Southwest Airlines (Dallas) extended its bookable flight schedule through January 4, 2016, offering new international service between eight cities and Houston (Hobby) by the end of this year, including the carrier’s 97th destination, Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport at Liberia in the Guanacaste beach and resort region of northwest Costa Rica, subject to foreign government approval.

Beginning October 15, 2015, Southwest will off new, nonstop service from Houston (Hobby) and:

Cancun, Mexico (twice daily)
Mexico City, Mexico (once daily)
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (once daily)
San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos, Mexico (once daily)
Belize City, Belize* (once daily)
San Jose, Costa Rica* (once daily)

*subject to approval of foreign government

Beginning November 1, 2015, additional daily international flights begin from:

Houston (Hobby) and Liberia/Guanacaste, Costa Rica* (once daily)
Houston (Hobby) and Montego Bay, Jamaica* (once daily)

*subject to approval of foreign government

During the upcoming summer travel season, Southwest will offer up to 159 departures a day from Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport serving 45 destinations nonstop while contractors, designers, and workers enter the homestretch of constructing a $156 million, five-gate international terminal complex, along with associated City of Houston projects for new parking and roadway improvements.

Other International Flights

Also pending the approval of the Mexican government, new once-daily service between Denver and Puerto Vallarta begins November 1, 2015.

Daily service between Orange County/Santa Ana and both Mexican resort areas of Puerto Vallarta and San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos will be augmented by a second, seasonal trip on Saturdays beginning November 7.

The same day, Southwest also begins Saturday-only service between Baltimore/Washington and Liberia, Costa Rica, subject to foreign governmental approval.

New Domestic Flights

The flight schedule extension beginning November 1, 2015, includes recurrent and new seasonal flying as well as new, twice daily service between Indianapolis and New York LaGuardia, daily service between Denver and Cleveland, and new flights between Austin and both Seattle/Tacoma and Boston (Logan). New service between Akron/Canton and Las Vegas begins daily operation on November 15, 2015, and on November 22, 2015, Southwest will begin daily flights between Orange County/Santa Ana and both St. Louis and Kansas City.

Houston (Hobby) International Terminal Project

In early 2012, Southwest Airlines approached the City of Houston seeking permission to look into the construction of a five-gate international facility at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) to offer near-international service. Mayor Annise Parker later offered her support to bring the proposal before the full Houston City Council, which voted to authorize construction of the $156 million facility. The carrier announced its intention to serve an initial complement of international destinations from Houston (Hobby) in December 2014, and on Mar. 7, 2015, the carrier launched seasonal international service on Saturdays between Aruba and Houston (Hobby).

Copyright Photo below: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8H4 N8656B (msn 42530) with APB Split Scimitar Winglets approaches the runway at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport.

Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):