Houston airports | How to check parking, TSA lines, flight status

HOUSTON — With the Thanksgiving holiday wrapping up, if you’re catching a flight on Sunday, please pack your patience.
Houston airport officials expect Sunday to be the busiest travel day of the Thanksgiving travel period.

Lots of folks are being dropped off, checking in, and going through security at Hobby Airport – the usual routine, but with a bigger crowd. And it’s only going to get busier as the day goes on.

We’re told peak travel times will be from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Thanksgiving travel period started 12 days ago and wraps up Sunday.

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During that time, the Houston Airport System told us they were expecting more than 2.2 million travelers. That includes 1.7 million people going through Bush Airport and half a million passengers flying through Hobby.

Understandably, with folks getting ready to head back home, airport officials say Sunday will be the busiest travel day, with an estimated 206,000 travelers.

Traffic is, of course, always an issue, especially at Bush Airport due to ongoing construction.

To help with Thanksgiving travel, officials reopened a lane at the entrance, restoring the road back to its full four lanes. And the good news? It’s been working.

“What we did, we tried to make sure to focus on getting that lane opened prior to Thanksgiving at Bush. We’ve had great results so far. If you look at this Thanksgiving versus last, our severe and heavy traffic at Bush is down over 90 percent on that entrance roadway. So it’s been a really big positive improvement for us,” Jim Szczesniak, with the Houston Airport System, said.

He told us that the lane will now stay open, but regardless, he encourages travelers flying on Sunday to arrive early and be prepared.

• Arrive early: Officials recommend allowing extra time to navigate congestion at the airport.
• Reserve parking online: This can save valuable time and help reduce stress on busy travel days.
• Look for staff in orange polos: If you have questions or need assistance, airport staff are ready to help.

Before heading to the airport, you’ll want to check with your airline on the status of your flights.  Below are links to check at Bush and Hobby.

You can also keep tabs on things through FlightAware’s website.

You will also want to reserve parking before heading to either airport.

And how long will you wait in lines for security?  You can check that out, too