HOU/IAH | Houston Area Airports

[redspork02]

Originally Posted by diablo234

First off I was joking in that statement (sort of).

Second, I find it mildly amusing that you decided to respond to a comment I made a year ago on the very first post of this thread (that I created by the way). Regardless even if you find it disrespectful, well I have every right to state it so if you have a problem with it I suggest you grow a pair, realize that different people have different opinions, and move on.

Anyways if you are not on here to discuss anything specifically related to this airport, I will suggest you go troll somewhere else.

I was looking at your beautiful airport, not trolling. I just didn't expect politics to be involved in a site about an airport. Please don't insult me for your amusement. Ur kinda mean, doesn't the freedom of expression go both ways.? But your right, why not discuss the airport without talking politics.thats the point u made.

[diablo234]

Originally Posted by redspork02

I was looking at your beautiful airport, not trolling. I just didn't expect politics to be involved in a site about an airport. Please don't insult me for your amusement. Ur kinda mean, doesn't the freedom of expression go both ways.? But your right, why not discuss the airport without talking politics.thats the point u made.

Okay, now that we are on the same page that's fine and you are right, you have the right to express your opinion on here as well. I just thought you were trying to derail the thread earlier which is why I responded the way I did.

[diablo234]

Space Shuttle Endeavour was welcomed to Houston by hundreds of aviation enthusiasts waiting at Ellington Airport. The retiring shuttle touched down for an overnight stay and some Texas hospitality.

[diablo234]

[diablo234]

[diablo234]

In addition to new service from IAH to Chicago-O' Hare, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Las Vegas, Spirit is also expected to start service to Orlando which is expected to start on February 14.



Houston Chronicle: Spirit to add daily service to Orlando in February

[diablo234]

Southwest Airlines is seeking approval for a direct flight from Houston-Hobby to Washington-Reagan.



Houston Chronicle: Southwest seeks straight line to D.C.

[diablo234]

Houston Chronicle: Terminal renovation to make way for more big birds
By Kiah Collier | December 8, 2012 | Updated: December 10, 2012 1:59pm

Another terminal at Bush Intercontinental Airport is in for a major rejuvenation, including new gates designed to service the world's largest commercial passenger jet.

Sometime in the first three months of next year, the Houston Airport System will bid out the design for an overhaul of the international Terminal D, which it will pay for with a combination of its own revenue and federal grants.

Last year, the city of Houston and the Airport System announced a partnership with United Continental Holdings, the parent company of United Airlines, for a $1 billion renovation of Terminal B at Intercontinental, the city's largest airport.

The Terminal D project calls for revamping 11 gates, including three to handle the double-decker Airbus A380, which German carrier Lufthansa brought to Bush Intercontinental for the first time in August to fly its daily nonstop between Houston and Frankfurt.

The airport system hustled earlier this year to revamp Terminal D's Gate 12 to prepare for the Lufthansa jumbo jet's arrival. That involved installing a special jet bridge to reach the A380's full-length upper and lower decks.

Three other foreign airlines with service at Bush - Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Air France - also own A380s. British Airways and Qatar Airways have the big planes on order. But none has announced A380 service to Houston or Texas - yet.

Terminal D hasn't been updated since it was completed in 1990, and airport officials want to prepare it for possible additional A380 service. They have mentioned discussions with airlines expressing interest in flying the Airbus planes to Bush.

'Very poor condition'

Jarrett Simmons, the system's assistant director of aviation, said last week that the Terminal D upgrade is "the largest project in our pipeline over the next five years."

"Terminal D was only built 20 years ago, but it's in very poor condition," Simmons said at a conference in Houston where minority business owners convened to learn about opportunities at airport systems, including Houston's.

Other components of the Terminal D project include construction of an upper level for additional lounges, restaurants and duty-free shops, along with exterior and interior renovations.

"We have a lot of growth in Terminal D," Simmons said, noting the arrival of Lufthansa A380s and the start of Turkish Airlines service next spring.

"We have other airlines we're in discussions with who want to come to the Houston Terminal D, but we can't offer the amenities that they want," said Simmons, who is in charge of planning and programming. "They want lounges like they find overseas, they want better concessions, better duty-free. We can't do it in our current building."

In advance of the major renovation, the system will spend about $8 million on interim improvements, including new carpeting and painting, part of $17.1 million set aside to prepare for Lufthansa's A380 service.

Airport officials estimate the design of the Terminal D project will cost $30 million. They haven't provided an estimate of the total project cost.

Work at Hobby

Other projects in the works include what Simmons referred to as "enabling" projects for Hobby Airport's transformation to serve Latin American and Caribbean flights Southwest Airlines plans to launch in 2015.

At the Dallas-based airline's request, the Houston City Council in May gave the green light for construction of a $100 million Customs facility and five-gate expansion at Hobby.

The airline is paying for that work, but the airport system is responsible for project planning and is scheduled to bring those plans to the Houston City Council in January.

The projects include the construction of a 2,500-car parking garage at Hobby, expected to break ground in fall 2013, as well as extension of the passenger drop-off roadway by 250 feet. The extension will be in front of a new hall housing Southwest's ticketing counters.

The Airport System is not funded with local tax dollars, but landing fees from airlines, a passenger facility charge, rent paid by restaurants and other businesses in the airports and revenue from parking services.

....

[aquablue]

Who are the other airlines who want in to D?

[diablo234]

Originally Posted by aquablue

Who are the other airlines who want in to D?

Terminal D is pretty much used by all of the foreign carriers except for Air Canada such as Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore, TACA, Aeromexico, Viva Aerobus, etc.

Anyways aside from Turkish Airlines which is expected to start service next year, there have been no announcements of new carriers expected to use Terminal D at IAH.

[diablo234]

I don't know how accurate this is but apparently Air China is looking at starting up non-stop service from Beijing-Capital to Houston sometime in July.

Air China Comes to Houston

So far there have been no official announcements yet, so I am still kind of skeptical but given the number of Star Alliance connections and the sizable Chinese community in Houston, not to mention business ties, I can see why Air China is looking at serving Houston.

[nigel20]

Nice thread

[diablo234]

Now it looks like it's official, Air China will start a new direct flight from Beijing to IAH this July.

Air China Continues Expansion in North America with New Nonstop Houston-Beijing Service

HOUSTON (January 15, 2013)—Dr. Zhihang Chi, Air China’s Vice President and General Manager for North America, announced Air China’s new nonstop service between Houston and Beijing, pending government approval, in a joint press conference with the Houston Airport System today.

“With its vibrant business communities and fast-growing diverse population, Houston is a perfect choice for an additional gateway for Air China. It offers the most convenient connections to China and beyond for our passengers from Texas and other neighboring states,” Dr. Chi stated.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker welcomed the news.

“Houston is honored to be the newest global gateway for Air China as our international growth depends on strong relationships worldwide,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “This new direct route to China will ensure our success in growing the Texas regional economy and strengthen the global ties to our trade partners in China.”

Consul General Erwen Xu also applauded Air China’s new flight to Houston. Madame Xu, China’s 12th Consul General in Houston, said at the press conference, “Houston has always played an important role in China-U.S. relations. In 1979, Houston was one of the stops of China’s late leader Deng Xiaoping’s historic visit to the U.S. In the same year, it became the host city of China’s very first Consulate General in the U.S. The nonstop flight between Houston and Beijing, as dreamed by many people for many years, will not only shorten the distance between Houston and China, but also help expand future cooperation between the southern part of the U.S. and China, and help foster stronger ties between our two great countries.”

...

[desertpunk]

Hobby Airport Will Add 5 Gates, Parking Garage In $150 Million Expansion Plan


http://www.houstonchronicle.com/

HOUSTON -

Houston's second largest airport is getting a little bigger.

The Houston Airport System submitted its expansion plans for Hobby Airport to Houston City Council on Monday. The project comes as the little airport goes international.

The size of Southwest Airlines' ticket counter will more than double to accommodate the increased traffic that is expected. Six more lanes will be added to the security lines, along with five new arrival and departure gates and a new parking garage.

HAS representatives said Southwest Airlines is footing the $150 million bill.

[diablo234]

U.S. approves Air China Houston flights

The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved Air China's application to fly nonstop between Beijing and Houston, the Houston Airport System announced Tuesday.

The four-times-weekly flight from Beijing Capital International Airport to Bush Intercontinental Airport is scheduled to begin July 11 on a 311-seat Boeing B777-300ER.

Beijing-based Air China and the city of Houston announced the flight with last month, but the flag carrier of the People's Republic had to wait for government approval before it could sell tickets.

"The speed that the United States Department of Transportation approved this new route speaks a great deal of the value of the Beijing to Houston connection," Houston Mayor Annise Parker said in a news release. "Our 30-year partnership with China is a strong foundation to build Air China's new route to Beijing, which enhances the business opportunities of more than 500 Houston enterprises that today work closely with China."

...

[diablo234]

Spirit Airlines is once again expanding in Houston, this time starting new direct flights from IAH to both Denver and Detroit, both of which are expected to begin June, 13.

Spirit Airlines Continues Houston Expansion with Daily Nonstop Service Houston - Denver and Houston - Detroit

[diablo234]

Turkish Airlines already adding more Houston flights: Mayor Parker praises . . . Omer Asik?

Turkish Airlines has arrived in a big way in Houston, celebrating its inaugural flight — which took off from George Bush Intercontinental Airport's Terminal D on Monday evening — with two days of festivities and an NBA outing.

(At a luncheon on Tuesday, Mayor Annise Parker boasted about how Omer Asik, the tall Turkish-born center for the Houston Rockets, performed well for his out-of-town fans and helped his team to an important win over the Orlando Magic the night before.)

Initial once-daily flights will depart from Houston at 7:50 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, but as Houston Airport System executive director Mario Diaz pointed out at the luncheon, the ambitious carrier added two additional weekly flights before service out of IAH even commenced.

Beginning July 3, service will also take place on Wednesdays and Sundays, and Hamdi Topçu, chairman of Turkish Airlines, foresees that the frequency to Istanbul's Ataturk Airport will soon be increased to multiple daily departures.

......

[diablo234]

Details on Southwest Airlines new $150 million Houston terminal emerge: A hard-fought stunner?

The Houston Airport System (HAS) has revealed the anticipated groundbreaking on the new terminal at William P. Hobby Airport. It is slated for May, exactly one year after Southwest Airlines won a hard-fought battle against United Airlines for international service out of Houston's lesser airport.

At a Houston City Council committee meeting, HAS reported the plans for expansion of the terminal, a two-level, 280,000 square foot building that will include an additional ticket counter, six additional security lanes, five new arrival/departure gates (fitted for Boeing 737 and A318-320 aircraft) and a new Federal Inspections Services facility to accommodate 400 to 800 passengers.

As part of the agreement, Southwest consented in May 2012 to foot the $100 million bill for airport expansions in exchange for rent-free use of four of the five new gates, as well as the customs facilities, over the course of a 25-year lease. The reconciled project estimate has now been upped to $150 million.

...

[diablo234]

JetBlue rolls out Houston to Boston nonstop flights with incredibly cheap introductory fares

Travel to Boston is about to get easier — and cheaper. JetBlue Airways and the Houston Airport System announced on Thursday that the discount air carrier will launch twice-daily nonstop service between Logan International Airport and William P. Hobby.

Beginning on July 25, flights from Boston to Houston will leave daily at 7 a.m. and 1:40 p.m. and Boston-bound flights will depart from Houston at 10:35 a.m. and 5:20 p.m. each day.