Tips for stress-free air travel on Labor Day in Hobby, Bush

There is no surefire way to avoid the congestion and complications of traveling through Bush Intercontinental Airport while work continues on the $1.5 billion renovation of the terminal.

But with a little planning, the process could go a little more smoothly, airport officials and others said.

“The savvy traveler may know a few tips and tricks,” says Jim Szczesniak, Houston’s aviation director and manager of Bush and Hobby airports.

With 680,000 people expected to enter or exit Bush and 210,000 people expected to exit Hobby during the five-day Labor Day holiday, here are five tips for getting to and from the five terminals.

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It is possible to reserve parking spaces at both airports. This guarantees a parking space and gives you a discount on the normal rates. Reservations are accepted up to 12 hours before arrival.

If a reservation is not practical or desired, Szczesniak said people can search online for available seats.

In addition, people can register at the ecoPark 2 car park in Bush and soon in Hobby, making it easier to enter and exit. When they reserve a parking space, they can enter their license plate. On arrival, cameras at the entrance will detect the license plate and let them in. On exit, the cameras will register the license plate again, then charge the credit card used to make the reservation and open the gate.

“It’s seamless,” Szczesniak said. “You just go and get a receipt by email.”

Because traffic is heavy and some arrival and departure lanes are closed, officials said the best way to coordinate pickup of arriving passengers is to wait in the cell phone parking lot until the person approaches the curb.

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On the way to the airport, departing passengers can check security queue times online and transfer all their boarding passes to their phone via the airline’s mobile app.

As part of the terminal modernization, security areas are being set up. A new area for the post-clearance screening of international clearance processes was opened earlier this month. The new area for international travelers transiting through Bush and requiring security screening is located in the new Mickey Leland International Terminal.

To get an idea of ​​where security checks and traffic impact travel time, Szczesniak said people who don’t have checked bags could consider boarding at a different terminal and using the airport tram to their gate.

“You can use any terminal for security checks,” he said.

The same applies for the return journey. If there is no luggage to be collected, the traveller can use the tram to get to a less crowded terminal and arrange a ride there.

If possible, simply allow enough time for delays and allow yourself enough free time at the airport, advises Szczesniak.

“You can always take more time,” he said, pointing out that the airport has several restaurants and a thriving arts program.

“We have all these additional benefits to make travel easier and we want people to take advantage of them,” he said.