Fast-growing budget airline Avelo is out with its latest route expansion, and it includes flights to both the world’s busiest airport, and one of the nation’s smallest.
In all, the Houston-based ultra-low-cost carrier announced four new nonstop routes Tuesday, each of which will launch from its crew base in New Haven, Connecticut.
Avelo will fly from Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) beginning in early May.
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Avelo will be a proverbial “small fish in a big pond” situation in Atlanta, routinely ranked the busiest airport in the world. ATL is the home base for Delta Air Lines, a key base for Southwest Airlines, and a major international gateway.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, Avelo also announced service from New Haven to a much smaller airport in the Charlotte area — and not to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
The airline’s Queen City service will be to Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (USA), which is north of downtown, about 15 to 20 miles from the city center.
The latter represents a much more conventional route for Avelo, which has focused much of its expansion on secondary airports outside major cities. For instance, just last week, the airline announced plans to shift its crew base in Las Vegas to Santa Rosa, in Sonoma County, California.
The new service figures to be a boost for Concord, which currently is only served by just one airline: Allegiant Air. The airport saw just 124,000 passenger enplanements in 2022 (the most recent data available), according to the Federal Aviation Administration. For comparison, the far larger Charlotte airport saw 23.1 million enplanements in 2022.
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Along with its new service to Atlanta and the greater Charlotte region, Avelo also announced new nonstop routes from New Haven to Destin Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) in Florida — a popular leisure destination in close proximity to beaches along the Florida Panhandle.
Finally, Avelo will also launch service from New Haven McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, Tennessee. It will be a new foray into Knoxville for Avelo; the airport is currently served by the “Big Three” U.S. carriers, plus fellow budget airlines Allegiant and Frontier.
All four of the new routes Avelo announced Tuesday will start in May, with exact start dates depending on the route.
Service details
Here’s how the service launch dates and schedule shake out for Avelo’s four new routes out of New Haven:
- HVN-ATL — begins May 2, operates four times weekly (Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays)
- HVN-USA — begins May 2, operates twice weekly (Thursdays and Sundays)
- HVN-VPS — begins May 17, operates twice weekly (Thursdays and Sundays)
- HVN-TYS — begins May 9, operates twice weekly (Thursdays and Sundays)
Growing footprint in New Haven
Above all else, this latest series of route announcements are the latest example of the airline expanding its footprint in New Haven, where Avelo has clear plans to cement the airport’s place as a key cog in its route network.
Avelo is the only carrier currently serving the airport; American Airlines used to offer New Haven service, but doesn’t currently.
Once these flights get started, Avelo will serve 21 nonstop destinations out of New Haven, including eight cities in Florida.
“These new routes from Avelo mark a significant milestone in Tweed-New Haven Airport’s ongoing efforts to provide more convenient, affordable, and efficient travel options,” Jorge Roberts, CEO of Avports, LLC, which manages the airport, said in a statement.
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