Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport Passenger Reviews and Traveller Reports

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Eleven of us arrived from Costa Rica with a flood of passengers from other countries. Out of 35-40 stations only a few were open. The whole process took over 2 hours and was the worst I have experienced. We were lucky that our connecting flight waited for us. My husband and I were the last two to board after many stressful lines and a sprint through the airport. The airport employees got to listen to a lot of irate passengers. I don't know if other airports are experiencing the same lack of staff as Houston, but it was enough to make us not want to leave the US again.

Flew in and out of terminal A on a Delta connection last week. Since I did not fly in directly to IAH from overseas, I did not experience the horrid queues mentioned in earlier reviews. On the contrary, I found terminal A pretty efficient coming in and going out. Food choices may be limited, and free wifi options are just on the free 45 minutes provided by Boingo, but the airport served its purpose. Baggage was out pretty quickly (the fact that we were on a 45 seater CRJ 900 made the wait less painful as we had to wait for only a few bags out the carousel). TSA officers were pretty friendly on the way out. Overall, not a bad experience.

Me and my wife's first time flying in to this airport. Impressed with the professionalism of employees, whether directly related to the airlines, or vendors. Everyone was down to earth, even held light-hearted conversation with you. TSA agents were the friendliest we've encountered at any other airport in the US. Flying can feel intimidating to the "not-so-frequent-flyers" sometimes, but Houston's airport made us feel at home!

Arrived in Terminal E on a Wednesday at 4pm from Mexico en-route to Toronto. Got to Immigration to a sea of people. There were probably 24 immigration officer desks - for US citizens 7 were open, for non-residents there were only 5 open. After being in line for at least an hour, we had moved up about half the queue - it took about 10 minutes to do one end of the line to the other end, then make the turn. Then a 'traffic control officer' moved us and another 200 people through an empty officer desk to another room equally as large with just as many officer desks. These officers were obviously clearing only international travellers and less than 12 desks were open. Took us another hour to get cleared. Certainly a big problem is the amount of time each officer has to spend doing a picture and fingerprints of both hands - as much as 15 minutes. We had endured that experience in LAX 3 years ago, so when we finally saw an officer, we were cleared in less than 2 minutes. Luckily we had 3 hours to make our connection, but this was still a rush to get to Terminal D to ensure our seats weren't given up to someone on standby. However, original itinerary was to give us 50 minutes between connections, but having to clear security in terminal B took only 5 minutes. Worst US Immigration experience we've had in over 50 trips. First time through Houston. Never again if possible.

Been to this airport many times. Flown through all terminals except D. Each terminal is different in so it is hard to rate the whole airport. Terminal A is decent but doesn't have very much shops and the concourse is very narrow with limited seating. Terminal B was very unpleasant to fly through for many reasons. The biggest problem is the concourses. They were absolutely tiny, and became extremely crowded. Another problem is how confusing security was. It was hard to find the entrance. Terminal C was just an average airport terminal with decent food options. terminal E was the best out of them all, and had some of the best variety of food options you can find at an airport. This airport is fairly decent but terminals A and B need to be upgraded.

90 minutes is not enough time for making connections through the international terminal. We arrived from Mexico yesterday, along with what seemed to be dozens of other flights. The line snaked down long hallways outside the immigration "hall" which already was filled with crowds of people. Don't they know when flights are scheduled to arrive? It took nearly 40 minutes just to get through immigration, another 10 for customs. There were lines just to place checked bags back through security, and then up escalators to another logjam. Everyone entering from an international flight had to go back through security. Our connecting flight was in another terminal, which meant rushing to catch the train, up and down escalators, down long hallways, and barely time to catch a breath. We were the last ones onboard our flight home. Five more minutes of delay and we'd likely have missed our flight.

We went through Customs at Houston Airport in April 2012, not even high season, and it was awful! It took us 2 hours to get up to a Customs Agent. There were hundreds of people in line and only 5 of the booths open. I would think with today's technology the airport should have the ability to track busy times and staff accordingly. Not only was the airline we were flying out on to Minneapolis calling 'last call' for our flight with half the people scheduled for that flight still in the customs line, but we had to re-check our baggage! We had to run to our flight. Unfortunately we will have to stop in Houston again in April 2013. All I can say is I hope things go better this time around. I am dreading it, tried to get a flight that stopped anywhere but Houston.

I transited here for long layovers on two international flights. I was last here about 10-15 years ago and remembered it as having been cavernous and neglected. Now it seems even more cavernous, but relatively up to date. The distances can be vast and the signage often is confusing - gate numbers appear and disappear and it's easy to think you have got lost despite being on the correct route. There are a few spots with moving walkways, but people with mobility concerns will need to use the complimentary golf carts that ferry people around the terminals - these are annoying to walkers and fewer in number than at some other airports like Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson or Cleveland Hopkins where they also are a necessity. There are a great many food options, but all are pretty generic and unhealthy. The book stores seem to be good places to buy right wing political tracts, but sell snack food at prices a bit lower than is typical at major airports. I was glad that I had a complimentary pass for the United lounge - I wound up with a healthier breakfast than I could have found on my own and access to a shower. Immigration went quickly because we arrived at an odd hour and it had been a relatively small plane. There were few people on duty and I could see this going very slowly under different circumstances. Security was uneventful and also went quickly.

Arrived Sunday 6th November from Belize with a tight-ish connection to SFO. Immigration lines long, everyone frustrated, immigration officers had Sunday working "attitude" and could care less about traveler's concerns about connecting flights. Now you have to have both hands fingerprinted. Some people were taking 7 or 8 minutes to process and with a line of 30 in front of you it makes for an ugly arrival experience to the USA. IAH used to be quick when entering the USA, it has slipped big time and now rivals MIA for regular immigration delays. Airport itself is OK, golf carts can be a bother if you're wandering around trying to relax but we had to use one to make our connecting flight 3 minutes before gate closed.

I flew out on a Sunday morning. The lines were short and I got through security smoothly. However, this is the dirtiest airport that I have ever been in, and I've been through a lot. I flew out of Terminal B and the carpets were filthy. Also all the bathrooms smelled awful. I will try to avoid ever coming through here again.

Connected recently at IAH for international trip to South America. Outbound easy. Be warned that these terminals are huge and you might require a lot of walking. Many options for dining, and the usual shopping. Return immigration could not have been easier. Was through immigration, retrieving bags, customs and rechecking bags in less than 20 minutes total. Might have been the luck of the draw, but everything went smoothly.

I will make every effort to avoid this place in the future when visiting the states. I have entered the US via several big airports, but never had to wait so long to clear immigration. The lines were massive and only half the booths staffed. When our party cleared that hurdle we then had to then clear TSA security to get to our gate and what a nightmare. Massive line again and very few staff on duty. Then came our turn. We were told to place our Passports and boarding passes into the property trays with shoes etc. Immediately we noticed that one of the staff had removed my daughters bag from the tray it had been in straight onto the conveyor belt and threw the tray which still contained her Passport onto a pile of empty trays. We alerted the staff who handed it back with no apology. I then passed through security and when my tray appeared after screening and my passport and boarding pass was missing. I immediately informed a staff member who alerted the control desk who told him they had a passport, but not mine. It took an age to locate it under a machine which led to us missing our flight and having to wait on standby for 3 hours until the next flight. If you are using this airport to transit, make sure you leave a good two hours between flights or pick another route, as it was not just our party that missed our connection, but at least 8 other people from our flight missed their connections.

Travelled from LHR and back in August 2012. Immigration at this airport is farcical, and we were in a queue for about an hour. Despite the long queue (from a Qatar Airways and BA flight that had arrived more or less at the same time) there were only 2 or 3 agents processing passengers, and 2 of these closed whilst we were waiting. Dining facilities at Terminal D very poor.

I was very surprised to read many of the comments regarding IAH. We fly back and forth to Russia on a regular basis and have never had any problems. As far as customer service, well, I find that seems to be the norm these days. Unfortunately, the term "customer service" is rapidly becoming a phrase from the past. There was some extensive construction going on recently that caused some signage issues and the airport is a little worn. Overall, this airport is great for me.

We went through this airport early in the morning and late at night returning from our trip. The dining area that we were limited to eating at was dirty. The cleaning lady was eager to kick us out, all I can guess is her shift was ending. She swept the garbage towards us and left the pile of trash on the floor next to our luggage. Needless to say I was done sitting in that area and I did not order any food even though I was starving. Then we went to our gate and there was a bartender wiping down and cleaning the area, when I ordered my beer, he didn't bother to wash his hands. I paid for the beer but didn't drink it either.

Quite possibly the worst international airport experience I have ever had - and I've flown around the world extensively. The control of queues at immigration and security was appalling with one person processing a huge line of 'visitor' passports. The US citizen line seemed to disappear quite quickly, especially when people were channelled into the visitor queues, not a good impression for overseas visitors to the US or Texas. Airport staff were rude and unhelpful, ignoring questions altogether and giving the wrong answers. The security line management was conducted inefficiently and staff barked condescending instructions in childish sing-song voices. Non-English speaking visitors must've been quite confused. I was very disappointed to be yelled at, treated like a second class citizen and grunted at, and won't be returning to Houston if I can help it, ever.

Your experience at Houston seems dependent on what part of the airport you need to pass through. On International arrivals, immigration lines are always long, but if it is an option for you, get signed up for Global Entry. There is never a line at the dozen or so kiosks and you will be on your way through immigration in minutes rather than hours. Once into the airport, Terminal B is by far the worst. Crowded and more than showing its age. Be prepared to stand in the gate area unless you are willing to camp out in the windowless hallways. Use the washroom and eat elsewhere in the airport if you can, otherwise be prepared to stand in line for both. Terminal E being the newest has plenty of space with decent places to eat. Apart from staying away from Terminal B, Houston is simply typical.

Recently we had to come to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport to take a flight to Seattle; unfortunately this airport is the worst airport I have ever visited. Customers were being required to go through body scans at security. This took an extremely long time, two security lines. They are so inefficient with long lines and waits even with connecting flights. With two hours between connecting flights literally need run to catch our plane and finally we lost the fly to Seattle. Tomorrow we will go to Madrid via Houston and have three hours to make the transfer, we hope to be on time for our next flight.

I use this airport often and have never had excessive delays at immigration. The staffing is controlled by the US Federal Government. It is always a clean and well maintained airport with good dining and shopping options.

Arriving from DEN very recently my husband and I needed to get to Terminal E to catch our connection to LHR. The signage could certainly be improved upon but the United Airlines member of staff we spoke to could not have been more helpful and soon pointed us in the right direction. We had a good lunch at Ruby's diner in Terminal E. All in all not a bad experience.

Horrible for customs, immigration, security, baggage claims, and rechecks, worst airport that I have ever visited. Majority of customers were being required to go through body scans at security. This took an extremely long time with tons of frustrated people, two security lines, and one body scanner. They are so inefficient with long lines and waits even with connecting flights. Two hours between connecting flights and my family still had to literally run to catch our plane.

We've had pretty good experiences here, the only problem being occasionally long trips between terminals (and some confusing signage). The commuter plane terminal was a bit dumpy (though it looks like there was construction going on during our last visit). Never had a long wait at Immigration or Customs. We've usually waited between flights at one of the United Clubs, so have not spent much time at the airport's restaurants or shops, which looked pretty standard for most large airports. I'd certainly rather transit (or travel from downtown Houston to) Houston Hobby, but that's not typically an option for us.

I thought that our horrible experience trying to get through customs at this airport was possibly an isolated one until I saw the other customer reviews expressing the same issues on numerous occasions. It appears that this is business as usual at this airport. Requiring travelers to stand in line for hours and miss connecting flights is not what airport security measures should include. With only 5 of the 24 stations being staffed and several hundred customers in line its a management issue rather than a security issue. I would avoid using this airport for international travel if at all possible.

The lines at US customs are a joke. 3 flights through Houston, one missed flight, other two times barely made 2.5 hour connections. There were more customs officers at Calgary, Alberta at 11 pm than on duty in Houston. Whoever is in charge needs a serious lesson in customer service and labor management. The most annoying part is the indifference of both staff and management when they are causing extreme anxiety to the travelling public as well as missed flights and extra expense. My travelling friends have all experienced this same horrific service and now avoid Houston if possible.

Saturday 28 April, 2012 - so called Fast Track Immigration Line. I waited for 1hr 40 minutes to get through. I would have been better off going to the regular immigration queue. I waited for so long, that combined with the horrible security queues for flight connections, I should have missed my flight to London - United waited for me. I arrived at the gate 10 mins after departure time! So no thanks to the Immigration Staff! I was spending a total of 2hrs 10 minutes in the country, and 1hr 40 mins of that was spent in the line at Immigration. There seemed to be one person on duty who was taking around 10 mins with each person, plus there was only one line out of 8 that seemed to be open. This is a major hub, with a large number of transit passengers. It would be a shame if we had to make other travel arrangements, with airlines that use cities other than Houston as hubs.

Flying from IAH-EWR, departing 737-900 from United Terminal E. Generally, IAH experiences are a hit or miss. This was a hit. Fantastic terminal, spacious, helpful staff at huge customer service counters. Normally don't leave from here on domestic flights. Lots of food options. If you have the misfortune to be departing from pre-renovation Terminal B, A, or C, I recommend hopping to E to eat, shop, etc.

Arrived in Immigration with only a few dozen passengers from another flight in front. Despite this it took 40 minutes to have my passport checked as only 3 of 15 booths were open. Few facilities land side for drinks or food. Missed my connecting flight as was stuck in the TSA queue for 45 minutes.

I arrived at Houston from San Antonio and was waiting on my connecting flight to Cleveland. I was met at the gate with a wheelchair, and taken to the tram from A to C. I was put on a shuttle to be taken to my gate. This is where the problem is, since they would not let me just use the wheelchair instead of the shuttle I was effectively trapped at the gate. I had no way to go to a shop for water, to go and get food, or even to go to the bathroom. Your wheelchair policy causes quite a bit of distress and anger. This was my first experience flying out of Houston, and will avoid connecting flights out of Houston Intercontinental at all costs.

We flew Omaha to Houston to Tegucigalpa and back. Coming back, we had 2 hours until our flight left. We had to go through customs, which had huge lines and they weren't helpful in telling us where to go. We had to get our bags, check them in and go through security. After security hassles we had to made it to our gate. Houston airport has rude unhelpful workers, not enough customs agents for the amount of people coming in, and its difficult to get to connecting flights on time in that airport.

IAH has unconscionable delays, with very long lines and unhelpful attitudes. With two hours to catch my connecting flight I just barely made it. Woman ahead of me in line with 1.5 hours tried to get help from guard but was told, "Too bad. You're not the only one." Another friend went through a couple of weeks ago. Took 2.5 hours to get through immigration. There were only 5 booths open.

International immigration is consistently the longest immigration queues of any airport in the world. My record so far is 2 hrs 35 mins of standing in line. Last week it was 2 hrs 20 mins despite being one of the first off the plane. My shortest time is still over an hour. I fly in and out of US airports quite a bit and nowhere is anywhere as bad as IAH. While in the queue you are approached several times by panicked passengers showing you their boarding cards and needing to rely on passengers allowing them to jump the queue to make their connection. There are lots of lanes available but only a few are ever open. Checked baggage has usually been unloaded from the carousel and is in a pile awaiting collection. Staff are courteous and the place is fairly clean but the immigration queues make this airport an undesirable arrival location.

I was transferring from a San Diego flight. Due to weather they cancelled my flight which would have been fine if they had actually announced it. Workers weren't rude but definitely lacking in customer service skills. I finally got a semi competent worker who was only able to offer a coupon for ten percent off of a hotel room. The whole place seemed disorganized.

I went through two airports in the US recently and they could not have been more different. Houston was awful - completely disorganised - we had three separate sets of instructions for going through immigration. Once there the staff seemed to have no concern for the long lines of transit passengers, chatting amongst each other on trivial matters, and not at all pleasant. Newark on the other hand was efficient and the staff were friendly.

I have flown to and from Honduras through Houston twice. The only significant problem we have had was a shortage of Customs agents when planes are arriving, and with Security Checks after customs for connecting flights. Most recently, the flight arrived 13 minutes early, yet with 4 customs windows open it took us nearly an hour to clear customs. We had to collect checked bags, forward them to the connecting flight and clear security. After being directed by a security officer into a shorter line, 6 wheelchair passengers were pushed ahead of us while the line we were in moved steadily ahead. We missed the flight by 7 minutes, after having had nearly 2 hours to make the connection! How about having agents scheduled when planes are coming in!

My wife and I flew from Midland, TX to Houston International and we checked in one bag. The bag made it to Houston fine, but Houston did not load the bag on the return trip back to Midland. This was a Continental flight as well. We did not get the bag back until the next day, after about 15 flights. The airport is very confusing and you cannot get to where you need to go in a timely manner. I have personally watched multiple elderly people miss their flights because they did not know where to go.

Connecting flight from Cancun to Newark, out of 50 immigration office boxes only 4 open. After waiting for 45 mins they opened 4 more. We had to run to catch connecting flight. baggage did not make it we still waiting for 2 bags. Long distance to walk to immigration check and long distance to walk back to the gate. I will try to avoid this airport.

Arrived from Costa Rica on route to Newark and then to UK. Was aware beforehand that transfer time was tight so had contacted airport beforehand and had been assured more than enough time was available. Inevitably there was a delay on my incoming flight of less than 15 minutes. Queues for immigration were substantial. More concerning was the apparent attitude of some of the staff. The immigration officer I spoke to was helpful, pleasant and efficient. That could not be said for all staff. At the boarding gate one official told us aggressively to get on the plane, this was against the specific instruction of her colleague who had told us to wait.

Customer Rating :  2/5

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