continued to use the former Texas International maintenance base at Hobby after the merger. 21st century In May 2011, Southwest Airlines expressed interest in initiating new international flights from Hobby. On April 9, 2012, Houston Director of Aviation Mario Diaz announced support of international flights from Hobby after multiple studies of the economic impact on the entire city of Houston. On this day Southwest Airlines also debuted its new campaign, called Free Hobby. Supporters are asked to sign a petition. Southwest also started a website just for supporters of international flights from Hobby, freehobbyairport.com. United Airlines, Houston's other major carrier, which would later be forced to compete with Southwest on proposed international routes, has objected to the expansion plans, citing a study which concludes that the change would cost the Houston area jobs and result in a net reduction in GRP. Houston Mayor Annise Parker backed Southwest's fight to make Hobby an international airport on May 23, 2012. On May 30, 2012, Houston's city council approved Southwest's request for international flights from Hobby. The groundbreaking of the terminal expansion began in September 2013. Five new gates (two arrival/departure gates and three arrival only gates) were added to accommodate both Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family aircraft. The expansion was estimated to have cost $156 million and was paid for by Southwest Airlines. The expansion also included constructing a new parking garage as well as a re-organization and expansion of the security checkpoint and Southwest Airlines' check-in counter. Vertical construction was officially completed on October 15, 2015, and Southwest launched international flights that same day. Frontier Airlines announced its entry to the airport with direct flights to Cancun, Las Vegas, and Orlando starting in May 2022. Just two months later Frontier Airlines announced a fourth flight from Hobby with a new Denver route starting in September. Facilities Terminal William P. Hobby Airport has a single terminal with two concourses (one domestic and one international) and 30 overall gates. The domestic concourse, which has various retail shops and restaurants, opened in 2003 and replaced the original three concourses dating back to the 1950s. It also includes an interfaith chapel. The international concourse opened on October 15, 2015. In February 2020, Hobby Airport became the first airport in Texas to have full biometric entry and exit for passengers who are traveling internationally. In March 2022, Southwest announced a $250 million expansion project to