Welcome toGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), the only constant is motion. Flights land and depart in an unbroken rhythm. Weather shifts without warning. Passengers surge through terminals, and hundreds of decisions—large and small—must be made in real time. In 2024, Bush Airport welcomed a record 48 million passengers. 2026 is poised to be even busier. The city of Houston is scheduled to host the FIFA World Cup for the first time. A surge of soccer fans is expected to swell the airport next summer, which is why this summer’s official activation of the new Integrated Coordination Center (ICC) is significant.The rows of workstations glow with real-time feeds — weather radars, gate assignments and a live map of every plane moving in the Houston airspace. The ICC feels more like mission control than an airport office, and in many ways, it is.For the first time in Houston Airport System history, all the critical players who keep Bush Airport moving — from TSA and Houston Police Department to maintenance dispatch and terminal operations — are working side-by-side, eyes on the same information, speaking in the same room.“By bringing everyone under one roof, we’ve torn down the silos,” says Stephen Mamo, senior division manager of the ICC and Emergency Operations Center at Bush Airport for Houston Airports. “We’re streamlining communication, making collaborative decisions and improving our ability to respond — in real time — to whatever the day brings.”Mamo shared that the ICC has been five years in the making. Houston Airports studied best practices from across the country, drawing inspiration from top-tier hubs and adding features explicitly designed for Houston’s needs. The result is a state-of-the-art operational center that can pivot from everyday monitoring to full-scale emergency management in seconds.When a hurricane approaches the Gulf, the ICC becomes a 24/7 war room. When a major diversion strands multiple aircraft, gate control can work directly with airline partners to find solutions without waiting for an email or a call to bounce between offices. And when soccer fans land at Bush Airport in 2026, the ICC will coordinate security, traffic and passenger movement for record-breaking crowds.For passengers, the changes are invisible — and that’s the point. Whether it’s keeping restrooms operational, securing the airfield perimeter or rerouting travelers when weather disrupts a flight, the ICC’s job is to make the journey from plane to curb feel seamless.“It’s about accurate, timely information,” Mamo says. “It’s about safety, clarity and making sure that, even on the most challenging days, people feel confident traveling through Houston.”

The sound hits you before the jet lag does. At George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), travelers are just as likely to be greeted by a trumpet flourish or piano solo as they are by rolling luggage and security calls. For a decade, Harmony in the Air has turned Houston’s airports into concert halls that passengers never expected but rarely forget.Launched in June 2015, the program began as a pilot in one corner of IAH — an experiment to see if travelers would pause long enough during their layovers to enjoy a live performance. They did, in droves. Passengers lingered in front of the stage, children danced and business travelers recorded videos to send home. That overwhelming response transformed a test run into a permanent program. And, guided by years of consistent passenger feedback, it grew from that single stage to multiple performance sites across IAH and HOU.Today, Harmony in the Air features more than 186 professional musicians and 26 ensembles spanning jazz, classical, gospel, pop and R&B. Performances take place daily in IAH Terminals A, D and E and in the rotunda of HOU’s Central Concourse.Since its launch in 2015, Harmony in the Air has blossomed into one of the most cherished experiences for our passengers. Time and again, travelers share how the music has lifted their spirits, inspired them or brought a touch of joy to their journey.It has also become the most complimented amenity across Houston Airports. No matter the traveler — international or domestic, business or leisure — passengers consistently take the time to send in feedback, praising Harmony in the Air as the moment that made their trip better. That volume of feedback is more than applause — it’s data. It has shaped the program’s expansion, validated investments, and proven that live music has a measurable impact on passenger experience.Passengers say it best. “Absolutely enjoyed the live music and musicians today,” wrote one traveler departing Hobby. Another called it “calming,” while a third said, “It was very relaxing and just good to sit in front of the performance before a long flight.” At Bush Airport, feedback highlights the program’s power to shift moods instantly: “Having live music through Harmony in the Air is such a nice addition… it made my day.”That chorus of compliments builds a portrait of Houston’s cultural identity as much as it does the airport system’s hospitality. The lineup is curated to showcase Houston’s breadth of sound—from Latin jazz combos to gospel soloists and string quartets. For some passengers, it’s their first taste of Houston’s creative soul. For others, it’s a reminder of home.LEARN MORE | Harmony in the Air at Hobby AirportLEARN MORE | Harmony in the Air at Bush Airport “At Houston Airports, we don’t just showcase art—we create cultural moments,” said Alton DuLaney, chief curator of cultural affairs for the City of Houston. “As Houston prepares for the 2026 World Cup, Harmony in the Air will share this city’s creative energy with millions of visitors from around the world. Travelers have choices in where they connect—we want them to choose Houston, where live music is part of the World’s Best Airport Art Program and where the culture of this city elevates every journey.”Passenger feedback makes clear this isn’t background noise — it’s a competitive edge. In a world where travelers can choose to connect through Atlanta, Dallas or Miami, Houston’s airports stand apart. Harmony in the Air, backed by a reputation as the World’s Best Airport Art Program since 2023, offers passengers something more than efficiency. It offers them an experience worth seeking out, a reason to choose Houston.The investment has paid dividends in recognition. Houston Airports is consistently honored by Skytrax, which praised the “creativity, vibrancy and identity” infused into the terminals.For musicians, the program is just as transformative. “We’re touching people,” said violist Whitney Bullock of Apollo Chamber Players. “That’s the power of bringing music into a place as busy and stressful as an airport.”Ten years on, Harmony in the Air is no background soundtrack. It’s a cultural signature, born from a pilot, expanded by data, and shaped by the voices of passengers themselves. In Houston, even a layover can sound like a performance worth remembering.

At most airports, passengers hurry past walls of beige and glass, eyes locked on overhead departure screens. In Houston, the experience feels different. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) have been reimagined into cultural spaces where global travelers stumble across art like they might stumble into a museum.Houston’s airports are the new museum.What began with a city ordinance that sets aside a sliver of the airport system’s budget for public art has turned into one of the most ambitious collections in aviation. In 2019, Houston Airports counted roughly 250 works in its collection. Today, the tally tops 400. That kind of growth puts the Houston Airports Civic Art Collection in league with civic institutions. Skytrax has taken notice, naming it the World’s Best Airport Art Program three years in a row—beating out the likes of Singapore Changi and Doha Hamad.In Houston, art is a strategy.“Our world-renowned art program is one of our most powerful tools to stand apart from every other airport in the world,” said Alton DuLaney, chief curator of cultural affairs for the City of Houston. “It transforms our facilities from places you pass through into experiences you remember.”Instead of bland beige corridors and stressful checkpoints, travelers move through bursts of color and sound. Dale Chihuly’s Coastal Fiori glimmers above the TSA lanes in Terminal E.David Adickes’ We Love Houston, Too, greets passengers at Hobby. Murals by Vargas-Suarez Universal and Graciela Hasper splash across walls in IAH’s new Terminal E, filling dead space with motion and light. And then there’s the music. One day a string quartet, the next a Latin guitarist or a country swing band. Harmony in the Air makes the concourse feel less like a waiting room and more like a stage.The program also brings working artists into the terminal. The Artist-in-Residence program has creatives sketching, carving and writing in the terminal, where passengers can watch. Curious travelers may walk away with a memory of a flight and the moment they saw a sculpture take shape.The results are visible and measurable. Travelers are now showing up early, not for faster lines, but to linger. In just seven months of 2025, Harmony in the Air drew more than 130 unsolicited compliments. With more than 60 million passengers expected this year, the exposure rivals the Louvre or MoMA. The difference? At IAH and HOU, the audience isn’t looking for culture. Culture finds them. A cultural collaboration with the Orange Show and its popular annual Art Car Parade has brought ‘art cars’ into the Ticketing Lobby at IAH Terminal A and HOU. Passengers are opening their phones and snapping selfies well before they open their airline app to scan their boarding pass.“Airports are the new art museums, and Houston is leading that movement on a global scale,” said DuLaney. “For many travelers, this may be their first encounter with immersive installations or suspended sculptures. We get to introduce them to the power of art in a place they never expected it.”That power is leverage. As Houston gears up to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, every commission doubles as branding. Every performance sends the same message: Houston is not just a stopover city. It’s Space City. Art City.At IAH and HOU, a layover isn’t wasted time. It’s an invitation to sample the energy of one of America’s most diverse cities without ever leaving the terminal. And in a global aviation market where passengers can choose where to spend their hours, Houston has sharpened its edge. Art is the weapon. Loyalty is the prize.RELATED | IAH Harmony in the Air scheduleRELATED | HOU Harmony in the Air schedule