IAH gates B84A-E - Egad!
 

File this one under, "I wish someone had warned me." I've waited in the C concourse alleyway at DTW, at Concourse G at IAD, even the little bubble-pod B-gates beside the taxiway at GVA, but nothing prepared me for the B84 gates at IAH this afternoon.

Maybe it was because today was Friday, maybe it was because spring break is upon us, maybe it was because a bunch of flights just happened to be scheduled for the same departure window, I don't know. All I know is, it was packed. Multiple flights leaving from the same gate within minutes and at least one pair of flights from one gate simultaneously (pax ferried to waiting planes via bus) coupled with an apparent reluctance on the part of some GAs to use the intercom and instead preferring to shout over the din that flight X to Branson was now boarding. Throw in some confused old women, moms travelling alone with 3 school-age kids, and cranky businessmen tripping over the feet of teens dozing on the benches and it's a miracle anyone makes their flight at all.

I survived and made my flight - successfully stood by for an earlier one to my sweetie's current place of residence, in fact - so I have no complaints per se. I just wish someone had warned me for what I was to face. In that spirit, I want to pass on this heads-up to any future IAH fliers who have an outbound CO ERJ flight in their future - watch the screens over the exit doors for your flight, watch the GAs as they may not use the PA system, and bring aspirin. Lots and lots of aspirin.

A sense of humor doesn't hurt, either.

Yes, B84 is awful. I have had to deal with it several times in the last two months, after a long streak of ERJ flights that left from the normal B gates. I don't know what's up with the agents that refuse to use the PA system. They can't be heard with all of the chaos down there.

And trust me, while it might have been busy today because it's a Friday and the start of spring break for many people, it's always that bad. There is never a quiet, peaceful time at B84. It's always mass chaos.

You have never been in the bus station before? My trip on COEX left from that delightful area this week. It's really great if it's raining.

Believe me... it's a living hell in the summer heat when they leave those double doors open. Like a sauna filled with bus exhaust. I was there on March 8, and there were people standing everywhere due to the shortage of seats.

I loathe the entire B terminal -- those circular gate areas, built with way too many gates, get much too crowded and have insufficient restrooms.

The Houston Airport System has a plan to renovate Terminal B into linear concourses, similar to what was done with Termainal A during the late 1990s and early part of this decade. Whenever that happens, the construction period will probably be terrible, but the end result should be a MUCH better Terminal B for Continental Express to operate out of. Unfortunately I think that project is still several years off.

Worse is the GA who uses the PA to *chastise* you.

After a flight or two out of the cattle-call JJ gates at CLE, where they DO NOT have the blue carpet, and where I had flights boarding as I walked up and not posted as boarding so I sat down like a good little traveler, I now ask what's boarding.

I did this and had the GA get on PA and make a very snide announcement to not bother them with stupid questions as to what flight was boarding, all you have to do is look at the monitor to tell.

Of course I took great pleasure in walking back up and telling her that of the BOTH flights she was currently boarding NEITHER was listed on their cute little monitor.

They need to do something about Terminal C as well. That thing has one of the most asinine layouts of any US airport terminal I've seen, split in two and bisected by a parking garage and a seemingly miles-long walkway. I don't see why they don't just merge the bottom half into E and the top half into D...

That's what it is today. Changing the name of the terminals are not going to make switching planes any faster.

True, but it would keep people from getting as lost! I've flown through IAH dozens of times, and I *still* get confused figuring out which C gate is where.

True. And then you have the D1-D3 gates which were numbered as C before D was built, and is still basically C gates.

I always tell people connecting in IAH to print a map or tear out the map from the Continental magazine. That's the only way to figure out whether it may be faster to the TerminaLink between C & E.

Does anyone remember the old COEX gate in Terminal C? I think it was C34. It was like B84 but about 1000x worse. There were only 2 doorways for ALL COEX flights and all were loaded by bus. Friday evenings there were something to see. this was pre-ERJ so there were obviously fewer flights, but it was still pretty crazy.

Actually the ERJs overlapped at the COEX C gate by just a little bit, but yes, it was horrible. There was far less room in that area for passengers to wait than there is now at B-84.

As for getting around Terminals C, D, and E. The new signs that have been installed throughout C as part of the renovation, as well as the signs in E, are very helpful in determining whether to walk or take TerminaLink. If you simply follow the signs in E when connecting to a C gate, they will guide you to the shortest route. For example, the signs in E point you toward TerminaLink for the North C gates, and to the walkway to C for the South C gates. Signs in the C North Concourse point you to TerminaLink for connections to E, while signs in the C South Concourse point you to walking to E.

I honestly don't think IAH is all that horrible to connect in. I've had worse connections, and walked much farther distances, at MSP, MEM, DFW, and BWI to name a few.

The long term master plan for IAH would replace Terminals A, B, and C with a set of new concourses, accessed by an underground train from a central terminal for ticketing and baggage claim. I think only Terminals D and E would really remain in their current location. It would be a layout similar to ATL and DEN. But that's still a few decades away.

EWR 100/102, ATR roulette.

Add another Gate B84 "non-believer" to the list. I flew out of there this afternoon in the rain and it was an asylum. I've flown out of several 3rd world terminals that were interesting, but they still put B84 to shame. I love Continental, but they cannot fix that particular gate area fast enough.

The memories I have of 84 are fond ones :eek:

...as EFD often left from there! :D :) :D :) :D :) :D :) :D :) :D :)

Being able to walk up to the AC, stare at the wings and just stop for a second to look at an ERJ was really amazing for this student. But I guess all good things must come to an end. Those were the days. :(