As Texas travelers prepare for their holiday trips, airlines and AAA are ready to embrace a record-breaking travel period to close out the year.

Taking it to the Skies 

Approximately 3.4 million passengers are expected to travel through George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Hobby Airport (HOU) over the holiday travel period (Dec. 19 – Jan. 6), marking a 7% increase over last year. According to a press release from Houston Airport, IAH could see around 2.7 million passengers, while HOU could see around 755,000 travelers.  

In addition, United Airlines, Houston’s largest air carrier, is expecting more than 9.9 million people to fly with United during the holiday period, marking a 12% increase over last year.

Staying on the Road  

When it comes to the highways, the number of Texans traveling this holiday season (Dec. 21 – Jan. 1) will close out the year breaking records.  According to AAA Texas, around 8.5 million people will travel by car, a 1.8% increase compared to 2023.

Nationally, 107 million Americans are expected to take to the roadways for holiday travel, marking a 2.4% increase from 2023. 

Houstonians staying on the road should expect to pay slightly less for gas compared to last year. According to the AAA Gas Watch, the gas price average in the Houston area is currently $2.57 per gallon which is .03 cents less than this time last year.

Written by Norma Salcedo

Filters
Domestic Tourism
SHARE
Related