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HOU or IAH for 6:30 pm departure

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Old Feb 28, 2019, 9:00 am
  #1  
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HOU or IAH for 6:30 pm departure

Next month I've got a client meeting on the west side of Houston (near the 610/10 interchange). Meeting is due to end around 4:30. HOU looks a bit closer than IAH. How bad will the commute to either airport be? I'm actually leaning towards HOU as I'm flying on AA.

I will have a rental car so ease of car return is a factor as well.
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Old Mar 1, 2019, 11:33 am
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So either flight leaves at 6:30pm, and your meeting ends at 4:30pm? What day of the week?
There's little chance you'd make it to IAH for a 6:30pm flight. The rental car return is on the, 'other,' side of the airport, then you'd need to shuttle in. With traffic, you'd probably get to the rental car return at 5:30. Then another 15 min to the terminal, etc.

I've never flown through HOU, but I'd expect it should be easier. Houston traffic is still bad going out of the downtown area in all directions.
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Old Mar 1, 2019, 1:15 pm
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On a Thursday.
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Old Mar 4, 2019, 8:53 pm
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I10 and I610 on west side is by Galleria IIRC, and agree with aztimm that heading to IAH at that time could be rough.

Don't know if HOU has gone to single place for all rental cars like IAH, but it used to be super easy to return a car there.

The traffic starts getting bad after four - it's been about 10 years since I used to try to beat it from (sort of) close to Galleria to drive down to Galveston (and drive very close to HOU). Lucky it's Thursday, Fridays are REALLY bad (ask me how I know).
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Old Mar 10, 2019, 12:32 pm
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Originally Posted by EmailKid
I10 and I610 on west side is by Galleria IIRC, and agree with aztimm that heading to IAH at that time could be rough.

Don't know if HOU has gone to single place for all rental cars like IAH, but it used to be super easy to return a car there.

The traffic starts getting bad after four - it's been about 10 years since I used to try to beat it from (sort of) close to Galleria to drive down to Galveston (and drive very close to HOU). Lucky it's Thursday, Fridays are REALLY bad (ask me how I know).
OK, I'll bite - how do you know?

David
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Old Mar 10, 2019, 3:04 pm
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Originally Posted by DELee

OK, I'll bite - how do you know?
Used to drive from close by Galleria every Friday to Galveston Island after work. If I left even a little bit after getting off work at 4:30 (God bless half hour lunch breaks ) it would be an extra half hour. After five, fuggetaboutit

It's (IIRC) Broadway to HOU from I-45 (aka Gulf Freeway) southbound, and that part is always quick. Of course I'd stay in I-45 till I saw the Gulf of Mexico unless I took Harbor Drive in Galveston, which is Bayside.
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