Southwest intensifies its campaign to launch international service from Houston Hobby

Southwest Airlines has bolstered its efforts to introduce international fights from Houston Hobby Airport through the introduction of an elaborate campaign - freehobbyairport.com - to encourage Houston residents and its larger passenger base to lobby city officials to allow it to forge ahead with plans to carry out its often talked-about desire to serve near international destinations from the US through the construction of a USD75 million-USD100 million international terminal at the airport. Not surprisingly, Southwest has won support from the Houston Airport System (HAS), which operates both Hobby and Houston Intercontinental Airport. It is now up to the city council to decide how it will balance Southwest's request against the opposition of United Airlines, which dominates air passenger traffic in the Houston metropolitan area and at Houston Intercontinental specifically. If Southwest succeeds in its quest to launch new international flights from Hobby, it must ensure the new facility meets the expectations of US passengers, who have a general distaste for bare-bones airport facilities.