Houston, Texas is served by two airports – its original municipal airport, named at various times for it first owner W.T. Carter, eccentric billionaire and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes and Texas Governor William P. Hobby, and Intercontinental Airport, renamed in 1997 for President George H.W. Bush. Hobby Airport was opened in 1927, was rebuilt in 1940 with an air terminal that is now a museum and lost its passenger air service in 1969 to the newly-opened and much larger Intercontinental Airport; domestic air traffic was restored at Hobby in 1971, and an international terminal is now being constructed. The facility has been ranked first in the country in customer service among smaller airports.
Hobby Airport is 7 miles (11 km) from downtown Houston and has one terminal with 26 gates. The terminal can be reached from Interstate 45. Taxi service at curb zone 3 ranges from $30 to the city up to $75 in the suburbs, and includes a $1.25 airport fee and a $1 surcharge at night. Shuttle service is available from baggage claim to hotels and to the cruise ship terminals in nearby Galveston, and commercial shuttles cost about $20. Car services charge $70 to $200 plus tip. Houston Metro buses stop at curb zone 13; bus route 88 takes 40 minutes to downtown and costs $1.25. You can also book for Houston airport taxi here.
Bush Intercontinental Airport is 23 miles (37 km) north of the city, and can be reached from the city on Interstate 45, the Hardy Toll Road and the Sam Houston Parkway (Beltway 8, also toll). Driving time is 30 minutes or more. Taxis are hailed by Ground Transportation employees and average $50 plus tip to downtown, taking about 45 minutes. Shuttles cost approximately $27 and private cars about $75, and there are telephones in the baggage claim areas to summon courtesy shuttles to many hotels. The 102 Bush IAH Express bus of Houston Metro departs from the south side of Terminal C and serves nearby Greenspoint before heading into downtown on I-45; the bus costs $1.25 and takes about 80 minutes.
The Houston 