Houston to Aruba: nonstop flights starting Mar. 2015

HOUSTON – Southwest Airlines will offer its first international nonstop flight in Texas with a Saturday-only flight between Houston and Aruba to start March 7, 2015, out of Hobby Airport.

Southwest had planned to begin offering international routes out of Hobby to destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America beginning 2016. An international terminal under construction there is slated to be complete by late 2015.

The Aruba route is possible in Houston earlier due to the federal government’s "pre-clearance" locations that allow U.S. border agents who live in foreign locations to process travelers before they arrive in the U.S.

Select international locations, including Aruba, have this special designation. For Southwest, the process means passengers "enter the U.S." before they get on the plane and, therefore, they can land in a domestic terminal at Hobby.

The flight will depart Houston weekly at 10:50 a.m. and arrive in Aruba at 5 p.m. The return flight will leave Aruba at 12:30 p.m. and arrive in Houston at 4:30 p.m.

The economy round-trip ticket price at this time for the first service date is $940 for a refundable ticket and $480 for a nonrefundable ticket.