Houston Airports concluded a busy July 4th travel period, welcoming over 1.7 million passengers between June 29 and July 8. While the surge in travel fell short of a potential record due to Hurricane Beryl's impact, the overall numbers reflect a robust travel season.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) served approximately 1.3 million passengers during the 10-day period, with William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) handling over 400,000 travelers. Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall near Houston on July 8, significantly disrupted operations for several hours, leading to flight cancellations throughout the morning and early afternoon. Despite the disruption, Houston Airports resumed operations within four hours of the storm's departure.

Notably, Sunday, July 7th, set a new record for the highest number of passengers screened by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Houston Airports. Leading up to the holiday, Thursday, June 27th, Sunday, June 30th, and Friday, June 28th, all saw significant passenger volumes.

The extended travel period began earlier than anticipated, with TSA experiencing high passenger volumes as early as June 23, the day after the first Copa America game at NRG Stadium. Interestingly, despite no major increases in flight capacity for the soccer events, TSA throughput remained around 15% higher than comparable weekdays following each of the three games: Mexico vs Jamaica on June 22, Colombia vs Paraguay on June 25, and Argentina vs Ecuador on July 4. This data suggests a potential travel surge during the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. Houston is a host city. 

Houston will host several key matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including group-stage games on June 14, 17, 20, 23, and 26. Additionally, the city will host a knockout round game on June 29, 2026, and a Round 16 match on July 4, 2026. With these high-profile events on the horizon, Houston Airports is likely to experience significant passenger traffic once again.