Myrtle Beach, S.C. · June 9, 2026 · Thomas Beach Vacations Staff
Southwest Airlines Launches Nonstop Flights Between Myrtle Beach and Houston
The new Saturday service connects Myrtle Beach International Airport directly to William P. Hobby Airport — putting Houston, the largest city in Texas, within a single nonstop flight of the Grand Strand.
Getting to the Grand Strand from Texas just got considerably simpler. Southwest Airlines has added nonstop service between Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) in Houston, offering travelers on both ends a direct connection that eliminates the layovers that once made this trip a half-day affair. The route is the airline’s 11th destination served from Myrtle Beach and represents the first direct link between the South Carolina coast and the nation’s fourth-largest city.
Flights operate weekly on Saturdays, with service having launched on June 6, 2026. The airline framed the addition as part of its peak summer network expansion — positioning Houston, one of Southwest’s largest hub operations, as a gateway for travelers from across the South and Southwest to reach the Myrtle Beach area without a connection.
Schedule and Fares
Outbound flights from Myrtle Beach depart at 3:00 p.m. Eastern and arrive at Houston Hobby at 4:40 p.m. Central — a flight time of approximately two hours and forty minutes. The return leg from Houston departs at 12:15 p.m. Central and lands at Myrtle Beach at 3:50 p.m. Eastern, covering the route in two hours and thirty-five minutes.
Opening fares started at $484 for the first Saturday of service and are scheduled to decrease as the summer progresses, with fares from $239 available beginning June 27. Tickets and scheduling details are available at southwest.com.
What It Means for the Grand Strand
The addition of a Houston connection broadens the pool of travelers who can reach the Grand Strand without adding hours of transit time. William P. Hobby Airport sits at the center of Southwest’s Houston operation, meaning the new route also opens indirect connectivity from dozens of Southwest cities across Texas, the Gulf Coast, and the interior South — travelers who might previously have faced multi-stop itineraries into Myrtle Beach now have a cleaner path in.
For families planning a summer week along the North Myrtle Beach shore — whether in Cherry Grove Beach, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, or Windy Hill — the new Saturday schedule aligns well with a traditional Saturday-to-Saturday vacation rental turnover. A Houston-area family can board a noon flight, land mid-afternoon, and be settled into a rental before sundown.
The route also works in reverse for Grand Strand residents and South Carolina travelers looking to reach Texas without a connection, giving the local market its first direct line to Houston since the pandemic reshuffled domestic route maps.
If the new Houston flight has you thinking about a North Myrtle Beach getaway, Thomas Beach Vacations has oceanfront homes and oceanfront condos ready for the summer season. Browse availability at northmyrtlebeachvacations.com or call (843) 273-3001 to talk through your options.
Sources: The Sun News / The State (Myrtle Beach); Travel and Tour World; Southwest Airlines (southwest.com).