US: With Houston airports closed, airlines cancel thousands of flights

More than half a dozen airports in and around Houston, including one of the nation’s busiest aviation hubs, remained closed Monday amid catastrophic flooding and unprecedented rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Harvey. Houston’s major airports — George Bush Intercontinental, the city’s largest, and William P. Hobby Airport — are expected to remain closed until Wednesday, the FAA said Monday. Later Monday, United said George Bush Intercontinental would be closed until at least Thursday. Roads are flooded throughout Houston, and thousands of flights have been canceled. Airlines are offering travel waivers to ticketed passengers, allowing them to reschedule their flights into September. More than 54m passengers made their way through the Houston Airport System last year. Most of them came through George Bush Intercontinental, which has flights to more than 70 international destinations and to more destinations in Mexico than any other airport in the US. The airport had just over 16 inches of rain on Sunday, doubling the previous record of more than 8 inches set in 1945. William P. Hobby Airport serves far fewer people (about 13m last year), but offers nonstop flights to dozens of destinations in the US, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, and is one of Southwest's most active hubs. The carrier issued a travel advisory asking people not to attempt to reach Hobby Airport. Together the airports support more than 220,000 local jobs, injecting more than $26b to the local economy. George Bush Intercontinental is one of the largest hubs for United, which employs more than 11,000 people in the areas affected by Tropical Storm Harvey. Thousands of flights have been canceled on United, Southwest and other airlines throughout the weekend and into Monday according to FlightAware. More than half a dozen carriers are offering travel waivers to people scheduled to fly to or through the area. <br/>