United Says Its New Houston Concourse Hosts the Americas’ Largest Lounge

United Airlines is opening a new Terminal B North concourse at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport this week, replacing a building that dates to 1969. The 765,000-square-foot concourse has 22 gates, and across the combined Terminal B North and South overhaul, 40 of the 48 gates are new.

The project is part of a $2.5 billion overhaul, with United contributing $1.9 billion and the city of Houston the remaining $624 million. The gates are designed for the largest modern single-aisle mainline jets, and United says the changes will let it increase capacity at its Houston hub by 40 percent on peak travel days compared with before the project began.

Passengers will notice the amenities. The concourse includes a 54,000-square-foot United Club that seats 800 and has an outdoor terrace, which the airline says makes it the largest airport lounge in the Americas. There is also more than 105,000 square feet of restaurants and shops.

Behind the scenes, the wider program adds curbside and roadway capacity and a new baggage handling system with advanced tracking. For travelers who connect through Houston, the combination of newer gates and a better bag system could help reduce the tight, delay-prone connections the old building was known for, though real-world results will take a few months to show.

Sources: Travel Weekly