MIDLAND, Texas — If you love to travel, you'll love to hear this. There's a new direct flight out of Midland to one of the state's hotspots. That hotspot happens to be the state capitol.
Travelers will now have the option to fly directly from Midland to Austin. This means no more stops in Dallas or Houston.
NewsWest 9 spoke with a community member who travels often.
Robyn Houston has lived in the area for over five years. Houston said she travels to Austin at least once a year.
"We were excited to hear about it because anytime we go to Austin, we either have to fly to Dallas, then go to Austin, or either from Houston to Austin," said Houston. "It is going to be a lot more convenient for us."
The decision to add the flight came after MOTRAN, the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance, hosted a luncheon for Southwest executives to show the city's demographics, projected growth and the impact on the flight route.
"Dr. Perryman worked on a model for them looking at the 2019 demand for this direct flight on Southwest," said James Beauchamp, President of MOTRAN. "It was expected to bring somewhere between 49,000 to 56,000 passengers a year. By 2025, it is expected to grow and pretty much double."
Beauchamp said this new direct flight will allow people to get to other destinations outside of Austin.
"Its not just getting to Austin, it's being able to get to those other 46 places," said Beauchamp. "It gives people out here a lot more choices."
Beauchamp hopes more direct flights are implemented in the future.
"While we have been going through this process with Southwest and learning a lot through it, we are going to continue to promote Midland and Odessa," said Beauchamp.
This new direct flight will begin in March of next year.