Houston's air traffic has been thrown into chaos as Hurricane Beryl, making landfall near Matagorda, Texas, less than 100 miles from the city before weakening into a Tropical Storm, has led to a slew of flight cancellations and delays. Information sourced from FOX 26 Houston indicates that George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) have both seen a significant number of flights cancelled: 527 from IAH and 123 from Hobby, respectively.
In the throes of Beryl's disruption, 451 inbound flights to IAH have been nixed, and on the converging end Hobby has seen 103 of its incoming flights being shunted according to Flight Aware's real-time data, and the majority of IAH and Hobby's flights—around 80%—have been scrubbed from the day's schedule. As reported by USA Today, the storm's effects ripple beyond the immediate region, marring operations for airline giants with United Airlines canceling approximately 400 flights, which is about 14% of its daily total, and Southwest similarly feeling the brunt with 270 cancellations across its network.
Travelers, grounded and seeking a way forward, have been extended a lifeline from airlines including Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit, and United, which are all offering waivers for the storm-affected flights, thereby allowing for itinerary changes without the standard penalties. These companies' policies align with Department of Transportation rules that stipulate travelers are owed refunds, full stop, if their flights are scuttled, regardless of whether they held nonrefundable tickets.
With the storm still coloring radar screens, Houston Airports has advised those with travel plans to stay vigilant of updates and to continually check flight statuses with their respective airlines, an all-too-familiar drill for those who've navigated the gauntlets of modern air travel, even as Beryl's winds relent, the skies clear, and Houston begins to count the costs of disruption.
