George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

[Houston19514]

Terminal D West Pier construction

Edited July 19, 2022 by Houston19514

[mattyt36]

Here you go, the original rail to IAH proposal from 1967 . . . a cool $10MM, to be operated by . . . John Mecom of Mecom Fountain fame.

This day in Houston history, Aug. 15, 1967: A jet-powered way to get to IAH (houstonchronicle.com)

[Houston19514]

New YouTube video:

 

[wxman]

Looks like terminal A will get a $40 million dollar face lift and a 4 gate expansion.

renderings look decent!

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-s-IAH-set-to-modernize-expand-terminal-17441354.php

 

[Amlaham]

Thank goodness, this was much much needed! 

[Houston19514]

This is part of a 10-gate expansion plan for Terminal A and an additional 6 or 7 gates for Terminal D.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Houston19514

[Houston19514]

On 5/27/2022 at 1:02 PM, Houston19514 said:

HAS did an update presentation to City Council Economic Development  Committee yesterday.  No big news in the presentation.  I thought the most interesting item was when the HAS COO mentioned, again, that in addition to the Airport’s expansion plans, United is working on plans to expand their gates; presumably, that would be the new north piers in Terminal B.

Here’s the presentation:

http://www.houstontx.gov/council/committees/econdev/20220526/ITRP_Economic_Development_Committee.pdf

Just following up on this earlier reference to United making plans for Terminal B:

From United Airlines:  

"B Terminal
Did you think construction was over?

Work is underway to determine what we do with the B terminal moving forward when compared to the aircraft sizes we will be flying with United Next. We expect to have some definitive answers by the end of the year. This includes a full look at both North and South as well as the B Lobby, BMU, TSA screening, etc."

"The traffic under the new Early Bag System building will open by November 1st, which will give back the lanes of traffic to south terminal road. Once that is opened up, the airport can then begin to build the structure for the new lobby. Completion for E is still slated for 2024.""

[Chi-Char-Hou-Dal]

I heard over a beer recently from a qualified source, hiring labor and sub contractors has become such an issue due to diversity and minority hiring mandate percentages that not only has it caused measurable delays and problems but has also increased cost and everyone top down has baked in increases and inefficiencies in future work for the airport.

I am sharing not to cause WWIII but found it sad that this is where we are at. I am not in the direct space or construction industry so I can't comment. My question would be  is this  SOP how muni business is done these days? I got the feeling all work at IAH was on the extreme end of these restrictions and requirements , especially for Texas.

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

it has been SOP for 30 years now. My ex wife worked for a civil engineering company that was owned by a guy from Ecuador. They got a cut of most of the City's business due to minority/chick owned business set asides. Fortunately, they were competent, unlike what is left of Figg.

[editor]

11 hours ago, Chi-Char-Hou-Dal said:

I am sharing not to cause WWIII but found it sad that this is where we are at. I am not in the direct space or construction industry so I can't comment. My question would be  is this  SOP how muni business is done these days?

Yes.  But not "these days," but for the entirety of this century so far, and in many places, a few decades of the last.

And it's not just municipal construction.  In some places, it's any big project, public or private.  And it's not just hiring minority workers, but a requirement to hire minority or women-owned contracting companies, and to also hire workers from the city where the project is being built, so that construction companies don't bus in cheap day laborers from other states/nations.

I choose Chicago as an example, because it's the city that I'm most familiar with.  Any project of any size includes this section in the application:

Quote

The Applicant acknowledges that it is the policy of the City to maximize opportunities for Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises ("M/WBEs") and City residents to compete for contracts and jobs on construction projects approved through the planned development process.  To assist the City in promoting and tracking such M/WBE and City resident participation, an applicant for a planned development approval shall provide information at three points in the City approval process.  First, the applicant must submit to DPD, as part of its application for planned development approcal, and M/WBE Participation Proposal. The M/WBE Participation Proposal must identify the applicant's goals for participation of certified M/WBE firms in the design, engineering and construction of the project, and of City residents in the construction work. The City encourages goals of 26 percent MBE and 6 percent WBE participation (measured against the total construction budget for the project or any phase thereof), and *(ii) 50 percent City resident hiring (measured against the total construction work hours for the project or any phase thereof).  The M/WBE Participation Proposal must include a description of the applicant's proposed outreach plan designed to inform M/WBEs and City residents of job and contracting opportunities.  Second, at the time of the applicant's submission for Part II Permit Review for the project or any phase thereof, the applicant must submit to DPD (a) updates (if any) to the applicant's preliminary outreach plan, (b) a description of the applicant's outreach efforts and evidence of such outreach, including, without limitation, copies of certified letters to M/WBE contractor associations and the ward office of the alderman in which the project is located and receipts thereof; (c) responses to the applicant's outreach efforts, and (d) updates (if any) to the applicant's M/WBE and City resident participation goals.  Third, prior to issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for the project or any phase thereof, the applicant must provide DPD with the actual level of M/WBE and City resident participation in the project or any phase thereof, and evidence of such participation.  In addition to the foregoing, DPD may request such additional information as the department determines may be necessary or useful in evaluating the extent to which M/WBEs and City residents are informed of and utilized in planned development projects.  All such information will be provided n a form acceptable to the Zoning Administrator.  DPD will report the data it collects regarding projected and actual employment of M/WBEs and City residents in planned development projects twice yearly to the Chicago Plan Commission and annually to the Chicago City Council and the Mayor.

[mattyt36]

The federal government also has its own requirements attached to the grants that every commercial service airport in the country receives.  (Similar requirements are associated with almost every federal government grant.)

Airport Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program | Federal Aviation Administration (faa.gov)

9 hours ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

it has been SOP for 30 years now. My ex wife worked for a civil engineering company that was owned by a guy from Ecuador. They got a cut of most of the City's business due to minority/chick owned business set asides. Fortunately, they were competent, unlike what is left of Figg.

How can chickens own businesses?  That sounds silly.

[Houston19514]

Progress on construction Terminal D West Pier:

Additional levels of parking being added to the top of Terminal C Garage.

 

 

[wxman]

Has IAH regained all the service/routes we lost during the pandemic?

What routes are we still waiting on to return? Sydney? Addis Ababa?

What routes/airlines are not likely to return? Ethiopian?

What new airlines will the new Terminal D likely attract? Maybe Virgin? China Airlines? Another European or Asian airline we haven't had previously?

What are the next major markets IAH is likely to service next that we haven't had before? I'd like to see Rome, Athens or Zurich. Maybe Melbourne or Johannesburg. 

 

Okay, Im done with the questions .

Edited November 21, 2022 by wxman

[mattyt36]

10 hours ago, wxman said:

Has IAH regained all the service/routes we lost during the pandemic?

What routes are we still waiting on to return? Sydney? Addis Ababa?

I believe CA IAH-PEK (and the PTY extension) and ET IAH-LFW are it in terms of long-haul routes.  SYD just resumed.  MGA and YEG should eventually resume, I'm sure MGA first.  Only other international route that hasn't resumed is CUU, which likely won't return.  SCL unfortunately seasonal for this year (and seasonal southern summer, which is admittedly strange), but likely back to full year next year.  The international network has remained pretty intact, although it has not grown at all, which it has for both AUS and DFW.  DFW was a busier international airport than IAH for the first time since the early 1980s in 2021, and I doubt IAH will reclaim the title.  Very sad.

If ET comes back it'll be a while.

10 hours ago, wxman said:

What new airlines will the new Terminal D likely attract? Maybe Virgin? China Airlines? Another European or Asian airline we haven't had previously?

New terminals do not attract airlines, unless there are capacity constraints.  There were in 2014, when economy was humming along, but there aren't any constraints preventing new service now.  If anything, the increased fees resulting from the new terminal may drive the short-haul budget Mexican carriers from IAH to HOU.

The only thing I think may happen is UA may add a bank or two back once the absolute disaster of construction around the roadways is complete--I can understand if they didn't want to add service and make it worse, but I'm probably giving it too much credit.  Thankfully it coincides with them getting a lot of new aircraft.

10 hours ago, wxman said:

What are the next major markets IAH is likely to service next that we haven't had before? I'd like to see Rome, Athens or Zurich. Maybe Melbourne or Johannesburg. 

Well, we all have wish lists, I suppose.  TK has added 3x additional weekly IST flights since COVID.

UA hasn't seem interested at all in adding IAH-secondary Europe for summer seasonal, and I don't see why that would change.  If it did, CDG would likely be the first route to come back.  ZRH is not a big local market (about the same as MUC +/-), so I'd say probably one or the other there.  MEL?  Maybe (emphasis on MAY) on the 5-year horizon, but I think even that's a stretch (not to mention it is literally a stretch at 9,000 mi, or 400 mi farther than IAH-SYD).  IAH-JNB is even farther and JNB is at 5500 feet--I'm not sure there is an aircraft that can make it nonstop with an economic payload in the JNB-IAH direction (perhaps the 777X can), but I don't think UA will be ordering a subfleet for that route.

Prior to COVID, there was a good chance TAP was going to start IAH-LIS, which would have been great for the market for much the same reason IAH-IST was a good addition as it brought down connecting fares considerably and led to some market stimulation.  Maybe in a couple of summer seasons they'll reconsider it.  IAH-DUB on EI would also be good for this but not sure EI has much incentive for it--if anything they'll go to AUS first.  In fact, AUS getting TATL service (and a significant amount, almost overnight) is a drag on demand out of here.

Sadly, IAH is just not on the radar of foreign flag airlines like it was a decade ago.  Any longhaul routes added by UA may very well come in pairs, as they have before, with 3 new aircraft being based here to fly 2 longhaul routes (e.g., IAH-MAD and IAH-second GRU, neither of which, incidentally I see happening, but hey, I didn't think the Astros would pull it off after game 3 in PHL, nonetheless in 6).

[mattyt36]

On the domestic side, it all depends on United deepening existing banks and restoring old ones, which is dependent on the MAX deliveries, which is dependent on the FAA certification of the MAX 10.  They just lost 60 50-seat jet frames to AA with Air Wisconsin, which makes any rapid schedule build up all but impossible.  Their existing regional partners can't fully staff their fleet--Mesa has (I think) low double digits E175s parked, and that is who primarily flies E175s from IAH.  SFO is still not fully restored either and that will be a priority once they "have to" to retain gates as they did at DEN, EWR, and ORD.  UA has long-term locks on all but their A and D gates at IAH so it is not an issue here. 

If the MAX deliveries get slowed (all but certain at this point) and that corresponds to an economic downturn, I fear UA will inevitably default to the lower end of its fleet plan and retire older aircraft so the new aircraft coming in will be more pure replacements rather than additional frames, which means UA will never catch up with AA or DL--both CO and UA retired so many narrowbodies after the 2008 GFC to rely on regional jets and have never recovered.

I don't see the JetBlue-Spirit merger being good for IAH if it is approved.  I suppose there's an outside chance JetBlue will give it a try, but I really don't see it working long term.  To the extent that capacity is not backfilled by someone like Frontier, that will result in decreased competition, increased airfares, and of course lower passenger counts. 

The biggest question to me is when the new airline that is literally based in Houston (Avelo) will start flying here, and where from.  I suspect given their experience setting up something from nothing in HVN and ILG, they'll try for EFD. 

[Houston19514]

1 hour ago, mattyt36 said:

 The international network has remained pretty intact, although it has not grown at all, which it has for both AUS and DFW.  DFW was a busier international airport than IAH for the first time since the early 1980s in 2021, and I doubt IAH will reclaim the title.  Very sad.

Not true for 2021 (but it looks like DFW may have surpassed IAH through September 2022).

2021 International passenger traffic:

• IAH:  6,612,076
• DFW: 6,122,489

[mattyt36]

1 hour ago, Houston19514 said:

Not true for 2021 (but it looks like DFW may have surpassed IAH through September 2022).

2021 International passenger traffic:

• IAH:  6,612,076
• DFW: 6,122,489

You are indeed correct, not sure where I got that idea in my head.

Regardless, it is likely to happen in 2022--if it doesn't, for all intents and purposes they will be at the same level.

A far cry from IAH historically being a good 25% busier internationally than DFW.

HOU is to blame for some of it.  AA not having a true hub on the West Coast or East Coast probably proportionally more responsible, but UA has lost a lot of ground to Mexico in particular. 

If you have a theory as to how this will revert in the future, I'd love to hear it.

Otherwise, the substantive point remains the same.

[freundb]

My buddy was just on that first flight back to Sydney. He wasn't a fan of sitting in economy for 18 hours. He did end up with a whole row to himself on the way there. 

I would love more direct flights to European cities. While we're at it, I'd like a direct flight to my hometown. Who do I need to talk to about that...

[mattyt36]

16 hours ago, freundb said:

My buddy was just on that first flight back to Sydney. He wasn't a fan of sitting in economy for 18 hours. He did end up with a whole row to himself on the way there. 

I would love more direct flights to European cities. While we're at it, I'd like a direct flight to my hometown. Who do I need to talk to about that...

NetJets | World's Leading Private Jet Company | Fractional Aircraft Companies

[asubrt]

On 11/21/2022 at 9:53 AM, mattyt36 said:

I believe CA IAH-PEK (and the PTY extension) and ET IAH-LFW are it in terms of long-haul routes.  SYD just resumed.  MGA and YEG should eventually resume, I'm sure MGA first.

Managua resumes January 4. Edmonton was originally slated to return in April 2023, but has since been removed from all future schedules.

[Houston19514]

HAS gives us an update:

https://fly2houston.com/newsroom/articles/sights-and-sounds-progress-construction-advances-steadily-iah-terminal

Edited November 29, 2022 by Houston19514

[wxman]

Here’s a couple of updates of terminal D I took this morning on the train. Coming along!

[wxman]

Couple more I took while taxiing…

[hindesky]

"Not one, but two art projects are beautifying the community neighboring George Bush Intercontinental Airport in 2023. A 5-ton sculpture of President John F. Kennedy will be installed on John F. Kennedy Boulevard near the airport's southern entrance in East Aldine this month. A "rambling rose"-style labyrinth was completed last month."

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/article/BushSculpturelabyrinth-17692483.php?utm_campaign=centerpiece#photo-23332510

[hbg.50]

39 minutes ago, hindesky said:

"Not one, but two art projects are beautifying the community neighboring George Bush Intercontinental Airport in 2023. A 5-ton sculpture of President John F. Kennedy will be installed on John F. Kennedy Boulevard near the airport's southern entrance in East Aldine this month. A "rambling rose"-style labyrinth was completed last month."

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/article/BushSculpturelabyrinth-17692483.php?utm_campaign=centerpiece#photo-23332510

I’m always happy to see more public art but the location of the JFK monument is bizarre, being at the entrance to George Bush Intercontinental Airport.  Wouldn’t a George Bush statue make more sense?  The JFK monument should be installed at the inception of JFK Boulevard near Aldine Mail Route.  The residents of East Aldine would get much more value from the art if it were in their actual neighborhood.  Thumbs down on this project.  Reminds me of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank plastering its name on the bank right at the edge of downtown Houston.  That got fixed!

[yaga]

In today's City of Houston Economic Development Committee meeting, Houston Airport System director Mario Diaz mentions that they are finalizing talks with United about a massive overhaul and redevelopment of the entire Terminal B complex.

[freundb]

2 hours ago, yaga said:

In today's City of Houston Economic Development Committee meeting, Houston Airport System director Mario Diaz mentions that they are finalizing talks with United about a massive overhaul and redevelopment of the entire Terminal B complex.

Good. B sucks. Fix A while they're at it too!

 

In all seriousness, A and B suck. The master plan on the airport website shows a ton of potential solutions going forward, including new remote terminals and additional runways.

Edited January 20, 2023 by freundb

[Reefmonkey]

On 1/19/2023 at 6:56 PM, freundb said:

Good. B sucks. Fix A while they're at it too!

 

In all seriousness, A and B suck. The master plan on the airport website shows a ton of potential solutions going forward, including new remote terminals and additional runways.

By "remote terminals", does that mean airside transfer?

[Houston19514]

Another hit and run journalism piece.  It would have been useful, wouldn't it, if they had given a more specific location for this art piece?  If we can assume (and it would clearly be an assumption, not a presumption) that what they wrote is accurate, then the sculpture is not on airport property.  Of course one of the problems with assuming accuracy (besides it being a Chronicle article) is that it says both that the sculpture will be "near the airport's southern entrance" and "in East Aldine".  (In any event, it looks like it will not be on airport property.  

Per the maps on its website, East Aldine does not go north of Beltway 8 at JFK Blvd.  You have to go all the way down to Aldine Meadows before it even include the JFK roadway. So, if it is actually in East Aldine, the furthest north it can be is at Aldine Bender - 1.5 miles from the entrance to the airport. In the context of the article, I wouldn't call that "near" the airport entrance - one wonders why the airport is even mentioned in the article. 

 

EDIT:  Found it. The JFK sculpture is indeed at JFK and Aldine Bender, not particularly close to, and having nothing whatsoever to do with, George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Thanks again Chronicle for making a mess of it.  https://aldinedistrict.org/2023/01/update-jfk-arrives-on-jfk-boulevard/

Edited February 8, 2023 by Houston19514

[Houston19514]

On 1/19/2023 at 6:56 PM, freundb said:

Good. B sucks. Fix A while they're at it too!

 

In all seriousness, A and B suck. The master plan on the airport website shows a ton of potential solutions going forward, including new remote terminals and additional runways.

There are big plans for A as well. (see this other thread:  https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/47175-houston-airports-domestic-redevelopment-program/ )  Don't spend too much time studying the master plan.  Very little of that will happen as shown.  There were several "remote" terminal concepts discussed in the Master Plan documents; they settled on one, South of Will Clayton Blvd.  But that is beyond the planning horizon (after IAH exceeds 70 million passengers/year).

 

19 hours ago, Reefmonkey said:

By "remote terminals", does that mean airside transfer?

I think he was referring to a far-in-the-future conceptual plan for another "East" terminal, which would be south of Will Clayton Parkway. Not worth anyone's time to think about. (1) Way far in the future (2) They aren't even following the more near-term parts of the master plan and there will be new master plans long before the East Terminal is built.