March 2007 Newsletter

EZ TAG Airport Parking now available at Houston’s airports Starting on March 30, 2007 on-airport parking customers at George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby airports will have a new easy payment option available. That option is the use of the Harris County Toll Road Authority’s EZ TAG to pay for parking at the airports. Working in conjunction with HCTRA, the Houston Airport System will designate EZ TAG lanes at both airports. Read Story

Watch the latest episode of Houston Airports Today
Break out the balloons and banners we're celebrating on this episode of Houston Airports Today! Reasons to celebrate include new non-stop passenger service announced between Houston and Dubai. William P. Hobby Airport is turning 80 and the yearlong party is underway. Love is in the air, sweet hearts tell us their stories of finding 'amore' at the airport and Ellington Field is breaking concrete and bringing in loads of new business opportunities. We'll capture it all, including the new forest and giant boots at IAH, on the next edition of Houston Airports Today - available on Channel 55, "The Tube," every Saturday morning at 9am and every Wednesday at 7am, 1pm and 7pm on the Houston Municipal Channel. Here you can watch the current episode, a summary of our best stories of the past year. Watch the Latest Episode

Off to another record-setting year
Just one month after closing 2006 with a record-breaking 51 million passengers served, the Houston Airport System is kicking off 2007 with significant increases in international passenger and air cargo traffic. Total freight poundage for the three-airport-system grew by more than 6.7 percent year-over-year through the first month of this New Year. Total passenger traffic for HAS increased by 7.1 percent – while international passenger traffic grew by 3 percent, in comparison to the same timeframe in 2006. Read Story

Spring Break partying brings crowds to the airport
Spring breakers all across the nation are setting their books aside and getting ready to trade their winter clothes for tank tops and shorts. With their boarding pass in hand these university students are making their way to the airport and waving goodbye to school – well at least for a couple of days. Read Story

Long live ties to Costa Rica
It was somewhat of an unusual affair. Central to the celebration were flowers; upon flowers; upon flowers. Of an unusual breed for the Houston market, these flowers were tropical and multicolored in their bloom. And the crowd they brought in was anything but average. Read Story 

Survivor: military style 
It’s sort of like survivor. Except in this reality not outsmarting your opponent could lead to lifelong disabilities or even death. Artillery and gunpowder take the place of toga sticks and fire. Instead of invasive cameras and production crews, enemy fire and blood-thirsty assailants are the obstacles of everyday life. In the world of military combat there is no room for bad judgment. Read Story

A beacon of courage 
From flying military aircraft alongside President Bush to serving over five decades at one of the nation’s oldest joint-use civil/military airports, Al Stepchinski has lived a full life. Monday, April 2, 2007, will be his second attempt at saying goodbye to the military base that has seen him grow up from a 17-year-old boy to a 74-year-old great grandfather. The last time he tried to bid the airport farewell by filing his retirement papers, roughly three years ago, he had to ask his supervisor to tear up the submitted forms. Read Story

On track – the Disney trains  
There are eight trains, with three cars each, still rolling on two miles of track, deep underneath the passenger terminals of George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Back in 1981, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the Mayor of Houston were all there when a company run by the Walt Disney group drove their pioneering new train onto the tracks at Bush Airport for the first time. Read Story

An open canvas at Hobby Airport invites local student artists to express their dreams in creative form 
Famed artist Vincent Van Gogh once said about his art, “I dream my paintings, and then I paint my dreams.” The Houston Airport System is looking for artists with dreams. A call for artists is being issued to help celebrate the 80th anniversary of William P. Hobby airport and to express the positive role this historical landmark has played in millions of people’s lives over the years. All Houston area independent school district students from Kindergarten throug 12th grade are eligible to participate, however, they must first contact their school’s art teachers. Read Story

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George Bush Intercontinental - William P. Hobby - Ellington Field

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Director          Richard Vacar
Editor       Richard Fernandez
Writers:        Juan Alanis 
                          Marlene McClinton
                     Mayra Moreno
                         Melissa Delgado  

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