Avelo Airlines to cut 4 routes over next month, including pullback at world's busiest airport
Avelo Airlines is getting set to bolster its East Coast footprint with two new bases in North Carolina, as well as new international service that launches this weekend.
But it's also getting set to make some cuts over the coming weeks.
Between now and the end of March, the Houston-based ultra-low-cost carrier will trim four routes from its East Coast schedule — routes that, the carrier said, didn't generate enough interest from passengers.
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Avelo's 4 route cuts
Each of the four routes Avelo is eliminating from its network launched in November, so the carrier is not wasting any time searching for new, more profitable flying opportunities — a common tactic among budget airlines.
2 Wilmington, Delaware, routes cut
On the chopping block are two Avelo routes from Wilmington Airport (ILG) in Delaware: one to a tiny airport in North Carolina and another to the world's busiest airport.
After Feb. 27, the carrier will end its nonstop ILG service to Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (USA) outside Charlotte and its ILG flights to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
Both routes had seen low passenger demand, an Avelo spokesperson told TPG.
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Rethinking Connecticut strategy
Then, late next month, the carrier will end two nonstop flights from Hartford's Bradley International Airport (BDL). March 30 will be the last day for Avelo's Hartford service to Concord and Wilmington.
That move comes as Avelo looks to restructure its Connecticut footprint: Going forward, the airline said, it'll primarily use its large Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) base for domestic service and nearby Hartford for its small international footprint.
Connecticut, the nation's third-smallest state by land mass, has become increasingly competitive turf for airlines — including for Avelo and Breeze Airways, the industry's two newest carriers.
New international routes and bases come online
It's not all bad news for Avelo, though.
The airline's two latest international routes take flight over the next 24 hours. Nonstop service from Hartford to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic began Friday. The carrier will also launch Dominican Republic flights from Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Meanwhile, despite the cuts from Concord and Wilmington, the airline is hardly done with either city. It'll open crew bases at each over the next month and a half, starting with Concord on March 6 and then Wilmington on April 3.
As for Atlanta, cutting Wilmington will leave the carrier with just one route — to its New Haven base — from the major southeast airport.
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