A door-to-gate breakdown for Houston, built from the same priors and Monte Carlo model as the estimate below - not a generic "arrive 3 hours early" rule of thumb.
Door-to-gate time (transport to the airport, check-in, security, immigration where it applies, and the walk to the gate) at three points in the day. "Typical" is the median day; "busy day" is the 90th percentile - about 1 day in 10 is slower than this.
| Typical | Busy day | |
|---|---|---|
| Early morning (~6am) | 2h 54m | 3h 38m |
| Midday (~1pm) | 2h 55m | 3h 41m |
| Evening peak (~7pm) | 2h 9m | 2h 47m |
| Typical | Busy day | |
|---|---|---|
| Early morning (~6am) | 2h 23m | 3h 1m |
| Midday (~1pm) | 2h 17m | 2h 55m |
| Evening peak (~7pm) | 1h 44m | 2h 17m |
The airport is approximately 40 km from the city centre.
Example cut-off times for major airlines, from our airline rules reference - always confirm with your own airline, since this varies by route and fare type.
| Airline | Domestic bag-drop closes | International bag-drop closes |
|---|---|---|
| AA | 45 min | 60 min |
| AC | 60 min | 60 min |
| AF | 40 min | 60 min |
| AS | 50 min | 60 min |
| B6 | 45 min | 60 min |
| BA | 45 min | 60 min |
| CX | - | 60 min |
| DL | 45 min | 60 min |
| EK | - | 60 min |
| IB | 45 min | 60 min |
General reference figures, not specific to this airport - we don't yet track which airlines close bag-drop earliest at each individual airport.
These are general, statistically-modelled estimates - not a guarantee. Always allow extra time for anything unusual, and check your airline's and airport's own current guidance.