Great location, poor design
Written: Mar 20 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Location, Location, Location. Hotel on premises. Multiple carriers and destinations. Friendly but small USO.
Cons: Incomplete Construction. Uncomfortable and loud terminal transport tram. Poor layout. Dirty restrooms.
The Bottom Line: Perhaps construction will fix a lot. The layout unfortunately is permanent. However, location is key. Given a choice, I would prefer to transfer at Miami International for southern locations.
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| pilotpat's Full Review: George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport |
INTRO:
One thing Houston George Bush InterContinental (IAH) airport has going for it is its location, especially if you are continuing to Mexico and much of Central America. For other southern locations, I prefer Miami Int'l, which is much closer to the Carribbean, and about equal distance to South America (plus Miami is a hub for American Airlines, whose extra space in coach is very nice during long flights).
LAYOUT:
IAH has four terminals - A through D - arranged in a linear fashion, with parking garages between terminals. There is a Marriott Hotel between B and C, which looks nice, but I have not stayed there. I have only connected in IAH, so I am unfamiliar with auto/bus/rail access to the airport. On one international connection, I did have to check in with American in Terminal A, and the process was efficient. They have multiple self-service check-ins for E-ticket holders, which work wonderfully. Each terminal has four levels. The basement level is the inter-terminal tram and walkway, the first level houses baggage claim, the second level houses check-in counters, security, and gates, and the third level is parking and an overlook of the check-in area.
If you are connecting through IAH and are blessed with having your connection in the same terminal, the layout works well. The terminals are relatively small and so you will have little walking to do. Each terminal has a central area with restaurants, coffee shops, and typical airport tourist gift shops.
Should you need to transfer between terminals, the poor design becomes obvious. An electric tram system makes a continual back/forth trip between the terminals, with a 2-car tram arriving at each terminal approximately every 3 minutes.
The tram cars are small and uncomfortable - two hard 2-person fiberglass McDonald's booth-style benches on each end of the car with a metal tubing luggage rack in the middle. 6 people (4 sitting, 2 standing) with a roll-along suitcase each makes for very crowded accommodations. The cars operate with a noisy hum/howl, and have wire-mesh roofs which make for a pulsing and distracting display of harsh florescent light as the tram travels along. Many of the turns on the track are abrupt, and the tram slams from side-to-side so that you slide on the slick bench into your neighbor (somewhat fun if you're traveling with your spouse... not so much if you're not especially interested in becoming an intimate companion with the person next to you). A trip from A to D seems to take about 6-10 minutes, depending on how long doors get held open while others cram into the cars.
The other option is to walk between terminals next to the tram tracks. However, due to construction this is not always an option. For instance, should you try to walk from Terminal D to terminal C, midway during your walk, construction forces you to take an elevator to the 3d floor and walk through the parking garage to terminal C (from which you must then take an elevator down to the check-in counters). Though the walking track between A and B (and the Hotel) is less difficult, I would not recommend it for those traveling alone (especially women). Although it is well lit, it is an unsecure and little-traveled area, with no security monitoring cameras or call-boxes, no visible security patrols (except for the occasional officer riding the tram) and the high walls in certain places shield the view of the walking area from the trams. If you do choose to walk between terminals A and B, it will take you about 3-5 minutes.
SECURITY:
Each terminal has its separate security screening checkpoint, so unlike DFW, if you need to transfer between terminals, you must re-clear the X-rays/metal detectors. On my last trip, security seemed to be vigilant and efficient (I've found that the use of TSA personnel has standardized security significantly over the past few months). I normally travel in business shoes specifically chosen for their lack of metal, but this time I was wearing hiking boots, so the extra security checkpoint meant removing and replacing them in addition to sitting in another line. However, total added time to my trip between gates was probably less than 5 minutes and I had a long layover. TSA screens check-in bags behind the scenes, so there is no requirement to take your bags to a different location after check-in, which is nice.
CUSTOMS:
The international arrival/customs/immigration area in terminal D is a positive to IAH. It is large, well lit, airy, and well-designed. On my last trip, arriving from South America, it took about 5 minutes in line to clear the passport station, and although I waited another 10 minutes for my bags, there was no line at all to get through the customs checkpoint. I had been in a rural area and had brought "some" flowers back, and so I was diverted to the ag line. Two lines with large agriculture inspection machines make this process quick and efficient. The inspectors were polite, but thorough, and as they inspected my flowers closely, another sanitized my boots to avoid hoof-and-mouth transmission. Total time, about 10 minutes (not bad for 24 dozen roses!). From there, you need only hand your check-in bags to the baggage handlers if they are checked through to your next destination, or exit to the outside world if you are staying in Houston. If, like me, you need to check in at another terminal... see "Layout" above.
RESTROOMS:
Here, I found a strange dichotomy - some of the dirtiest restrooms I've ever seen outside of a gas station, and some of the cleanest. On the out portion of my last trip, the restroom in terminal A was disgustingly dirty and in poor repair, while the one in terminal D positively sparkled. I didn't re-check that restroom on my return, but the other one in terminal A was just fine. One seemingly minor positive thing in all terminal bathrooms are the remote-operated faucets, which give a gentle but sufficient stream of water to wash your hands in instead of a harsh spray that splashes onto your clothing (very minor, I know, but for some reason it stood out to me).
ONE MORE THING:
If you are on military duty, retired, a vet, or a dependent, stop by the USO in terminal D. It's small, but friendly. A TV, a couple couches, lots of books, toys for small kids, and a small fridge just about take up the whole room, but the chance to relax and talk to some wonderful volunteers is priceless.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
pilotpat
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Member: Pat
Location: World Traveler
Reviews written: 96
Trusted by: 41 members
About Me:
"Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now."
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