United Airlines has opened the new Terminal B North Concourse at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, adding 22 mainline gates for primarily narrow-body aircraft. The three-level, 765,000-square-foot facility opened to the public on Thursday and provides enclosed boarding at every gate, larger passenger areas and additional capacity for United’s Houston hub.
The concourse replaces parts of Terminal B dating from 1969 and is the centrepiece of United’s $2.6 billion Terminal B Transformation Programme. Together with improvements to the South Concourse, the project will give United 48 Terminal B gates: 22 in the North Concourse and 26 in the South Concourse.
Facilities include a 54,000-square-foot United Club with seating for approximately 800 passengers, two full-service bars, buffets and an outdoor terrace. The concourse also contains restaurants, retail space, public art, a children’s play area, a sensory room and upgraded passenger facilities.
The new gates are intended to support larger mainline aircraft and allow United to add seats on routes with the strongest demand. The airline plans to bring all 22 gates into service by Christmas, using initial flights to test the gates and associated systems. During the transition, some passengers may still check in, drop bags and clear security at Terminal C before travelling to Terminal B.
United has invested more than $3.5 billion at IAH since 2015. The wider transformation programme is designed to increase peak-day passenger capacity in 2026 by 40% compared with 2023.