In most cases, major airlines have a significant presence in the city where their headquarters is located. For example, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is almost synonymous with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
One notable exception is Avelo Airlines, the upstart budget carrier. It’s based in Houston but doesn’t actually fly to either of Houston’s major airports.
That’s about to change.
The ultra-low-cost carrier announced three new routes Wednesday. Each will originate from its fast-growing crew base at Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) in Connecticut.
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Among the routes is a new nonstop flight to Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) — a new (yet familiar) city for the carrier.
The route will launch in June, as will new service from New Haven to both St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) and Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) in Traverse City, Michigan.
Since Avelo is the only airline serving New Haven, it won’t go head-to-head with any other carriers. That includes Southwest Airlines, which is the dominant airline at HOU.
Route details
Here’s the slate of new round-trip offerings for Avelo:
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| Route | Launches | Operates |
|---|---|---|
| HVN-HOU | June 14 | Twice weekly, on Mondays and Fridays |
| HVN-STL | June 13 | Twice weekly, on Thursdays and Sundays |
| HVN-TVC | June 15 | Once weekly, on Saturdays |
Fast growth in New Haven
Altogether, these three new cities give Avelo 50 destinations, a milestone reached close to three years after launching operations in 2021 — and just months after the carrier achieved its first profitable quarter.
It’s also just the latest example of Avelo doubling down on its New Haven base, where it will serve 24 nonstop destinations this summer, the airline said Wednesday.
Avelo will operate nearly 380,000 seats out of New Haven in June, July and August. That’s up 28% over last summer, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
It’s also far more seats than what Avelo is scheduled to operate from any other airport nationwide this summer.
“The introduction of these new routes reflects our ongoing effort to meet the needs and preferences of our travelers,” Tweed New Haven Airport Authority board chair Matt Hoey said in a statement Wednesday. “We’re opening new opportunities for business, leisure and tourism.”
With the addition of these routes in June, Avelo will base a sixth Boeing 737 aircraft in New Haven. Doing so is expected to create around 35 new jobs at the airport.
Avelo has announced a variety of other routes in recent months. These include shifting its crew base from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas to Charles M. Schultz—Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa, California, and launching a handful of new routes to Sonoma County in the process.
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