Southwest Airlines Now Flies Nonstop from Houston to Myrtle Beach — What Travelers Need to Know

There’s a particular kind of relief that comes with a nonstop flight. No layover in Atlanta. No middle seat through Charlotte. No boarding pass shuffle at a hub where the gates seem to be a mile apart. You sit down, the engines spool up, and two and a half hours later you’re rolling into the low country humidity of coastal South Carolina with a week of beach ahead of you. That’s exactly what Southwest Airlines is now offering travelers from Houston — a direct Saturday route between William P. Hobby Airport and Myrtle Beach International Airport that launched on June 6, 2026.

For years, getting from Houston to the Grand Strand meant connecting somewhere — usually a busy northeast hub — adding time and uncertainty to what should be a straightforward leisure trip. The new Southwest route changes that equation entirely. Texas travelers can now book a single flight, spend roughly the time it takes to watch a movie in the air, and land at an airport that’s twenty minutes from some of the best family beach towns on the East Coast.

This guide walks through everything you need to know about the new route — schedules, fares, what the airports are like, and how to make the most of a week along the North Myrtle Beach shoreline once you land.

A New Direct Line Between Texas and the Grand Strand

Southwest Airlines added the Houston–Myrtle Beach route as part of its peak summer network expansion, positioning the Grand Strand alongside other top leisure destinations the airline sees strong demand for during summer travel season. The new service marks the 11th destination Southwest now serves from Myrtle Beach International Airport — a meaningful milestone for an airport that has worked steadily over the past several years to grow its nonstop footprint.

The airline’s reasoning is straightforward: Houston Hobby is one of Southwest’s largest operations, acting as a connection point for travelers across Texas, the Gulf Coast states, and parts of the interior South. Adding Myrtle Beach to that network means vacationers from markets like San Antonio, Austin, New Orleans, and beyond now have a more streamlined path to the South Carolina coast — fly into Houston, connect to Myrtle Beach, no additional stop required.

Myrtle Beach International has been quietly expanding for several years. The airport has earned recognition as the nation’s top small airport and now offers over 50 nonstop flight routes to major cities nationwide. The Houston addition fits a broader pattern of the airport attracting new leisure-focused routes as demand for Grand Strand vacations from inland and southern U.S. markets has grown.

Flight Schedule and Fare Details

The route operates weekly on Saturdays, which aligns naturally with the traditional vacation rental turnover cycle along the Grand Strand — most beachfront properties run Saturday to Saturday through the summer. That means you can book a flight, check into your rental the same afternoon, and have a full seven days on the beach before catching your return flight the following week.

Fares for the inaugural weeks of service started at $484, with prices scheduled to decrease as summer progresses — fares from $239 became available starting June 27. Southwest’s no-change-fee policy also applies to this route, so if your plans shift, you can adjust your travel dates without penalty (fare differences may apply). Tickets and full scheduling details are available at southwest.com.

About William P. Hobby Airport

Travelers unfamiliar with Houston’s airport setup should know that the city has two airports serving distinct purposes. George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) is the larger facility about 23 miles north of downtown — a major hub for United Airlines with extensive international service. William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) sits about seven miles southeast of downtown and is an altogether different experience.

Hobby is a major hub for Southwest Airlines and primarily handles domestic flights, though it also has a modern international terminal for flights to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. The airport is compact by major-city standards — a single terminal building organized around four concourses — which means shorter walks, faster security lines, and a generally less stressful departure experience than you’d find at a larger hub.

For Houston-area travelers from the south side of the city, Hobby is also considerably more convenient to reach than Bush Intercontinental. The airport is accessible via the METRORail Red Line, making it easy to get there without dealing with the I-45 or the Beltway at peak travel times. Rideshare pickup zones and rental car facilities are all within the main terminal footprint.

Myrtle Beach International Airport: What to Expect

First-time flyers into Myrtle Beach often comment on how pleasantly manageable the airport is. MYR is located in the southern part of Myrtle Beach, about a mile from the ocean and just off Highway 17 Bypass. The terminal was expanded in recent years with six additional gates, updated dining options, and upgraded amenities — it was voted Best Small Airport by USA Today readers in both 2021 and 2024, which tells you something about how the airport community takes pride in the operation.

Baggage claim is fast by any standard. Security wait times are short outside of peak holiday travel. There’s none of the sprawl you’d encounter at an Atlanta or Charlotte connection — you land, collect your bags, pick up your rental car, and you’re on the road toward the beach in under thirty minutes. For families traveling with young children, beach gear, and the general chaos that comes with a summer vacation, that simplicity is worth a great deal.

As of summer 2026, nine airlines serve MYR with nonstop routes to more than 50 U.S. destinations — a mix of major carriers and leisure-focused airlines that has made the airport increasingly competitive on fares and route coverage. Southwest is now among the most prominent of those carriers at Myrtle Beach, with the Houston route joining existing Southwest service to Dallas Love Field, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, and other destinations.

Getting from the Airport to North Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach International sits at the southern end of the Grand Strand, while North Myrtle Beach occupies the northern end — a drive of roughly 20 to 25 minutes under normal conditions, following US-17 Business or US-17 Bypass depending on where you’re headed. All four major communities in North Myrtle Beach are accessible from this route without getting onto congested surface streets.

Rental cars are available directly at the airport from all major agencies. Since most beach rentals in North Myrtle Beach are set up for Saturday check-ins, arriving on the Southwest flight from Houston at 3:50 p.m. gives you enough time to pick up your car, make a grocery run, and be at your rental before sunset. Rideshare services operate from MYR as well, though for a full week’s vacation with family and gear, a rental car is almost always the more practical choice.

The communities of Cherry Grove Beach, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill each have their own character — from the wide, uncrowded shores of Cherry Grove to the historic shag dancing roots of Ocean Drive — and all are within a few miles of one another along the coast.

Why North Myrtle Beach Is Worth the Flight

Houston is a city that knows beach culture — Galveston has served as the Gulf Coast getaway for generations of Texas families. But the Atlantic beach experience along the Grand Strand is something different. The water runs warmer than you’d expect for the East Coast, the sand is wide and pale, and the waves are gentle enough for young kids to wade in without worry. The pace of life in North Myrtle Beach is deliberate in a way that feels like a genuine break from whatever you left behind in Texas.

North Myrtle Beach is also a distinct city from its more commercial neighbor to the south — it was incorporated separately in 1968 and has its own government, police force, and identity. The result is an atmosphere that’s quieter and more residential than the main Myrtle Beach strip while still offering easy access to the full range of Grand Strand dining, entertainment, and attractions. Families who come once tend to come back — the combination of good beach, manageable crowds, and genuine Southern hospitality is hard to replicate.

Vacation rentals along the North Myrtle Beach shoreline range from modest two-bedroom oceanfront condos to sprawling oceanfront homes that can comfortably accommodate multiple families traveling together. Waking up to an unobstructed view of the Atlantic from a private balcony is a different proposition than a hotel room — and it’s the kind of thing that turns a vacation into an annual tradition.

Planning Your Trip: Houston to the Shore

With the Saturday schedule now in place, the logistics of a North Myrtle Beach vacation from Houston are cleaner than they’ve ever been. Here’s how a typical travel day might look:

Morning: Leave home in the Houston area, arrive at Hobby, check in and clear security without the stress of a larger airport. Grab lunch before boarding — departure is at 12:15 p.m.

Afternoon: Land at Myrtle Beach at 3:50 p.m. Pick up your rental car. Stop at a grocery store on US-17 — Publix and Kroger both have locations convenient to the route north — and stock up for the week.

Evening: Check into your rental, walk across to the beach for the last hour of light, and listen to the Atlantic for the first time. Dinner from whatever you grabbed at the store, or head into Ocean Drive for one of the local seafood spots.

On the return side, the 3:00 p.m. departure from Myrtle Beach gives you a full Saturday morning on the beach before you have to think about leaving — enough time for one last walk along the waterline and a proper goodbye to a week well spent.

Fares are available at southwest.com. Prices were running from $239 per person starting June 27 — reasonable for a nonstop summer beach flight from a major Texas market. Book early for the best availability on peak summer Saturdays.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources: The Sun News / The State (Myrtle Beach); Travel and Tour World; Visit Myrtle Beach; Southwest Airlines (southwest.com); Myrtle Beach International Airport (flymyrtlebeach.com).