IAH Any places to sit and hang out pre-security?
 

So, I'm slowly screwing up my vacation plans one air travel mistake at a time. I was planning to hang out at a lounge before my SQ flight from IAH to MAN in August (still working on lounge access) However, I will have to take a positioning flight from San Antonio to Houston. Because it's a separate ticket on a different airline, I'll have to collect my luggage in Houston and then go check in at Singapore Airlines. I just realized that the SQ counter doesn't open until 3 hrs, 45 min before the flight, so if I end up with a six or seven or more hour layover, because I'm paranoid about missing the connection, where do I hang out with my luggage for three or four hours until I can get through security and hopefully into a lounge somewhere? I don't know which terminal I'll arrive in on UA, but today the SQ flight was leaving from Terminal D. I do want to give myself a ridiculous amount of time in case anything goes wrong with the flight from San Antonio.

I'd go to the lobby of the airport Marriott. Go down to the lowest level and take the Subway train.

If you really have seven hours and have a long-haul ahead of you, I would call around to airport hotels (call directly not reservations) and see what you can get for a day room rate for the specific hours you will need. Hopefully choose a place with a pool / gym / restaurant as the case may be.

If you do go with the lobby idea, leave your bags with the bell desk. A decent tip and they will be happy and you can then wander around as you wish.

Oh, I just remember that the airport hotel between Terminal B and C has some very comfortable sofas in the lobby.

Once in a while, even with separate tickets, the airline will tag the bags to the last destination, in this case MAN. Just ask. If so, one can hang around at the gates, which is more comfortable than the check in counter areas.

Some great ideas here Thanks! I'll have about 8 hours between flights (just booked the SAT-IAH leg), so if the flight is on time, by the time I get my checked bag, probably a little less than four hours to kill before I can check in for the international flight and get into the gate area.

Get to SAT early so they can through check your bags, UA & SQ are both Star Alliance
Link-->https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...rtners-no.html

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/texa...ch-time-3.html

post 33 mentions a $99 day rate at the IAH Marriott (between terminals B and C) as a walk up rate (no reservations accepted) but that is from 2013.

That's a possibility if one likes to lie down, watch TV, take a shower, etc. They also have a gym. It's more relaxing than a lounge except no food.

I would explore every terminal but that only takes about 90 minutes. They're all connected now. Before Terminal A was separate and could not be reached without going through security again but that was quite a few years ago.

From Terminal A, one can see the I.M. Pei designed air traffic control tower. Terminal B gates (round satellites) are the original design from the 1970's. Terminal A looks nothing like the original.

Thanks for the link.
 

:eek: Wow! I had no clue. That thread is long but I read the first few pages, and the last few. I'll skim through the rest later, but I found the pertinent verbiage on the United website, so I should be good to hang out in a lounge for 8 hours. Yay me! Even without knowing this, I'd still have chosen the extra long layover because I would hate to miss my flight to England. I can entertain myself just fine, as long as I have a comfy chair and wifi :D

The United Polaris lounge in IAH strangely has the best damn biscuits and gravy I've ever had. I spent 10+ years in BTR and ATL, and wow. Some chef from Mississippi or Louisiana is clearly in the kitchen. Spicy, tasty, damn good.

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