Southwest's Hobby Ops Shuttered Until Tuesday; IAH Operations
Resume Monday
A number of airlines with a significant presence in Houston, TX
plan to resume operations from that city's two commercial airports
within the next 48 hours, with most resuming service Monday after
the area got slammed by Hurricane Ike over the weekend.
The most severe damage reported at Bush Intercontinental
Airport, about 30 miles north of downtown Houston, appeared to be
at the Sheraton Hotel North Houston, about a mile from the
terminal. The hotel had its atrium roof and lobby damaged.
Continental Airlines, which calls IAH its home, planned to
operate the vast majority of its mainline schedule to and from IAH
starting Monday morning, with the arrival of the first flight at
0533 CDT. The first departure was at 0630.
Continental Express and Continental Connection flights to and
from the Houston hub would operate on reduced schedules Monday, due
largely to damage sustained to Terminal B at IAH. Continental is
flying employees from other domestic locations to Houston, to
assist with the cleanup effort and return to service.
"I know that my co-workers have gone through many sacrifices and
hardships to try to return their personal lives to normalcy after
Hurricane Ike, and they've helped each other and our customers in
that effort," said Larry Kellner, Continental's chairman and CEO.
"I want to thank them for all they've done... As always, make sure
your personal safety and the safety of our co-workers and customers
is your top priority."
A nighttime curfew now in effect throughout Houston does not
apply to airport employees driving to and from IAH, Continental
said, citing the Mayor's Office of Public Safety and Homeland
Security.
Across town at Houston Hobby -- the hardest hit of the city's
two airports, with a loss of all commercial AC power Saturday --
JetBlue said it would resume its daily operations Monday. However,
Southwest Airlines -- by far the largest presence at HOU -- said it
will be Tuesday before that airline resumes "limited" operations...
and that depends on a number of factors, including how quickly
water damage and broken glass can be repaired.
"Since the storm's passing, the airline continues to focus its
attention on ensuring the safety of its Houston Employees and
Customers and on assessing the condition of its airport
facilities," Southwest said in a prepared statement. "The airline's
ultimate plans to resume a full schedule in Houston will depend
upon the status of airport security personnel and facilities, as
well as clear access to the airport and passenger services in the
wake of the storm."
The carrier also suspended its operations Saturday afternoon
from Dallas Love Field, as the remnants of Ike approached the DFW
metroplex. Southwest resumed flights from DAL Saturday at 1700
CDT.
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