United Airlines hub serving Houston. Five terminals connected by Skyway train. Allow extra time for terminal changes.
Planning to fly from IAH?
Check Current BusynessIAH crowd patterns — by the numbers
From our modelWe modeled a full typical week at IAH — every hour, every day, every aircraft size — to surface patterns that show up week-over-week. Here's what George Bush Intercontinental actually looks like.
When is IAH actually busy?
Crowd score by local hour, averaged across the typical week. Hover any bar for the exact value.
Best times to fly out of IAH
- 10 PM
Off-peak hours
low - 7 PM
Late-evening wind-down
low - 6 PM
Off-peak hours
low
Worst times to fly out of IAH
- 11 AM
Late-morning leisure departures stack on top of business connections
medium - 12 PM
Sustained peak window
medium - 1 PM
Sustained peak window
medium
Day of the week: when is IAH most painful?
Avg crowd score across daytime hours (6 AM – 10 PM local).
Aircraft mix at peak hour
Wide-body and regional jets disproportionately affect crowd levels — they unload at very different rates.
How IAH compares to other major hubs
Avg crowd score across daytime hours. Lower = easier travel day.
- ATLAtlanta5.9
- ORDChicago5.7
- LAXLos Angeles5.6
- DFWDallas5.6
- JFKNew York5.5
- IAHHouston5.4
Ready to check how busy IAH will be?
Check Airport Busyness