Southwest loves another Houston flight to Midland

MIDLAND – Southwest Airlines will offer an additional direct flight between Midland International Airport and William P. Hobby Airport in Houston beginning in June 2014.

There will be four daily flights to and from Houston and Midland, according to Michelle Agnew, a Southwest spokeswoman. There are currently three daily flights.

Other direct Southwest flights are expected to stay the same, increasing the airlines’ total number of direct flights to 11. There are five direct flights to and from Dallas and two to and from Las Vegas.

Midland will not lose or gain any additional flights because of the repeal of the Wright Amendment, according to Marv Esterly, the city’s airport director.

Southwest has the largest market share in Midland with around 52 percent of those boarding an airplane at Midland International. In December 2013, 19,939 travelers boarded a Southwest plane, an increase of 2.6 percent compared to December 2012.

Midland International is the eighth largest airport in Texas and thirteenth for the southwest region, according to Esterly.