, Atlanta/ATL, and Denver, with 12-15 daily flights offered among the various airlines.

Here are a few fun facts about George Bush Intercontinental Airport:

Airlines serving IAH

Domestic Airlines serving IAH: United/UA (major hub), American/AA, Delta/DL, Alaska/AS, JetBlue/JB, Frontier/F9, Spirit/NK

International Airlines serving IAH: AeroMexico/AM, Air Canada/AC, Air China/CA, Air France/AF, Air New Zealand/AZ, All Nippon Airways/AN, Avianca/AV, British Airways/BA, Copa/CM, Emirates/EK, EVA/BR, KLM/KL, Lufthansa/LH, Qatar/QR, Singapore/SQ, Turkish/TK, VivaAerobus/VB, Volaris/Y4, WestJet/WS.

As a large international airport, IAH offers travelers an abundance of amenities to help make their time here relaxing and productive. Dozens of dining options abound for breakfast, lunch, a sit down dinner, or if you want to grab something while on the go. In addition to the usual nationally known fast food spots, IAH has a wide selection Houston airports.docxof local restaurants that provide a diverse taste of Texas. Whether what you are craving is a breakfast bagel, Tex-Mex, seafood, sushi, a burger and beer, pizza, BBQ, a sandwich, a fine glass of wine or tequila, you will find it here.

Click here to discover what dining options are available in each terminal at Bush Intercontinental.

If you forgot to pack something for your trip or have some free time before your flight departs, shopping at IAH is always a fun option. There are dozens of stores to while away the time or pick up that travel necessity that may have slipped your mind. Clothing, sunglasses and sunscreen, toiletries, snacks to take onboard your flight, reading material, shoes, hats, and duty free shopping for international travelers are all here for you.

Log onto the airport’s website for a detailed listing of shops along with their location.

Where to Park Your Car At George Bush Intercontinental Airport While Out of Town

Travelers who prefer to leave their car at, or close to George Bush Intercontinental Airport while out of town have several choices.

William P. Hobby Airport/HOU

It may not be the big guy in town, but William P. Hobby Airport is no slouch when it comes to providing important airline service for millions of Houstonians. Dominated by Southwest Airlines, which has a huge operating base here, Hobby was Houston’s primary commercial airport until Houston Intercontinental Airport, now George Bush Intercontinental, opened in 1969.

Hobby actually closed for two years, from 1969-1971, when a new carrier, Southwest Airlines, began service to Dallas’ Love Field.

The busiest routes from William P. Hobby Airport are to Dallas/DFW via American Airlines (6x daily), Dallas/DAL on Southwest Airlines (12x daily), Atlanta, New Orleans, Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Austin, Orlando, Nashville, and Chicago-Midway/MDW. With few exceptions Southwest has exclusivity to many major markets from Hobby, with American and Delta offering competing service on important routes for them to their major hubs at Dallas/Ft. Worth and Atlanta.

It’s important to note that Southwest does not fly from George Bush Intercontinental Airport on the north side of the city which is the much larger domestic and international airport for the Houston area. However, Southwest does serve more than 60 destinations nonstop from Hobby Airport with 300 daily flights. The Hobby Airport hub, its fifth largest, trails Dallas-Love Field, Chicago-Midway, Denver, Las Vegas, in overall volume.

With no international competition at Hobby Airport, Southwest has successfully grown into a major airline from Houston for flights to the south of the U.S. International destinations currently served, most with multiple weekly flights include:

Here are a few fun facts about William P. Hobby Airport:

Airlines serving HOU

Domestic Airlines serving HOU: Southwest/WN (major hub), American (AA), Delta (DL).

International Airlines serving HOU: none.

For most of its history Southwest Airlines has only served U.S. domestic markets, but in recent years the carrier has expanded its’ footprint to include international destinations that can be reached utilizing its’ fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft. The international wing of the airport terminal opened in 2015.

Today there are two concourses named “Central” and “West” and a single terminal at Hobby with 30 gates. The 25 gates in the Central Concourse are designated for Southwest’s domestic flights, with the five gates in the West Concourse utilized for international flights, which at this time remain solely used by Southwest. An additional seven gates are being constructed in an expansion of the West Concourse.

While not as extensive as the services available at Bush Intercontinental Airport, Hobby Airport does offer a wide array of shopping and dining options for the convenience and comfort of travelers.

In addition to travel necessities shops where you can pick up items you may have forgotten at home, there are books, snacks, and beverages available throughout the terminal. Several dining options are available including quick pick-up coffee shops, Asian, pizza, tacos, and sandwiches shops. The terminal also offers a pre-security restaurant and bar, plus several sit-down restaurants beyond security including a brewery, BBQ, Tex-Mex, and The Rustic for premium American dining and beverages.

Where to Park Your Car At Hobby Airport While Out of Town

Travelers who prefer to leave their car at, or close to George Bush Intercontinental Airport while out of town have several choices.

Easy Come, Easy Go. Houston’s Airports Make Travel A Breeze.

It really doesn’t matter if you’re coming to Houston as a visitor, or a resident of the area leaving town for a while. You have two fabulous airports from which to choose for the flying portion of your trip.

Both the mega George Bush Intercontinental Airport and the much more manageable William P. Hobby Airport have attributes that will make your travels enjoyable and efficient. With a combined total of more than 1,400 daily flights to well over 200 destinations in more than 40 countries, traveling by air to and from Houston usually won’t necessitate making connections, and that’s a beautiful thing.

For early morning flights or late evening arrivals where you may stay overnight before hitting the road for home, we recommend the Travelated hotel booking website for the best selection of hotels close to the airport, and at the best prices. We’ve tried other sites but have found Travelated to consistently offer just what we’re looking for, with hotel properties in all price ranges and in the best locations.