HOUSTON, Texas — October 29, 2026 — A restaurant fire inside Terminal C at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on Tuesday afternoon has pushed United Airlines flights out of the terminal. Houston Airports closed Terminal C to travelers on Wednesday, October 28, and moved United departures and arrivals to other terminals. No reopening date has been announced.
What happened
- The fire started in a restaurant inside Terminal C on Tuesday afternoon, October 27. Firefighters took about an hour to put it out, and thick smoke could be seen from outside the terminal.
- The north side of Terminal C was evacuated while crews fought the fire. No injuries were reported.
- The cause has not been released. The Houston Fire Department’s Arson Bureau is investigating.
- Houston Airports then said Terminal C would close on Wednesday morning, and that it was working with United to move flights to other terminals.
Where United flights are going
Terminal C is used only by United, IAH’s largest airline. Reports differ on how much of the terminal is shut:
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Terminal C | Closed to travelers on Wednesday, October 28, per the Houston Chronicle. KPRC Click2Houston reported that the north side was affected and that United was using gates in Terminal C South. |
| Alternate gates | Terminal C South and Terminals D and E (KPRC Click2Houston). Specific gates were not published. |
| United schedule | Airport officials told KPRC that United was running its full schedule Wednesday morning with no delays reported early in the day. |
| Reopening | TBA |
Houston Airports is telling travelers to check their terminal and gate before heading to the airport.
What it means for non-revs
- Check your terminal before you leave home. Your United flight may now be leaving from Terminal D, Terminal E or the south end of C instead of its usual gate. Recheck the United app right before you head out, because gate assignments can keep shifting while C is out of service.
- Allow extra time at security and at the gate. Moving United’s Terminal C flying into other terminals puts more passengers through fewer checkpoints and gate areas. On standby you need to be at the right gate when names are called, so build in a buffer.
- Expect tighter connections. If you are connecting through IAH, your inbound and outbound gates may be in different terminals than usual. Avoid short connections until Terminal C fully reopens.
- Watch loads on later flights. Any flights disrupted by the gate shuffle will rebook ticketed passengers onto later departures, which can tighten standby chances. Check loads close to departure and have a backup flight in mind.
- Carry on if you can. With flights operating from unfamiliar gates, a carry-on keeps you flexible if you need to switch flights.
- Crew and employees: no changes to employee parking, badging or crew access were reported. Follow your company’s station notices for any changes to crew routing inside the airport.
Sources
- Houston Chronicle (via Yahoo News), “Bush Airport’s Terminal C closes Wednesday after restaurant fire; United flights move” — yahoo.com
- KPRC Click2Houston, “Bush Airport fire: United passengers face gate changes after Terminal C evacuation in Houston” — click2houston.com
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