HOUSTON – Southwest Airlines launched its first international destination over the weekend.
Traveler Taylor Scharck and his wife flew from Houston to Aruba with a connection in Miami.
He said they didn't even realize Southwest started offering international flights from Hobby Airport.
"When we are looking for a travel destination, I think we look for the flights first to see the nonstop flights out of Houston and based on that we make our decision," Sharck said.
Southwest Airlines made history Saturday.
KPRC 2 had the chance to speak with Mario Diaz, the director of the Houston Airport System, to talk about the future of international travel out of Hobby and Bush Intercontinental Airport.
"There isn't just energy," Diaz said. "There's medical, there's medicine, transportation, logistics and aerospace that will continue to lead Houston going forward in the future."
To accommodate the growth, Southwest is spending more than $150 million to add five new gates for international travel at Hobby.
"I prefer Hobby," traveler Jason Welan said. "It's easier to get in and out of. It's not so big that people get lost. It's just the right size."
"I think it just shows how strong Houston Hobby is and how much economic opportunity there is here in Houston," Senior Vice President of CustomersTeresa Laraba said. "We obviously have a very strong domestic network, it was one of the first original cities. This just gives us an entire gateway to the international destinations."
In addition to Aruba, Southwest plans to add flights from Hobby to Belize, Mexico City, Cancun, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose and Costa Rica later this year.
International travel from Aruba to Hobby is made possible now because of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's pre-clearance operation in Aruba. The customs hall is still being built at Hobby Airport.
So for now, passengers clear customs in Aruba before even boarding the plane to head home.
"Once they clear us, they don't have to go join the queue in the United States or from around the world," James Grimes of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. "We concentrate just on the people leaving from Aruba into the United States. Once they arrive domestically, they can go on to catch their next flight or get their bags at the domestic terminal and then go home."
Numbers provided by the Houston Airport System prove travel is up at both of Houston's airports. Bush Intercontinental saw an increase of 3.6 percent in 2014. Hobby Airport saw an increase of 7.5 percent.