A 280,000-square-foot international terminal opened at William P. Hobby Airport, HOU, on October 15, 2015, with a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Cancun, Mexico. Now in its fifth year of operation, the international terminal at Hobby Airport has received many awards and accolades.  

The complex includes a five-gate concourse, a Federal Inspection Service facility, a Southwest Airlines ticketing hall and an expanded security checkpoint. 

Before the COVID-19 global pandemic, international travel at Hobby had reached over 1 million passengers annually and increased 16.3 percent over the prior year.  

Technology was the name of the game. On June 17, 2019, Hobby staff launched a biometric exit pilot program, which only required a facial scan to allow passengers to board aircraft.  Just two months later, Global Entry kiosks were upgraded to allow for a biometric entry process; passengers didn’t even have to scan their passports to be allowed entry. By February 11, 2020, all international passenger processing was completed through facial comparison technology and the automated passport control kiosks were removed from service. Hobby Airport is able to claim 100% biometric international entry and exit capability. 

The start of 2020 showed the promise of continued passenger growth as additional routes were planned and the numbers that were seen in 2018 were anticipated, but Covid-19 created a serious disruption for aviation worldwide. All international flights at Hobby ceased on March 22, 2020. International travel would not be resumed until July 1 with three flights to Cancun and one to San Jose del Cabo. The International team showed its support, for both passengers and the airlines, by directly participating in mask giveaways. 

While more destinations are opening soon, passengers can currently enjoy nonstop service from Hobby Airport via Southwest Airlines to these exciting Mexican destinations: Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo.