Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport Passenger Reviews and Traveller Reports   a World 3-Star Airport         Add your Houston Airport Review   Houston Airport Star Ranking

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Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  11 April 2011 by Nancy Preitz   (USA)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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I flew into IAH from Panama. I was aghast at the amount of time it took to go through customs, immigration and security. The personnel would not let me get ahead so I could catch my flight home to RDU. I ran at breakneck speed, caught a cart, jumped off, without a bathroom or water break only to find that the jet had left the gate. The person at the desk was very rude and acted as though this were my fault. It took 2 hours to get to a hotel via shuttle. My travel insurance didn't cover anything. At least I was able to get a flight home the next day. My fiancee will be taking the same flight next week and he has multiple health issues. I ordered a wheelchair for him. Hopefully he will be luckier than I!

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  7 March 2011 by F Neale   (UK)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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This was the most unwelcoming airport, and the one which cared least about the passengers, we have ever encountered. Long, long queues [stood in line for about 1 hour 45 minutes] staffed by humourless unhelpful officials. We had a 3-hour layover, so were not stressed, but we repeatedly observed anxious people with less time for connections being told, "we are not interested in your flight times, we are interested in your immigration status," or similar. Having got through Immigration [60 minutes], and despite our baggage being checked through, we had to wait 45 minutes to be screened again. After that it wouldn't have mattered if this airport had the cleanest and best facilities in the world [it doesn't], as we didn't have the time or mood to appreciate them. All of this happened whilst we watched a film on the loop telling us how they would serve us with courtesy etc. Newark [on our return leg] was infinitely better, and we have often flown in and out of Denver, which is great.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  26 February 2011 by EL Cuignet   (France)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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T1 is a complete mess and stressful on the traveler. The walk is long to the immigration and the queue is longer than JFK!! Just compare the traffic between the two airports. 45 mins wait for immigration. Despite ESTA, the immigration officer asks the same questions that they were asking years ago - this is slowing down the whole entry process and is totally useless with ESTA. JFK knows it apparently not IAH. Looking for the car rentals is the next challenge as there is no sign. I had to ask for information. There was a brownout at the rental center and the booths had migrated in the parking lot. This was unreal.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  11 February 2011 by Marc Guillemard   (France)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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This review about terminal D. I believe the very different appreciations of this airport are in part due to the fact that all terminals are not equal. Arriving from Paris on the AF flight. Quite a long walk until you get to immigrations (no longer at its original place). There, some queue and waiting time, but it was organized with employees guiding the passengers and it took no more than 20 minutes to go through the control. Luggage already on the conveyor ! All in all not a bad performance. On the return, I am not so satisfied.The safety controls are undersized for the number of passengers, (and this day a number of flights were cancelled because of weather !) in what looks to be a (for-ever ?) temporary location, and it took ages to go through the process while messages kept informing you that commenting on safety procedures was an offence. The so called "magic" X ray system does not seem to be an improvement, it is long, an about 50 % of the passengers need to be hand-checked anyway. Then the terminal itself must be the barest international terminal I ever saw : 1 small duty-free shop (do your shopping in town, prices are better and there is no choice), a very limited (US only) newspaper stand, no bookshop, no electronics shop, only 1 bar / snack, no plugs for computer, it's big and empty. If I had only landed in IAH, my global appreciation would have been better.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  28 January 2011 by Jim Drevescraft   (USA)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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This airport is like a flashback to airports of the 60's and 70's. The galleries from concourse to customs are endless, austere, and unwelcoming, with an announcement warning you of imminent arrest should you mutter something "sarcastic" (that's a quote) under your breath.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  19 January 2011 by Alasdair Brooks   (UK)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Interminable immigration queues at major US airports have become the norm, but I will admit to being pleasantly surprised by IAH - not because the queue wasn't long, because it was, but because compared to many counterparts, some effort was in place to at least have it move fairly quickly given the queue size. What was particularly impressive to me was that IAH seemed to have a roughly equal number of desks open for non-citizens as for citizens; in my experience this is extremely rare in the USA. Since most of the arriving passengers seemed to be US citizens - leading to what seemed to be an extraordinary queue all the way out of the immigration hall for the latter - this led to the even rarer phenomenon of non-citizens often having a shorter wait than the citizens, even though the former were being processed faster. For all that, I still had to wait about 70 minutes before clearing immigration, but a similar length queue at Washington Dulles, for example, would have required two to three times as long to clear. Otherwise, facilities at IAD seem to be a notch above average for major US hubs, with clear signage, 45 minutes free wifi, many plugs for laptops, and the best duty free shop I've ever encountered at a US airport.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  7 January 2011 by J Rokiendala   (UK)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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IAH used to be one of the more efficient immigration and customs clearance airports. Not anymore. Returning to the US from Costa Rica we had to clear in Houston before transferring to a flight to SFO. There were approximately 3000 people in line at immigration and only 16 inspection stations operational (there appeared to be around 50 inspection booths). People were queued up outside of the immigration hall into the terminal. No effort was made to prioritize clearing by transfer flight time. People were left to their own to shuffle their places in line to accommodate those transferring to other flights. The officials who monitored the queues were completely unhelpful and almost mocking of passengers' plights, arrogantly telling passengers to blame clearance delays on the airlines! The queue for US residents/citizens was 4 times the size of the queue for non-residents, but they refused to move inspectors over to the US resident/citizen queue to balance the load. Two hours and 10 minutes later we cleared immigration. The slowest clearance I have experienced in 30 years of travel at any airport in the world. Mercifully, our connecting flight was delayed for mechanical issues (although I felt bad for the passengers already on board). A brief chat with the gate agent (Continental) prior to boarding indicated that this is an ongoing problem. DHS refuses to put on any more than 27 inspectors. The airlines send DHS their plane loading plans in advance so they will know what the passenger volume will be and they do nothing. It costs passengers thousands of $$ every day to have to stay in hotels because of missed connections. It costs the airlines thousands of $$ every day to issue vouchers. Wouldn't it be a lot less expensive to put on 10 additional inspectors every day?

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  24 August 2010 by C O'Neill   (UK)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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I arrived here en-route to Mexico from Newark airport. Newark (you can see separate review) is about the worst airport I've ever been in. Houston on the other hand was rather nice. The signage in the airport was a little 'iffy' in places, but this was due to what appeared to be fairly minor work going on so was probably not a big issue. Apart from that it was easy to navigate. The staff were courteous although could have been a little warmer. The facilities were good and offered a range of well priced food and shops (a treat for an airport). At no time were queues excessive or slow. Immigration staff were courteous and efficient. Overall it was what a large modern airport should be.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  10 August 2010 by S Zaafran   (USA)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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It's very convenient, and compared to other hub airports, a much better chance of not having your flight cancelled or delayed due to weather. For those who wait a long time to go through immigration, invest in the Global Entry Program, it's 100 dollars for 5 years. When I go through passport control, it never takes me more than 10 minutes, and you also go through an expedited line through customs. For star alliance passengers, United is moving in August 2010 to terminal C, which is the same terminal operated by Continental. Terminal C and E have plenty of places to eat at with the best being Pappadeux in Terminal E. If you want to avoid changing terminals, avoid riding continental express so you don't move from terminal B to E. The Presidents Club in terminal E is very nice with a separate family room. I find this airport to be much nicer than Atlanta, JFK, Newark, Chicago. I have never been to an airport that delivers your strollers faster than at this airport. Check In is very fast and seamless. The queue through security is not too bad as there are plenty of security agents.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  26 July 2010 by D Moore   (USA)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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I have travelled to many countries and entered the States through many airports. I have never seen anything like the immigration line at this airport. We missed our flight because of the long line And had to stay at a hotel in Houston because later flights were booked . At least, once we go to the immigration officer, he was quite friendly and polite. Avoid this airport at all costs.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  3 July 2010 by Jeff Schmerker   (USA)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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I use IAH frequently and have mixed feelings. It's major convenience is that sitting in south Texas it's unlikely to be affected by winter delays. It is also a cheap hub to fly through. OTOH, it's dreary, unnecessarily sprawling, the bathrooms are third world, and it always smells of mould.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  9 April 2010 by Jonathan Kelly   (UK)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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Terrible airport in almost all respects. We were in transit from London to Mexico and, even with over 2hrs to spare, almost missed our connecting flight - how can a hub airport be quite so bad? Connection was less of a problem on return journey which left us looking for anything that might resemble half-decent catering or shopping - no chance.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  31 March 2010 by Bill Male   (Canada)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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If you have any choice do not transit through this airport. Limited staff, endless queues (over two hours to clear the first stage), swaggering officials and ignorant support staff who seem to find amusement in the plight of passenger who are going to miss their flight. If I heard the statement "There is always another flight"�once, I heard it half a dozen times. No consideration for the inconvenience caused. The worst thing is the endless loop recording (that you cant ignore because of the high volume) informing all how much the immigration service is working to serve us. This is not an airport that I would consider travelling through again.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  30 March 2010 by A Abarca   (Costa Rica)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Expedited immigration, baggage and customs services. Convenient national and international connections facilities. Fair restaurants and shops available.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  29 March 2010 by M Letourneau   (USA)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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We had a 2 hour layover coming in from Mexico. It was not enough time to clear immigration and customs. The worst part was with 20 minutes to flight time the officials seemed to want us to miss our flights. They thought it was funny that we were very anxious. My cousin told the official we had ten minutes to catch or flight and was immediately pulled out of line for an extra customs check, where she was held for 10 minutes before one of the 5 people not doing anything finally got around to searching her. As a result we missed of flight and had to spend the night in Houston. We were one of hundreds of people who missed their flights due to inefficiency. After we missed the flight we stood in line with all those people while one agent did all of the rebooking. We ended up going to departures and having a continental agent help us rebook for the next day. We just barely got on a flight. Had we stayed in the line down in customs I am confident we would have not gotten home the next day. We were told by many employees that this happens all the time.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  6 February 2010 by Steven Koenig   (Brazil)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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A big, relatively modern airport. Facilities seem best in the terminals used by Continental, which dominates the airport. We arrived from Brazil and transited to a domestic flight (reverse on our return). Immigration and Customs were quick. This was before 6 am, and crowds were not big, but desks seem well-staffed. We spent most of our time in Continental's President's Club, and only a short time in the regular part of the terminal. Area for disembarking was quite crowded. Insufficient seating, though this was exacerbated by people taking up multiple seats with bags, by stretching out, etc. My wife returned to Brazil before me, and her flight was canceled so the airline gave her a room in the hotel inside the airport. Very luxurious, but very expensive (she was glad she wasn't paying), she said.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  1 February 2010 by Chris Allsup   (USA)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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A wonderful airport, but with 5 terminals split among 18 airlines, including Continental, which uses 2 whole terminals for its flights alone (A & C), it can get a little hectic and is not what I would've expected. With Houston, I would've expected something better.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  23 January 2010 by T Neyrinckx   (Belgium)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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Flew BA into Terminal D on a Sunday afternoon. My experience with Immigration was shameful after a 10.5hrs flight : took about 90min to clear and reach the luggage pick-up. And after collecting my luggage, another queue to check the customs form! Check-in for the return flight was a breeze. But seldom been in an intercontinental terminal with fewer choices of eating places : only one! And the "Lone Star Grille" served food one wouldn't even feed to his dog.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  20 January 2010 by Byron Scott   (USA)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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ORD-IAH-BJX January 2010. Easy connection outbound. Although it's not clear from the airport web-site, the airport people-mover is inside security and the trains (at least in mid- afternoon) run frequently. It's not that easy to find, but once you do, it's quick to get to Terminal B. There's not a lot of seating there, but a decent mix of places to eat. Returning from Mexico, we landed at gate D-1 (regional jet gate). This was a very, very long walk to immigration. Fortunately, we landed just before the KL, LH, AF and BA, so lines weren't long. Then you go downstairs to customs and back upstairs to go through security again for connections. Surprisingly, TSA opened an additional line. I can imagine that line can get long, so it's possible it could be faster to exit customs and just re-enter security along with passengers boarding in Houston. It took about 30 minutes from arrival gate to departure gate, much of it walking. Overall, a good return to the US.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review :  17 December 2009 by J Lemon   (USA)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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IAH is a major hub for Continental and therein lies a problem. CO still seems to think that a 30 minute domestic to domestic flight connecting time is acceptable. However, if one has to connect from the far reaches of Terminal E to Terminal A, 30 minutes is simply not enough time - especially if one is deplaning from the back section of coach in a full 767-400 or 757-300 in Terminal E. There is an above ground people mover (the "Terminal Link") which works quite well; however, it has not been extended yet all the way to Terminal A from the other terminals, although this section is currently under construction. Other than that, IAH is a large, modern facility that works failrly well and now offers improved shopping and restaurants. Pappadeaux's restaurant in Terminal E is probably the best and there is also an elegant new wine bar in Terminal C that serves food as well. If you are flying into IAH on an international flight, try to avoid arriving in the mid afternoon as most of the flights from Europe arrive at this time, which can lead to huge crowds and long wait times when clearing U.S. Customs.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review : 13 December 2009 by Cristiano Miro

Customer Rating : 5/5

Flew from Rio de Janeiro to IAH, on Continental's new nonstop on this route. I did connect to my final destination. I must say that, Houston's Intercontinental airport is a very large, impressive facility. High-ceilings with glass windows and plenty of natural light, giving the terminal an airy, spacious feeling. The airport is, indeed, a modern, functional structure, with courteous and professional immigration staff that seems to know what customer-service mean. I was in line for about 25 minutes, which is not bad for an airport this size. The layout is practical, the airport is clean, and with plenty of good choices for dining.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review : 16 October 2009 by R Pym

Customer Rating : 3/5

Flew KLM from terminal D. check in and security were first class very speedy with no queues at all. However have never been in a terminal with fewer choices of eating places. Went to Lone Star Grille only to find that the bar tender was unable to mix a margarita.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport customer review : 13 October 2009 by Joyce Pieper

Customer Rating : 1/5

My experience at IAH Customs was deplorable. Took over 1½ hours to clear customs because not enough staff on duty. The “helpful information” TV screen is in English Language only. Many traveling foreigners who do not speak English received no help filling out forms. One Asian couple tried to fill out forms correctly but to no avail and was repeatedly told to “try again” without any help. Shameful experience. And this all happened between the hours of 12:30am to 2:00am. We were the only flight in at that time. I can’t imagine what the Customs process is during the busy daytime hours.