William P. Hobby Airport (Hobby) has come a mighty long way!

From its modest opening in 1927 as a private landing field in a 600-acre pasture, through its brief name change to Howard R. Hughes Airport in 1938, through many modifications and improvements over the ensuing decades and change of centuries, Hobby now stands among the U.S.’s premier airports.

Hobby added international air service in 2015 and now offers nonstop or direct service to nearly 60 destinations throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2017, Hobby served more than 13 million passengers and in recent years has been among the country’s top 40 airports for passenger totals.

Earlier this year, Mario Diaz, Houston Airports Director, announced that both Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) had received 4-star ratings from Skytrax, a top airport rating agency. Houston is the third city in the world, along with Tokyo and Seoul, to have two airports with four-star ratings. The only other U.S. airports with four-star ratings are in San Francisco and Cincinnati. Hobby received the 4-star rating for the third year in a row and 2018 was the first time IAH received the honor.

Liliana Rambo, Hobby General Manager since December 2017, said Hobby’s upward arc has been planned and intentional and she expects the growth and the superior customer service to continue in 2019.

“We have been diligent in our planning and preparation for 2019 and we’ve got some very exciting and necessary projects on the horizon.”

Rambo briefly detailed the upcoming projects which include:

Water Bottle Filling Stations – Installing new water bottle filling stations throughout the airport

Nursing Mothers’ Rooms – 3 nursing mothers’ rooms for mothers to have privacy

Restroom Renovations – Upgrading restrooms to meet modern standards and demands

Children’s Play Area – Dedicated area for children of all ages to experience playgrounds, video games and all-around fun.

Carpet Replacement in Central Concourse – Replacing approximately 28,000 square feet of carpet with new flooring.

New Interfaith Chapel – Constructing new Interfaith Chapel inside Central Concourse for all religions to feel welcome and worship.

Phase 2 of Electric Seating – Installing electrical infrastructure at Gates 20-27 to allow every seat the capability of having electrical outlets.                               

Hobby is Houston’s oldest commercial airport and plays an extremely vital role in the growth and success of the City and its people. Rambo said the upcoming projects are indicative of Houston Airports’ commitment to providing an exceptional level of overall excellence “that our customers expect and deserve.”