Startup Avelo Airlines announces new East Coast base just 1 week after launch
Avelo Airlines is headed East.
The brand-new budget carrier said New Haven, Connecticut, would become its first base on the East Coast. The Thursday announcement comes just a week after Avelo flew its inaugural flight on an intra-California route between Burbank and Santa Rosa – the first of 11 routes Avelo will offer from Burbank by late May.
Avelo – the first mainline U.S. carrier to launch in 15 years – did not reveal a firm start date or its planned routes from Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN), saying only that it would begin flying there in the third quarter of this year.
Avelo plans to fly Boeing 737-700 jets from New Haven, saying in a statement that its planes would give travelers there "a more comfortable, mainline jet experience versus the smaller regional jets that currently service the airport."
Currently, New Haven is served only by American Airlines, which serves the airport with service to Philadelphia on its regional affiliates. American's June schedule shows American Eagle partner Republic Airways serving the route with 76-seat Embraer E175s, though smaller regional jets were common on the route prior to the pandemic.
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Still, while those flying Avelo from New Haven may appreciate the option of a full-size jet, seating onboard will be tight.
Avelo will fly both the -700 and -800 models of the 737 across its overall network. Its inaugural was on a 737-800, which is laid out in a tight 189-seat configuration with 129 standard slimline 29-inch-pitch seats and an extra-legroom section with 60 seats. The same plane flying for Southwest is outfitted in an all-coach configuration with 175 seats.
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Customers will have a similar experience on Avelo's 737-700s.
For now, Avelo is celebrating its first post-launch expansion.
"Tweed New Haven has enormous potential, and our first East Coast base is great news for Avelo, New Haven, East Haven and other local communities," Avelo founder and CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement.
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