William P. Hobby Airport covers 1,304 acres approximately seven miles from Houston's city center. As Houston's oldest commercial airport, it served as the primary aviation hub until 1969. After closing briefly, it reopened to handle domestic flights, international destinations, and corporate aviation. It became the first 5-Star Airport in North America by Skytrax in 2022.
The airport serves as a major operating base for Southwest Airlines, which carries the vast majority of its passengers. Originally opened in 1927 as W.T. Carter Field, it features three runways and an original art deco terminal building. Today, that historic structure houses the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, celebrating the airport's extensive history.
01 Terminals & concourses
Handles domestic passenger service and international flights to Mexico, Central America, and South America. Its original art deco structure now houses the 1940 Air Terminal Museum.
Airport map
The free OpenStreetMap layer below shows the whole airport — terminals, concourses, access roads and the parking garages. Zoom in for gate-level detail.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL, free). Official gate/terminal maps are copyrighted — we link to them.
02 Which terminal does my airline use?
Airlines are grouped by alliance and region. Always confirm the concourse printed on your boarding pass — assignments can change seasonally.
Show all airlines by terminal ›
Grouped by terminal — check the concourse on your boarding pass before you fly; assignments can change seasonally.
Lost, delayed or damaged baggage at HOU
If your checked bag doesn't turn up on the belt, act before you leave the baggage-claim area — that's where every airline keeps its Baggage Service Office.
- Go to your airline's Baggage Service Office in the baggage-claim hall of your arrival terminal.
- File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) and get your file reference (WorldTracer) number. Keep your bag-tag receipt and boarding pass.
- Track it online using that reference on your airline's baggage-tracking page — most bags are located within 24–48 hours.
- Claim your essentials. On delayed bags airlines reimburse reasonable interim purchases (toiletries, clothing) — keep receipts. International trips are covered by the Montreal Convention.
- If it's truly lost (generally after 21 days) or damaged, file the claim at the same office — damage must be reported before you leave the airport.
Left something in the terminal (not a checked bag)? That's handled by the airport Lost & Found. Items left at a TSA security checkpoint are held by the TSA, not the airline.
