William P. Hobby Airport
| William P. Hobby Airport Houston Hobby |
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IATA: HOU – ICAO: KHOU – FAA LID: HOU
 HOU
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| Summary | |||
| Owner | City of Houston | ||
| Operator | Houston Airport System | ||
| Serves | Houston–The Woodlands-Sugar Land | ||
| Location | Houston, Texas (USA) | ||
| Focus city for | Southwest Airlines | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 46 ft / 14 m | ||
| Coordinates | 29°38′44″N 95°16′44″W / 29.64556°N 95.27889°WCoordinates: 29°38′44″N 95°16′44″W / 29.64556°N 95.27889°W | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 4/22 | 7,602 | 2,317 | Concrete |
| 12L/30R | 5,148 | 1,569 | Concrete |
| 12R/30L | 7,602 | 2,317 | Asphalt |
| 17/35 | 6,000 | 1,829 | Asphalt/Concrete |
| Statistics (2006, 2010) | |||
| Aircraft operations (2006) | 236,637 | ||
| Based aircraft (2006) | 292 | ||
| Air carrier/taxi (2006) | 154,621 | ||
| Passengers (2010) | 9,054,001 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]
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William P. Hobby Airport (IATA: HOU, ICAO: KHOU, FAA LID: HOU) is a public airport in Houston, Texas, located 7 miles (11 km) from downtown Houston.[2] The airport covers 1,304 acres (528 ha) and has four runways. Hobby Airport is Houston's oldest commercial airport and was the city's primary air terminal until the opening of Houston Intercontinental Airport (now George Bush Intercontinental Airport) in 1969. Hobby serves the city as a secondary airport handling domestic service and is a regional center for corporate and private aviation. The airport is home of the 1940 Air Terminal Museum which houses a collection in the original art deco building which served as the first terminal for passenger flight in Houston. It currently serves as a focus city for Southwest Airlines. On May 30, 2012, Houston City Council approved a deal to have Southwest Airlines build a $100 million international facility at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and begin operating flights to Mexico, Central America, and South America starting in 2015.[3]
History
Hobby Airport opened in 1927 as a private landing field in a 600-acre (240 ha) pasture known as W.T. Carter Field. The airfield was served by Braniff and Eastern Airlines. The site was acquired by the city of Houston and was named Houston Municipal Airport in 1937.[4] The airport was renamed Howard R. Hughes Airport in 1938. Howard Hughes was responsible for several improvements to the airport, including its first control tower, built in 1938.[4] The airport's name changed back to Houston Municipal because Hughes was living at the time and regulations did not allow federal improvement funds for an airport named after a living person.
The city of Houston opened and dedicated a new air terminal and hangar in 1940.
In 1950 Pan Am started a nonstop DC-4 flight to Mexico City. In 1954 an expanded terminal building opened to support the 53,640 airline flights that carried 910,047 passengers.[5] The airport was renamed Houston International Airport the same year.
The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 26 weekday departures on Eastern, 20 Braniff (plus four departures a week to/from South America), nine Continental, nine Delta, nine Trans-Texas, four National, two Pan American and one American. There were nonstops to New York and Washington, but not to Chicago or Denver or anywhere west of there. Later in 1957 KLM started DC-7C flights to Amsterdam via Montreal; they later moved to Houston Intercontinental Airport (now George Bush Intercontinental Airport), where they remain today.
Airport diagram for March 1962
In 1967 the airport was renamed after former Texas governor William P. Hobby.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport opened in 1969 because of expansion limitations at Hobby, and all airlines at Hobby moved there. The Civil Aeronautics Administration recommended years earlier that Houston begin to plan to replace Hobby, since the airport was inadequate for the new travel market.[6]
TranStar Airlines (Muse Air) corporate headquarters were on the airport property.[7]
Hobby reopened to commercial aviation in 1971. In 2008 the airport handled 8.8 million passengers.[8] Only US destinations and international destinations with border preclearance are served currently, but, starting in 2015, Southwest will open a new international terminal allowing it to fly to international destinations.[9]
International flights
In January 2012 Southwest Airlines expressed interest in serving Mexican and South American destinations out of Hobby.[10]
On April 9, 2012 Houston Director of Aviation Mario Diaz announced support of international flights from Hobby after multiple studies of the economical impact on the entire city of Houston. On this day Southwest Airlines also debuted its new campaign called Free Hobby. Supporters are asked to sign a petition. Southwest also started a website just for supporters of international flights from Hobby, freehobbyairport.com. Southwest is proposing to pay for the new international terminal extension which will include 5 international gates. If approved, the international terminal extension would be completed in 2015.[11]
United Airlines, Houston's other major carrier, who would subsequently be forced to compete with Southwest on proposed international routes, has objected to the expansion plans citing a study which concludes that the change would cost the Houston area jobs and result in a net reduction in GRP.[12]
Houston Mayor Annise Parker backed Southwest's flight to make Hobby an international airport on May 23, 2012.[13] On May 30, 2012 Houston's city council approved Southwest's request for international flights from Hobby.[14]
Operations
Hobby Airport handles domestic service for six commercial airlines and is an international point of entry for general aviation activity between Texas and Mexico. Hobby has multiple low cost carrier operations, as opposed to Bush Intercontinental Airport's hub operation with United Airlines. As of May,2013, from Hobby Airport Southwest has 200 daily nonstop flights to 45 cities, and it uses 17 gates at the airport.[15]
In a survey among travelers in the United States by J.D. Power and Associates for an Aviation Week traveler satisfaction report, William P. Hobby Airport tied with Dallas Love Field as the number one small airport in the country for customer satisfaction in 2006[16][17] and ranked number one again in 2007.[18][19] Hobby ranked #2 in 2008.[20]
Southwest Airlines operated more than 80 percent of the total enplanements at Hobby in 2005 and an average of 10 flights per day per gate. Southwest Airlines plans to maintain Houston as a focus city and is looking to serve new markets from Hobby.[21]
Developments at Hobby in the 2000s (decade) include a new concourse to serve Southwest Airlines, designed by Leo A Daly[22] and the upgrade of Runway 4/22. In May 2009, a terminal renovation project was announced [23] that will update the ticket counters, lobby area, and baggage claim.
The Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center serves as the airport's ARTCC.[24]
Terminal
William P. Hobby Airport consists of one Central Concourse terminal with 26 gates, all but 7 used by Southwest.
The terminal includes an interfaith chapel.[25]
Airlines and destinations
Top destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas, TX | 598,000 | Southwest |
| 2 | Atlanta, GA | 450,000 | AirTran, Delta, Southwest |
| 3 | New Orleans, LA | 279,000 | Southwest |
| 4 | Chicago (Midway), IL | 247,000 | Southwest |
| 5 | Denver, CO | 206,000 | Southwest |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | 189,000 | Southwest |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA | 165,000 | Southwest |
| 8 | Orlando, FL | 156,000 | Southwest |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | 148,000 | Southwest |
| 10 | Baltimore, MD | 147,000 | Southwest |
Ground transportation
Bus
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, or METRO, stops at Curbzone 13.[30]
Courtesy vans
Courtesy vans are operated by various hotels and motels in and around the Houston Area. There are courtesy telephones in the baggage claim areas to request pick-up for most hotels and motels.[30]
Shuttle service
Shared-ride shuttle service is available at HOU. SuperShuttle takes reservations and picks-up travelers at their homes or businesses and transports them to the airport and vice versa. Additionally, regularly scheduled bus and shuttle service is provided by various carriers to locations from HOU to areas outside the Houston Metropolitan area and to Galveston and College Station. These services can be found in the baggage claim area.[30]
Taxi
Taxis are available at Curb Zone 3.[30]
Artwork
There are several pieces located in and on the airport grounds: Artists Paul Kittleson and Carter Ernst created "Take-off," a stainless steel bird's nest showing interwoven branches created using industrial materials. The nest is 30 feet (0.0091 km) wide and is held 20 feet (6.1 m) above the ground by three steel tree trunks. The nest is depicted floating above a subtropical garden. The artists created the work to depict the spirit of Houston's industrial force along the coastal plain. "Take-off" is located at Hobby's Broadway Street entrance.[31]
Accidents and incidents
The following involved flights departing or arriving at the airport:
- 1959: Braniff Flight 542 crashed in Buffalo, Texas, on September 29, 1959. It was en route to Dallas, Texas, from Houston, Texas. Twenty-nine passengers and five crew members died in the crash. The plane, a turboprop Lockheed L-188 Electra with the registration number N9705C, was eleven days old when it crashed. The Civil Aeronautics Board stated that the probable cause was "structural failure of the left wing resulting from forces generated by undampened propeller whirl mode."[32]
- 1968: Braniff Flight 352: Broke into pieces during flight in a thunderstorm on Houston-Dallas route
References
- ^ FAA Airport Master Record for HOU (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-08-30
- ^ "Frontier Airlines to change airports in Houston." Denver Business Journal. Monday August 9, 2010. Retrieved on March 27, 2011.
- ^ Centre For Aviavtion: Houston airport operator envisions Hobby offering international flights in 12 markets
- ^ a b "History of Hobby Airport," Houston Airport System
- ^ 1940 Air Terminal Museum – Houston Aviation History Timeline
- ^ "WILLIAM P. HOBBY AIRPORT." The Handbook of Texas
- ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. May 16, 1981. 1452. "Head Office: Hobby Airport, Houston, Texas, USA."
- ^ "fly2houston". Houston Airport System. 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- ^ Associated, The (2012-05-31). "Southwest to offer international flights from Houston | Travel | The Seattle Times". Seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
- ^ Gutierrez, Gabe. "Southwest Airlines considers international flights from Hobby." KHOU. January 26, 2012. Retrieved on January 27, 2012.
- ^ NJN (2012-05-01). "Houston Airport System". Fly2Houston. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
- ^ "United Continental Holdings, Inc. – Investor Relations – News". Ir.unitedcontinentalholdings.com. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
- ^ "Houston Mayor Annise Parker gives details of $100 million Hobby Airport expansion | abc13.com". Abclocal.go.com. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
- ^ (2012-05-30). "City Council approves Hobby Airport expansion to allow Southwest international flights; United says it will cut jobs | abc13.com". Abclocal.go.com. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
- ^ Moreno, Jenalia. "More to Luv?" Houston Chronicle. January 22, 2011. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.
- ^ "Hobby Airport rated number one in customer satisfaction." Houston Airport System
- ^ Wilson, Benet. "Human Factors." Aviation Week & Space Technology 165.1 (3 July 2006): 39. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 December 2011.
- ^ "A favorite among travelers again." Houston Airport System
- ^ Gary, Stoller. "Smaller airports have big appeal." USA Today 9 October 2007: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 15 December 2011.
- ^ Gillum, Jack. "Passenger satisfaction study puts Tucson airport at bottom." Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, AZ) 21 May 2008: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 15 December 2011.
- ^ "Program Overview William P. Hobby Airport," Houston Airport System
- ^ William P. Hobby Airport – Leo A Daly
- ^ "Dramatic improvements to come at Hobby," Houston Airport System
- ^ "KHOU," Airnav.com
- ^ "Interfaith Chapel" of William P. Hobby Airport. Houston Airport System
- ^ a b Owen, Bill (4 February 2013). "Grand Rapids Joins SWA Network: August/September 2013 Schedule Open!". Retrieved 2013-03-16.
- ^ "JetBlue Airways Announces Flights from Boston to Houston Hobby Airport, its 49th Destination from Logan Airport" (Press release). JetBlue Airways. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ http://www.dot.gov/briefing-room/houston-gets-new-service-washington-dc-under-department-transportation-slot-award
- ^ "RITA | BTS | Transtats". Transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
- ^ a b c d "Ground Transportation." William P. Hobby Airport. Retrieved on November 22, 2008.
- ^ "Hobby Airport Unveils New Original Artwork." (Archive) Houston Airport System. March 25, 2010. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-188A Electra N9705C Buffalo, TX." Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on December 22, 2009.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: William P. Hobby Airport |
- Houston Airport System — William P. Hobby Airport
- Houston Airport System — Houston Airports Today television show
- The 1940 Air Terminal Museum at William P. Hobby Airport
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective May 2, 2013
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KHOU
- ASN accident history for HOU
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KHOU
- FAA current HOU delay information
- Gonzalez, J. R. "1941 photos show scenes at Houston Municipal Airport." Houston Chronicle. May 10, 2010.
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