Southwest Airlines (WN, Dallas Love Field) is to begin flights from Houston Hobby to México City International and San José Cabo this year after both the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Mexican civil aviation authority (Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil - DGAC) agreed to extend the LCC extra-bilateral rights. According to DOT documents seen by ch-aviation, the new route authority is valid from March 10, 2015, until January 22, 2017.
Southwest had previously unsuccessfully petitioned the DOT to reallocate it one of two route authorities - currently held by United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) and SkyWest Airlines (OO, Salt Lake City) - on the grounds that as SkyWest is an affiliate of United, the routes were being operated to the benefit of one carrier - United.
The DOT then asked the DGAC whether it would be willing to expand the number of designated carriers on the route beyond the stipulated two, to which the Mexicans responded positively.
"We have decided to approve the balance of Southwest’s request for exemption authority," the DOT ruled. "In doing so we note the representations of the DGAC that it will favorably consider a request from Southwest to serve the Houston-Mexico City and Houston-San Jose del Cabo markets on an extrabilateral basis. Therefore, we find that the public interest warrants our approval of Southwest’s application, and that we can proceed to such approval without needing to withdraw or otherwise place in issue the designations or authorities of any of the currently authorized U.S. carriers in these city-pair markets."
Southwest's flights are scheduled to launch in October of this year when a new five-gate international facility at Hobby airport is completed.
