In the United States, Houston Airport is the second largest. It is located in Texas and bears the name of the 41st President of America - George W. Bush. The area of the airport is about 40 thousand km 2 . According to statistics, the annual passenger flow is more than 40 million people.
When was it opened?
The airport in Houston was commissioned in the early summer of 1969, although its opening was to take place two years earlier. Such a delay arose due to the amendments introduced during the construction process, which concerned the design and location of passenger terminals. These changes have led to a significant overspending of funds allocated for the construction of the facility. The contractor tried to sue about $ 11 million from the city municipality, but the Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit.
If you look at a photo of Houston Airport, taken from a bird's eye view, you can see the grandeur of the structure.
Terminals
There are five passenger terminals on the territory of the terminal, which are located far from each other. They have a letter designation:
- Terminal A. Used to service domestic flights that depart to different parts of the country. Flights from various airlines to Canada also depart from here, with the exception of Continental Airlines.
- Terminal B. It also serves domestic flights and flights to Canada operated by Continental Exspress.
- Terminal C. They are used to service passenger traffic moving on domestic flights and using Canadian destinations on Continental Airlines airliners.
- Terminal D. It is engaged in the service of international flights. However, it does not work with similar Continental Airlines destinations.
- Terminal E. Used to send and receive passengers using Continental Airlines services. From here, international as well as domestic flights are carried out.
Airport infrastructure
The annual passenger traffic at Houston Airport is very large, so a whole infrastructure has been developed here to serve the interests of customers. There are bank branches, currency exchange offices, conference rooms and even a chapel. While waiting for their flight, passengers can go shopping and purchase the products they need. Here you can buy anything you want: souvenirs, branded clothing, household appliances, etc.
If you travel with your pet, there is a service at the airport that will look after it for a fee. For passengers with children, game rooms and an animation team are provided. There are also mother and baby rooms. If the children have already reached school age, they can take part in excursions.
At the Houston airport, all conditions for business people are created. In the presence of personal computers, access to the Internet is provided. Also, if necessary, a person can use the telephone and fax.
The catering system is well developed. There are restaurants serving dishes of various ethnic groups, a variety of cafes, eateries or bistros.
Transport communication between terminals
The arrivals building of international flights, used as a transit point, as well as all terminals (except terminal A) are interconnected. The Termina Link railway runs here, thanks to which passengers of transit flights can freely move around the airport, within the boundaries of the so-called sterile zones. In the event that a person has arrived at one terminal, and transfer to another flight is made on another, he does not need to re-pass the security check.
You need to know that the ground railway has three stops:
- terminal B;
- terminal C;
- station located between the international arrival area and terminals E and D.
There are other modes of transport. For example, movement through sterile areas from terminal A to terminals B and C is carried out by shuttle buses.
Flood
At the end of August 2017, the hurricane "Harvey" hit the territory of Texas, which brought heavy rains with it. According to meteorologists, on August 28, 14-15 trillion gallons of precipitation fell in Houston and surrounding areas. The water level in the reservoir has reached a critical point.
Due to the prevailing weather conditions, it was decided to close the Houston airport. All departures were canceled. Also closed areas for stay flights, as part of the runway was flooded. Houston Airport resumed operations on August 30 after the hurricane began to decline.