(HOUSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL) - Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. is adding more nonstop service this fall, including some new flights to and from Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport.
Beginning Oct. 3, Southwest will add daily nonstop service between Hobby and John Glenn International in Columbus, Ohio, as well as Louisville International in Louisville, Kentucky. Also in October, Southwest will expand its daily service from Hobby to Baltimore Washington International to four flights per day and its daily nonstops from Hobby to Las Vegas to five flights per day.
On March 8, the airline launched its previously announced daily service between Hobby and Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport. Previously announced service between Hobby and Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, begins in June.
“We are truly excited by this announcement today and the continued commitment to growth and excellence from a valuable partner like Southwest Airlines,” Liliana Rambo, general manager for Hobby Airport, said in a press release. “Working together, this ongoing partnership is driving Hobby Airport to new heights, helping our airport in its efforts to provide great service to our passengers, and to ultimately elevate our four-star airport into the five-star facility we’re aiming for and that our city and customers deserve.”
Southwest has one of its largest hubs at Hobby, where it opened a new international terminal in October 2015. Hobby then saw 430 percent year-over-year growth in international passengers in 2016, the most of any airport nationwide, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Overall, Hobby served more than 13 million total passengers — international and domestic — for the first time ever in 2017. The airport saw a 4.1 percent increase in total passengers between 2016 and 2017 and a 52 percent increase between 2007 and 2017.
