Winter weather is barreling towards Texas and airports are making preparations for the storm. While snow is commonplace for much of the country this time of year, the very mention of it south of Interstate 20 throws things into chaos.
Houston announced that it is suspending operations at both Hobby Airport (HOU) and
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) beginning at 12:00a Tuesday morning. Hobby Airport posted a statement on X stating that while service will be suspended, crews will remain onsite in an effort to keep things prepared for a return to normal operations once weather allows.
To prioritize the safety of our passengers and staff, and due to extremely hazardous road conditions throughout Houston, flight operations at HOU will be temporarily suspended at 12 A.M. on Tuesday, January 21. Please do not attempt to travel to the airport after this time. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/mx7NvSYDsk
— Hobby Airport (@HobbyAirport) January 20, 2025
A closure of this magnitude is likely to wreak havoc on the operations of United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, both of which have large scale operations at George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby Airports respectively. The City of Houston has closed schools for Tuesday and Wednesday this week, indicating that they expect the effects of the winter weather to linger.
Houston isn’t the only city preparing for the effects of winter weather. At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) all widebody flights have been cancelled for Monday as the airport does not have de-icing equipment available to service those planes. This will have an effect on passengers travelling on British Airways, KLM, and Lufthansa.
While the impacts to travelers won’t be as drastic as what is expected in Houston, the cancellation of long haul service from Austin for a day will no doubt have far reaching impacts on travel plans for many traveling to and from the Texas capital.
Multiple airlines have issued waivers in relation to the coming storm and I recommend you contact your airline if you have a flight to or through Houston or Austin over the next couple of days.
Special thanks to Blake for the heads up!
Summary
Airports in Austin and Houston are preparing for the impending winter weather by proactively cancelling flights and suspending operations. Houston is expected to take the brunt of the storm and both of the city’s commercial airports are suspending service as of 12:00a on Tuesday.
For now, widebody service to Austin is cancelled due to the lack of suitable de-icing equipment but the city isn’t Denver, so don’t expect it to have the same throughput you’d find at colder airports. It is likely Austin will see significant delays as well if the forecast holds.