Planes are shuttling more than 2,000 passengers of the damaged Carnival Triumph cruise ship to Houston for the final leg of a long journey home.

A spokeswoman for Bush Intercontinental Airport says Carnival Cruise Lines has contracted with Delta Air Lines for 11 flights Friday from New Orleans to Houston.

The approximately 2,300 passengers have the option of leaving for home from Bush airport, or taking a chartered bus for the 50-mile drive to Galveston, Texas, where their cars may be parked. The cruise ship left the Port of Galveston on Feb. 7 for what was supposed to be a four-day cruise.

Hundreds of other passengers opted to take an eight-hour bus ride to Galveston from Mobile, Ala., where the ship docked Thursday evening.