George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) has been the standout airport during this government shutdown, for all the wrong reasons. Although Hobby saw the worst TSA wait times initially, IAH quickly caught up and surpassed it’s sister airport in the Houston area.
Terminal Comparison
- Average: 88.4 minutes.
- Terminal A: 89.1 minutes
- Terminal E: 88.5 minutes
There is effectively zero statistical difference between the two terminals.
Wait Time by Hour
- The Worst Time (4:00 AM – 8:00 AM): The early morning rush is the worst. Wait times increase starting at 4:00 AM (averaging ~130 minutes) and peak at 5:00 AM with an average wait of 162 minutes. The lines stay heavily congested, averaging well over two hours, through 8:00 AM.
- Mid-Day (9:00 AM – 1:00 PM): Lines recede slightly, but you are still looking at an average wait of 82 to 109 minutes.
- Afternoon Surge (2:00 PM – 4:00 PM): A secondary rush hits the airport. The wait time consistently averages around 106 minutes, with maximum recorded wait times reaching over 4 hours (260 minutes).
- The Best Time (7:00 PM onward): The only true relief happens in the evening. By 7:00 PM, average wait times drop below 50 minutes. If you are flying late at night (10:00 PM to 2:00 AM), lines finally thin out to roughly 13 to 17 minutes.
The Trend
Trending DOWN (see chart at the top of the article). Despite the high averages, the overall mathematical trend is dropping at a much steeper rate of 1.85 minutes per hour as you progress from Thursday through Sunday (03.26 – 03.29). Thursday and Friday are bearing the absolute worst of the congestion, whereas Sunday operates much more smoothly.
Conclusion
TSA wait times are likely to continue to decline for IAH in the coming days. Although, we still anticipate wait times of 120 minutes, especially in the peak early morning hours (between 4 AM and 8 AM). That’s a far cry away from the 3-5 hour wait times we saw earlier in the shutdown.