Re: TRF - AHE visit ... Monday airport ride?

[Blushing]

Salutations ... if everything comes together, I might be visiting for All Hallows ... and I'm finalizing trip details this week.  Any words of advice on the airports?

Hobby might be the likeliest because of pricing, but a friend also mentioned Bush or Austin.

Words of wisdom?  I don't like flying blind so to speak ... and websites only offer so much information.

Grammercy!

[Lady D1]

Not Austin - it is 3 hours away!!!!  IAH aka Bush would be the closest to TRF.  Hobby would add about 30 - 45 minutes to the drive.

[Zardoz]

Not Austin - it is 3 hours away!!!!  IAH aka Bush would be the closest to TRF.  Hobby would add about 30 - 45 minutes to the drive.

I guess it depends on the day and time, I think I can do the 140 or so miles from Houston to Austin faster than I could go from Hobby to Plantersville!   But no, I would not go through Austin!

I'm assuming you are getting a rent-a-car and are camping or staying close to faire? Bush Intercontinental is the closest, but unless you are in a time crunch, like arriving the morning of faire or something, I'd save the money and go with Hobby.

[Blushing]

Thanks.  I'm guessing middle-ish of the day would be bets traffic wise?  Middle-day flights work bets for me anyways since I have to plan for snow here in Colorado (forget white Christmas, traditionally we get white Halloweens!)

A friend is picking me up, and Hobby certainly has the cheapest flights!

[Aiacha]

Which day are you arriving, Thursday?  If you fly into Hobby, you're going to be driving through Houston as oposed to around Houston, if you fly into IAH.

[LadyStitch]

When our out of towners fly in they typically fly in to/ out of Bush.  It's almost a straight shot to Magnolia from the airport.  For us we can have one group take the flyers to Bush, while the rest takes down camp.  By the time that camp is down, and they are on the road the airport people are meeting up with the caravan.

[Lady D1]

Thanks.  I'm guessing middle-ish of the day would be bets traffic wise?  Middle-day flights work bets for me anyways since I have to plan for snow here in Colorado (forget white Christmas, traditionally we get white Halloweens!)

A friend is picking me up, and Hobby certainly has the cheapest flights!

What side of town does the friend live on?  Hobby is on the South side while IAH is on the North side?  This could make a difference on arrival/departure time and the traffic flow.

[Blushing]

They are at faire.  They said to go for the cheapest airfare ... but driving time is worth something, I think.

I'm coming in Friday and leaving Monday ... couldn't take too much time off of work and I didn't want to wear out my welcome with friends.

I'll have to look at the fares in/out of Bush.  If the difference is negligible, it might be worth it to avoid driving through Houston ... if it's anything like dealing with Los Angeles traffic!

[Zardoz]

Well, nothing like LA , midday Friday I'd think one could get from Hobby to the faire in about 90 minutes, straight up 45 to 1488 etc.  But Bush would be easier for everyone.

[Aiacha]

I'll have to look at the fares in/out of Bush.  If the difference is negligible, it might be worth it to avoid driving through Houston ... if it's anything like dealing with Los Angeles traffic!

OK, for some reason I read AHE and thought Thanksgiving.  If you come in midday friday there will be traffic.  It's not as bad as LA traffic, but it is an animal onto itself.

Tip:  See if your friend has an ezpass (ez-tag, whatever it's called) if you are picked up at Bush.  The cash tollbooths back up a bit in traffic.

[LadyShadow]

Hobby is more user friendly    And the drive isnt soo bad (if you miss rush-hour traffic).

[eldatari]

Ez-Tags are a must.  If they don't have one I suggest making sure to have change.  There are a couple of exact change lanes at each tollbooth stop and they tend to move a little faster than the full service lines.

[Marcos Charron]

Blush

I fly to TRF for four of the eight weekends from Phoenix, AZ. IAH/Bush is the clear choice for a few reasons. It's closer, offers more choices of flights, and puts you on the right side of town to avoid traffic, and trust me the trip up the beltway from Hobby can be a real bear if you catch an accident or slowdown. The downside?, rental cars are more expensive, the TSA folks are real turds, and the lines at IAH can be a chore to deal with.

Go through IAH, you won't regret it.

Marcos

[meauho]

Depending on where you are coming in from, it may be cheaper to fly into Bryan/ College Station.  The drive isn't to bad from there either.

Otherwise, I would recommend IAH.  The only time I've made it from my house (NW Houston, on one of the most common routes to faire) to Hobby or vice versa in less than an hour was really late at night, no rain (which can double or triple drive time), and driving faster than the speed limit (10 - 15mph faster).  Even Google maps adds an hour + to drive time from there.

[Blushing]

And to think I was more worried about snow causing travel-troubles on my end!

Thanks so much ... I'm checking fares tonight ... hopefully I can catch a deal to/from IAH.