America's three-year-old rookie airline has just announced a record expansion, which will involve the opening of two new regional bases along the U.S. East Coast and the carrier’s first two international routes. 

On Wednesday, July 24, Avelo Airlines announced the biggest expansion in the airline's history. Starting in November, Avelo will begin servicing Cancun, Mexico and Motengo Bay, Jamaica, the first two international routes for the young airline. 

In addition, the hybrid carrier is set to open two new regional bases at Hartford Windsor Locks International Airport (BDL) in Connecticut and Lakeland Int'l Airport (LAL) in Central Florida. 

The airline anticipates that the opening of these two bases will be "...creating more jobs in Connecticut and central Florida for individuals at all stages in their career..."
 
For reference, Avelo already has a hub in Connecticut at New Haven (HVN) and a hub at Wilmington New Castle Airport (ILG) in Delaware. 

Avelo's new regional base at Windsor Locks will be home to two "Boeing Next-Generation" 737s (737-700 or -800 aircraft), while the airlines Lakeland base will be home to just one 737 aircraft. 

Avelo is planning on operating its first two international flights to Montego Bay (MBJ) and Cancun (CUN) from its soon-to-be Hartford, Connecticut (BDL) base. 

Windsor Locks airport is the perfect international base for Avelo, as the airport is already home to a  dedicated U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility (required for international arriving flights in the United States). 
 

Between November 7 and November 20, Avelo will inaugurate the following routes from Hartford/Windsor Locks (BDL): 

Between October 25 and November 8, Avelo will inaugurate the following routes from Lakeland/Central Florida/Orlando (LAL): 

Avelo Airlines founder and CEO Andrew Levy had this to say about his airline's record expansion:

"...Avelo's purpose is to Inspire Travel and the addition of 18 new routes [16 from new bases] and our first two international destinations will make getting where our Customers want to go easier than ever. Couple this with our industry leading reliability and it's no surprise over five million people have chosen to fly Avelo. Adding more airplanes and destinations, I am very excited about the momentum and growth we are seeing across our business. And with three consecutive profitable quarters, Avelo is positively positioned for even more growth in the future across our network..." 

Not Just New Hub Routes 

Somewhat obscured in Avelo's biggest expansion announcement yet is the opening of four new routes from Charlotte/Concord Regional Airport (USA) in North Carolina. While the city is currently not an Avelo base (and probably won't be in the future), Avelo is nonetheless turning the destination into a focus city. 

The airline plans to begin service to Albany (ALB), Manchester, NH (MHT), Wilmington, DE (ILG), and Rochester, NY (ROC) in November of this year. 

For such a young airline, Avelo is growing fast. Since taking flight for the first time in April of 2021, Avelo Airlines has rapidly expanded across the United States. 

Avelo takes a page from the playbook of European budget airlines, with the carrier flying to airports and running hubs further from large cities but not too far to capture demand from underserved and over-served locations. 

For example, instead of operating its new hub out of Orlando's primary international airport - MCO -, MCO-Avelo is building its hub at Lakeland International Airport, one hour away from Orlando by car and just 45 minutes from Disney World by car. 

What makes Avelo stand out from other U.S. carriers is that the airline needs to connect between its East Coast and West Coast route networks, making travelling across the U.S. on Avelo impossible. 

Despite its quirky route network, Avelo Airlines is poised for success, as the airline has turned a profit since 2023 and has good on-time performance. 

According to Anuvu, an aviation data services company, in the first half of 2024, Avelo ranked #1 in on-time performance and had the least cancelled flights among all U.S. airlines. 

What do you think about Avelo? Would you fly them? Let us know in the comments below!