Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) Flights & Flight Status

William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is one of 2 airports serving the Houston metro area. It connects to over 50 cities across the US and several destinations in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Dominated by Southwest Airlines, Hobby is a natural choice for Southwest flyers. It is located only 11 miles southeast of downtown. It is more compact and easier to navigate than Houston’s largest airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, or IAH. Fares to HOU often tend to be cheaper than fares to IAH. For these reasons, I prefer to fly into Hobby when I travel to Houston.

Tips for going through the terminal

In recent years, Hobby Airport has consistently ranked as the only airport in North America with a 5-star rating from Skytrax, the global airport and airline star rating program. To me, it is not a surprise: every time I travel through HOU, I find it to be convenient and clean, with friendly customer service, easy in-and-out procedures, and ample seating (I love the Allegiant check-in area pre-security which has several comfortable armchairs with laptop tables).

Compared to the 5 terminals serving IAH, navigating the only terminal at Hobby is a breeze. Post-security, the terminal is split into two connected concourses. The smaller West Concourse to the right of security has 5 gates reserved for Southwest. The 25-gate Central Concourse, straight ahead post-security via a short walkway, is home to Southwest and the other 4 airlines at Hobby: American, Delta, Frontier and Allegiant. This concourse is compact – walking from one end to the other takes about 7 minutes.

Even though Hobby hosts close to 200 daily flights, the terminal rarely feels congested and crowded. I often travel with a carry-on only, but on a few occasions that I’ve had to check bags, it took less than 20 minutes to deboard and get my luggage. (I time it because long baggage claim wait times are one of my travel pet peeves.) Beware that during the holiday season travel rush, Hobby does tend to get quite crowded.

Hobby Airport app

The Hobby Airport app is one of the more useful airport tech solutions I’ve seen. In the app, you can reserve parking spots in advance (often with better rates than drive-up), get step-by-step navigation to any terminal destination like a gate or a children’s area, see real-time security checkpoint wait times and check flight departure and arrival times.

Car transportation

Cabs and rideshares

With no traffic, expect the car ride from Hobby to the city to take about 20 minutes. This airport is located about twice as close to downtown as IAH and, depending on road conditions, the ride can be twice as fast. Both taxi and rideshare app costs reflect that: expect to pay about 2 times less to get into the city from HOU than you would from IAH (this is Houston’s version of JFK versus LaGuardia).

I tend to go with Lyft most as it is often slightly cheaper than Uber. A number of smaller ridesharing apps such as Wingz and Get Me serve HOU as well. They cost about the same but I choose Lyft because I accrue points with Delta Airlines through the Delta Lyft partnership.

One drawback to using rideshare apps at Hobby is that the rideshare pick-up is located at the Arrivals level Zone 5, which is 3 lanes farther than the taxi pick-up at Zone 2. I still choose rideshare apps over taxis: the costs are comparable while rideshare gives me the opportunity to collect points.

Car rental

Renting a car at HOU can be a good option if you plan to go beyond downtown on your trip. The airport is served by 10 major car rental agencies, including Avis and Budget, and 8 of them have kiosks at Arrivals. Rates are comparable to other major US cities. I’ve rented a car with Avis in the past, and had a very fast service at Hobby.

Parking tips

If you’re driving, you can reserve a parking spot at one of two airport garages (Red and Blue) within walking distance to the terminal. A one-day rate costs a bit less than a one-way rideshare into the city. If you plan to park at the airport, always check the app first, because rates there can be considerably lower than drive-up rates.

Public transport

A public transport option at Hobby is serviced by the METRO Bus 40 line, which picks up passengers outside the Arrivals level at Zone 3. The bus ride to the central business district downtown costs at least 20 times cheaper than rideshare or cab, but it can take up to 1 hour.

Since the airport is located so close to downtown, the public bus option has never appealed to me. The rideshare fares from the airport to the city are usually reasonable and the ride itself is faster and more convenient. Still, if you’re looking to save a considerable amount on transport costs, the bus is the way to go. The city-bound service runs from 4am to midnight on weekdays and from 5am to midnight on weekends.

Navigating security

Going through security at HOU takes about 10 to 15 min – and that’s if you go through the regular lane. TSA pre-check, which I get as a perk through a major credit card, usually gets me into the concourse even faster. The TSA pre-check lane closes just before 9pm, while the general lane is open until 11pm. No TSA pre-check? You can zip through the nearby CLEAR lane, which offers expedited biometric screening. It’s open until 8pm most days and 7pm on Saturdays.

I like using the Hobby Airport app to see how congested security lines are. On a rare occasion that I’ve been running slightly behind or stuck in traffic on the way to the airport, I’ve used this feature as an additional peace-of-mind guarantee that I would make my flight on time.

Keep in mind that if you’re traveling through Hobby during the holiday season, security lines will be more crowded. While CLEAR and TSA pre-check don’t make much of a difference at this airport during regular travel season, they can help you shave off considerable wait time during the holiday rush.

Connecting to IAH

For Hobby passengers who have a connecting domestic or international flight out of George Bush Intercontinental, there isn’t a convenient way to transfer via public transport. Technically, you can connect via two bus lines – METRO Bus 40 from HOU to downtown, followed by METRO Bus 102 from downtown to IAH – but it takes over two hours and can be stressful if you have an international flight to catch.

Car transfer is a more viable option. I recommend a rideshare app service, which tends to be cheaper than taxi, particularly outside of surge pricing. Expect the ride to take about 40 minutes, depending on traffic. Except for the two-hour bus ride, this is the most economical option. (A number of shuttle companies provide the inter-airport transfer as well, but they tend to cost at least double the rideshare fee.)

A guide to passenger experience

There are no lounges at Hobby Airport, except for the USO lounge which is reserved for active duty US service members. As a fan of airport lounges, I haven’t noticed a lack of one at this airport, because Hobby is usually fast, efficient and centered around a great passenger experience.

My favorite part about flying through Hobby is Harmony in the Air, the award-winning airport music program that features musicians from venues like the Houston Symphony and the Grand Opera performing jazz, classical, R&B and international music throughout the day (typically from noon to 7pm).

You can’t miss the Harmony in the Air stage. It is located at the entrance to the Central Concourse as soon as you exit the walkway post-security. There is ample seating in front of the stage and a children’s play area to the right. I’ve seen people dance here on a number of occasions and it creates a special atmosphere that I haven’t experienced at any other airport in the world.

I also love the art program at Hobby, which exhibits an abundance of art for such a small airport. Many of the artworks and sculptures are located on the Departures level before security, on the walkway to the West Concourse and on the Arrivals level landside.

My favorite piece at Hobby is the large two-panel mural by Houston artist Cruz Ortiz called Karankawa Sun Dream and the Truth Teller, located by Gate 1 in the West Concourse. I also love checking out the art near the baggage claim lanes on the Arrivals level.

The Artists In Residence (AIR) program at Hobby takes my top pick. Together with IAH, Hobby is the only airport in the US to offer this kind of program. The artist in residence studio is located inside the post-security walkway on the way to the Central Concourse. If you’re lucky, you can spot the artist working there throughout the week.