Houston Airports Reopen Following Hurricane Ike

September 15, 2008

Houston Airports Reopen Following Hurricane Ike
Sept. 15, 2008 – Hurricane Ike roared through Texas Saturday, knocking out power for more than 4 million and causing billions of dollars worth of damage. The storm was a Category 2 when it reached landfall early Saturday morning along the Texas coast. As the remnants of the storm moved north yesterday, many areas in the central section of the United States experienced rain and heavy winds.

Airline travel has been heavily affected over the weekend and should start getting back to normal in most areas. According to information posted at http://www.fly2houston.com/, flights will resume today at Houston’s airports – George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport. Corpus Christi International Airport and Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport also are open and are gradually building back up to full service.

Continental Airlines, which is the main airline serving Houston and many of Texas’ coastal cities, lists a statement on its Web site saying "Continental is preparing to resume mainline jet flights Monday, Sept. 15, at its Houston hub at [George Bush] Intercontinental Airport. … Continental plans to operate the vast majority of its schedule to and from Intercontinental Airport. Continental Express and Continental Connection flights to and from the Houston hub will operate at a reduced level on Monday. Normal operations continue at our New York/Newark and Cleveland hubs." The update from Continental also addresses change-fee waivers, long hold times at call centers and the Houston curfew.

Additional information is available from the Texas Department of Transportation, which has a Hurricane Information page including links to a number of resources, ranging from news updates to statewide road conditions. The site also advises anyone to check the Web sites or call the customer service numbers of the individual airlines before heading to the airport.