Port of Galveston, Houston Airports to Remain Closed Due to Harvey

Houston area airports and the Port of Galveston are set to remain closed due to catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

According to the latest statement from Carnival Cruise Line, officials in Galveston are unable to predict with any certainty when the port will re-open, but now expect it will remain closed until late this week.

Carnival said that its three Galveston-based ships, the Carnival Freedom, Carnival Valor and Carnival Breeze, will all stop in New Orleans over the next two days to allow guests to disembark if they wish to make independent arrangements for onward travel. Guests can also choose to stay onboard the ships, which Carnival said will depart New Orleans between Tuesday and Wednesday before heading back towards Galveston to be in position to enter the port as soon as it reopens.

The August 26 sailing of Carnival Freedom, the August 27 sailing of Carnival Breeze, and the August 26 and 31 sailings of Carnival Valor have been cancelled. Guests scheduled to sail on these cruises will receive a full refund, as well as a 25 percent future cruise credit to be applied to their next reservation with Carnival if booked within the next 60 days.

“The safety and wellbeing of our guests and team members is our foremost priority,” Carnival said in a written statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by Hurricane Harvey.”

For guests parked in the Port of Galveston, the port reports that emails related to parking refunds and the condition of the parking lots are being answered. Guests with questions can reach out to parking@portofgalveston.com. Guests sailing on Carnival Valor’s August 31 sailing who need to cancel their cruise parking reservation can visit smartreservationservices.com to begin the refund process.

Air Travel Updates

United Airlines reports that its hub at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston will remain closed until at least noon Thursday. The airline is extended a travel waiver for customers flying through September 5 at the following airports:

• Alexandria, LA (AEX)
• Austin, TX (AUS)
• Baton Rouge, LA (BTR)
• Brownsville, TX, US (BRO)
• College Station, TX, US (CLL)
• Corpus Christi, TX (CRP)
• Harlingen, TX (HRL)
• Houston, TX (IAH)
• Lafayette, LA (LFT)
• Lake Charles, LA (LCH)
• Laredo, TX (LRD)
• McAllen, TX (MFE)
• New Orleans, LA (MSY)
• San Antonio, TX (SAT)
• Shreveport, LA (SHV)

Customers may reschedule their flights for travel through September 20 with a one-time date or time change, and the airline will waive the change fees and any difference in fare for flights booked in the same cabin between the same city pair.

American Airlines is also waiving change fees for customers booked through affected airports who bought their ticket by August 28 and are scheduled to travel through September 7. Rebooked travel must take place through September 20 between the same city pair in the same cabin (or pay the difference).

Delta is offering a travel waiver for travel through September 7. The new ticket must be reissued on or before September 20, with rebooked travel to begin no later than that date.

Southwest Airlines is offering a travel waiver for affected customers booked through September 5. Rebooked travel must be in the original class or service or travel standby within 14 days of the original date of travel between the same city pair.

Finally, JetBlue has issued a travel waiver for customers flying through August 31 if they booked before August 23. Travelers can rebook through September 5.

Houston’s Hobby Airport also reports that it has suspended all commercial operations until further notice.

Hotel Update

Marriott International reports that most of its hotels in the area remain open, but that it is assessing the extent of impact on each hotel. Efforts are underway to fully restore operations to those properties that were more significantly affected by the storm. Hotels in the impacted area are waiving cancellation fees. Details vary by hotel; customers should call 800-228-9290 for further information.

According to the latest forecast from Accuweather, heavy rain from Harvey will continue over parts of Texas and Louisiana, slowly drifting northward through the end of August and exacerbating the severe flooding in the region. The storm’s center of circulation will stay off the Texas coast through Tuesday before moving back over land in the middle of the week. Heavy rain could fall on New Orleans through Wednesday night, which may cause some flooding. Later in the week, the storm is expected to track northward across the lower Mississippi valley.

Related Stories

Harvey Update: Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cancel Cruises

Forecast: Be Prepared for Above-Average Hurricane Season

Tourism Leaders Criticize Adding Cozumel to Mexico Travel Warning

Stats: Brexit Dissuading One in Five Young Travelers From UK