Nonstop flight route between Houston, Texas, United States and Palo Alto, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from HOU to PAO:
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- About this route
- HOU Airport Information
- PAO Airport Information
- Facts about HOU
- Facts about PAO
- Map of Nearest Airports to HOU
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- Map of Furthest Airports from HOU
- List of Furthest Airports from HOU
- Map of Nearest Airports to PAO
- List of Nearest Airports to PAO
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About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas, United States and Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County (PAO), Palo Alto, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,630 miles (or 2,623 kilometers).
A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the relatively short distance between William P. Hobby Airport and Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | HOU / KHOU |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Houston, Texas, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 29°38'44"N by 95°16'44"W |
Area Served: | Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land |
Operator/Owner: | City of Houston |
Elevation: | 46 feet (14 meters) |
# of Runways: | 4 |
View all routes: | Routes from HOU |
More Information: | HOU Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | PAO / KPAO |
Airport Name: | Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County |
Location: | Palo Alto, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°27'39"N by 122°6'53"W |
Operator/Owner: | County of Santa Clara |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 4 feet (1 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from PAO |
More Information: | PAO Maps & Info |
Facts about William P. Hobby Airport (HOU):
- In a survey among travelers in the United States by J.D.
- In 1967 the airport was renamed after former Texas governor William P.
- William P. Hobby Airport handled 9,054,001 passengers last year.
- The city of Houston opened and dedicated a new air terminal and hangar in 1940.
- In addition to being known as "William P. Hobby Airport", another name for HOU is "Houston Hobby".
- The terminal includes an interfaith chapel.
- William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) has 4 runways.
- United Airlines, Houston's other major carrier, which would subsequently be forced to compete with Southwest on proposed international routes, has objected to the expansion plans, citing a study which concludes that the change would cost the Houston area jobs and result in a net reduction in GRP.
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport opened in 1969 because of expansion limitations at Hobby, and all airlines at Hobby moved there.
- The furthest airport from William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,002 miles (17,706 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- Because of William P. Hobby Airport's relatively low elevation of 46 feet, planes can take off or land at William P. Hobby Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
- The closest airport to William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is Ellington Field Joint Reserve BaseEllington Air Force BaseEllington Field (EFD), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) ESE of HOU.
Facts about Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County (PAO):
- The VOR approach is almost impossible to get from Air Traffic Control if the aircraft is GPS-equipped, because of the conflict with airline traffic in San Jose International Airport.
- Because of Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County's relatively low elevation of 4 feet, planes can take off or land at Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
- Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County (PAO) currently has only 1 runway.
- In 1989 a comprehensive area history analysis was conducted by Earth Metrics, based upon review of extant aerial photographs.
- The furthest airport from Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County (PAO) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,365 miles (18,289 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- Facilities at this busy towered airport include multiple aircraft repair shops and a staffed terminal including West Valley Flight Club, Advanced Flyers, Peninsula Avionics, Sundance Flying Club, Stanford Flying Club, Rossi Aircraft, and Palo Alto Fuel Service.
- The closest airport to Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County (PAO) is Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) SE of PAO.
- Fifteen miles of hiking and biking trails, affording multiple opportunities for birdwatching, form part of the adjacent 1,940-acre Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve.