Houston · Airports
Airport transfers in Houston
Bush is twenty-three miles north of downtown and Hobby is eleven miles south-east.
| Route | Off-peak | Allow in peak | Sedan all-in | SUV all-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IAH to Downtown Houston | 30–40 min | 55–80 min | $129.28 | $154.28 |
| Hobby to Downtown Houston | 20–25 min | 35–50 min | Quoted | Quoted |
| IAH to the Galleria | 35–45 min | 60–90 min | Quoted | Quoted |
Weekday afternoon examples from our quote engine, as of Oct 2026. Includes 20% chauffeur gratuity, tolls, parking, airport fees, surcharges and taxes. Your quote is confirmed in writing and held for 72 hours. Routes marked Quoted are priced for your exact addresses.
- Gratuity and airport fees included
- Rate agreed in writing, no surge pricing
- Free cancellation up to 2 hours before pickup
- 60 minutes free waiting after landing, flight tracked
The two Houston airports
Bush is twenty-three miles north of downtown and Hobby is eleven miles south-east. They are not interchangeable. George Bush Intercontinental handles the international and long-haul traffic from well north of the city; Hobby is closer, smaller and much quicker to clear. Which one suits you depends on where you are going, and the difference between them is close to an hour of driving. We confirm the terminal against the flight number, meet inside arrivals by default and hold through customs rather than starting a clock against a queue.
George Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
Five terminals linked by two trains, the Skyway inside security and the Subway outside it, with all international arrivals clearing customs in Terminal E. The terminals are genuinely far apart and a vehicle sent to the wrong one is a long way from being useful. The run into the city is down the 45 or the Hardy Toll Road, and which of those is right depends entirely on the hour.
William P. Hobby (HOU)
South-east of downtown, compact and substantially quicker from gate to kerb than Bush. For anyone staying downtown, in the Museum District or near the Medical Center it is regularly the better airport once ground time is counted. The arrivals level is simple enough that a kerb collection genuinely works.
Houston weather, flooding and routing
Flooding is a routing problem here, not an abstraction
Houston floods, and the underpasses and the bayou crossings go first. Your chauffeur knows which routes fail in heavy rain and plans alternates before setting off rather than discovering the problem at a flooded intersection. In a serious event we will tell you plainly what is and is not possible rather than promising a time we cannot hold.
Delays, diversions and early landings
We work from the tail number, so an early arrival is met early and a diversion is re-planned before you have cleared the aircraft. Because we cover both airports, weather that sends an IAH arrival to Hobby does not mean starting the booking again.
From the Houston airports into the city
Door to kerb, ordinary conditions in dry weather. The Bush figures are the ones worth reading twice, because the distance genuinely is that much greater.
Bush Intercontinental sits well north of the city and Hobby well south, so the right airport depends entirely on which side you are working. The loops and the Beltway carry tolls.
| Route | Approx. distance | Off-peak | Allow in peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bush Intercontinental to downtown | 23 miles | 30–40 min | 55–80 min |
| Bush Intercontinental to the Galleria | 25 miles | 35–45 min | 60–90 min |
| Bush Intercontinental to The Woodlands | 18 miles | 25–30 min | 40–60 min |
| Hobby to downtown | 11 miles | 20–25 min | 35–50 min |
| Hobby to the Medical Center | 11 miles | 20–25 min | 35–50 min |
| Hobby to the Galleria | 18 miles | 25–35 min | 45–70 min |
How Houston airport transfers are priced
Every airport route is quoted per route and confirmed in writing before you travel, with no surge pricing at any hour.
If your business is downtown or at the Medical Center and the flights are not booked, ask us first. Hobby instead of Bush regularly saves half an hour in each direction.
Prefer to speak to someone? Dispatch is staffed 24 hours a day.
More in Houston
Corporate & roadshows
Energy-sector days, delegations and consolidated billing
Private aviation
Hobby, IAH, Ellington, Sugar Land and Conroe
Hotel transfers
Uptown, downtown, the Galleria and the Museum District
Events & venues
NRG, Toyota Center, the convention centre and the Rodeo
Universities & campuses
The Texas Medical Center, Rice, UH and Baylor
All Houston services
Airports, districts and journey times across Houston
- Travel guide: IAH vs Hobby
- All 27 cities we cover
- How we vet operators