The holiday travel season is here once again, as Memorial Day weekend comes about. As usual, the Houston airport system will be ready to handle a massive influx of travelers. Over 1.3 million people are expected at both George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) next week. The system projects about 19.5 million people will fly through IAH or HOU from Memorial Day through Labor Day, which is a jump of 250,000 from 2024.

But as the travel season begins, there have been new worries over air travel safety. In the wake of the collision in Washington D.C. in January, and a whole host of problems at Newark International Airport, some are feeling uneasy about flying again. Hobby had its own issue just last week, where a power outage affected the control tower of the airport.

However, as Houston Airport System director Jim Szczesniak says, that outage did not cause any issues because their failsafe plans did their job.

"They lost commercial power, which was an issue from the power side of the house, not the FAA side...and that rolled over to the backup generator, that kicked in, and powered their whole system," he says.

It is not often you hear of issues at Hobby airport, which has been relatively safe through its lifespan. But the systems worked as intended, and nothing was an issue. But if anything, it helped the airport system stay on their toes.

"It is something that is rare...but it is something we are prepared for...the backup systems protected everyone, and the traveling public did not really notice it," says Szczesniak

Flying is still safer than traveling by car, or any other mode of transportation. So, there is no real reason to be nervous about flying, especially with all the safeguards in place to prevent such issues.

The flying part though might not worry people as much as getting to their flight on time. Houston airports have been chaotic, for lack of a better word, in recent years. New construction at Bush and Hobby have caused some traffic issues, and overcrowding has caused long lines at TSA checkpoints.

But this holiday travel season, if you are flying out of Bush, there are some new methods in place to get you to flying faster.

"The Terminal E operation has a TSA checkpoint there, and there is also an Uber operation there for people to experience," Szczesniak says.

This is all one big 'test run,' if you will, for another big event next year in Houston. The World Cup will have multiple matches played in the Magnolia City, and the airports are sure to be jam packed with international travelers.

Szczesniak says that by then, the International Terminal construction at IAH will be over, and things will run smoothly for the event.

He adds that for this holiday travel rush, be sure to check ahead of time online to see TSA wait times, and ensure you get ahead of the curve.

GardenLine