greenery

Recently I have been flying alot on business and have been flying through both Newark and Houston. Continental Airlines has helped me really appreciate the vast differences in American culture from place to place.

How can two Cities be so different? Houston is friendly, laid back, easy going and more southern in feel and culture. I can see this so easily as I interact with the people at the Airport. Newark is brash, cold, abrupt and "in your face." I can see this so easily in how I am treated at the Newark Airport.

Thanks Continental Airlines for letting me see America in a whole new light!

HeathrowGuy

Maybe I'm biased as a New Jerseyan by birth, but I actually prefer the EWR hub to IAH by a mile and a half.

TWA Fan 1

Lest we engage in unnecessary regional stereotypes, let me say that--while it is clrearly true that the culture in the northeast is very different from that in Texas--a lot of what you are describing in terms of the people who work at the two hubs has to do with a very different management culture and focus in both places.

Houston is the HQ of Continental and the airport there is the showcase. Newark, formerly the hub of PeoplExpress which CO purchased to create this hub, has always been a bit of a stepchild and does not nearly receive the attention nor the support it needs. As a consequence, the people who work there (who are excellent people) are overworked, stressed, not supported by their management, etc.

I think you can find very friendly and helpful (and conversly very "in your face") people anywhere in the world. But when people are constantly pushed to the limit they will often react by being somewhat less than pleasant.

greenery

Thanks for the well thought out posting describing the politics of the Continental Houston hub and the Newark operation. I mostly agree with what you have to say.

Though, I strongly believe in the regional stereotypes I have described in my original posting after spending time near the Airports in both Cities. No, these are not true in all cases but in general the people in Houston are much more laid back than the brash "New Jersey types" found near the Newark Airport.

Thanks Continental for opening my eyes.

HeathrowGuy

Fair enough, but I really don't see this as being any more notable than differences found between NW in DTW vs. MEM, AA in LGA vs. DFW, or UA in IAD vs. DEN.

Stripe

Go into any office building on the east coast and interact with the receptionist, then do the same in Texas. On the east coast, the receptionist will never smile and will generally be somewhat dumpy, while the same position in Texas will be staffed by an attractive, cheerful person who will seem genuinely happy to have you visit. Not 100% in either case but what the OP observes very much reflects the relative cultures.

BigPoppaCO

Try walking into any NYC skyscraper at 7:30pm on a Tuesday night and then try the same thing in Houston.

I am constantly amazed at how outside of NY for the most part the work day ends at 5:30, 6pm at the latest. Not here...

J.Edward

Of course the work day ends early! How else would waddle to our feeding troughs to gorge ourselves on signature Houston delicacies such as:

• Diet Low Carb Burger
• A side of healthy potatoes
• A simple non-fattening light night snack
• Tasty deep-fried Snickers bars
• Hearty Breakfast Items

BSL

BigPoppa,

I need to find that skyscraper in Houston of which you speak so I can go home at 5. (That may have more to do with me being an attorney.)

I found a similar comparison true when I worked in SLC for a year. I kept looking around at 4:30 wondering where everyone went.

BSL

dc13

Take a walk down a major city street in Houston and NY and do some people watching - I bet the style of clothing will be quite "different" as well (advantage NY!!!!!!)

entropy

don't forget CLE... its the friendliest of all 3 of the domestic hubs...

of course, IAH has Gordon's Galley, which is great!

ND Sol

It depends. I live in Houston and would very seldom leave before 6:30. I am in NYC right now and you are correct that people generally stay later at night. However, one thing to consider is how early people arrive. In NYC, generally not before 9. In Houston, generally earlier and within the oil and gas industry, 7:00 am is not unusual.

LonLH

From an admittedly small sample of around 100-150 flights in the past 12 months, I would prefer a IAH based crew any day over a EWR based crew. IAH crew are almost always friendly, take an effort to keep you comfy while with EWR crew it is a lottery. Some are great, some are below average.
And as a non-American, I find the IAH immigration is one of the friendliest I have come across.

iahphx

You think Newark, New Jersey and Houston, Texas might have CULTURAL differences?

Nah, couldn't possibly be!!

Stripe

I wonder how many former People Express employees are still with CO. I spent a lot of time on that airline and some of the folks were quite good.