Avelo Airlines has now entered the ultra low cost international market. Since 2021, the airline has only offered domestic flights. This new international expansion includes flights from Hartford, Connecticut to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Cancun, Mexico. The airline will also be adding more international routes in 2025.
Here is all you need to know about Avelo’s new international flight offerings. We will also analyze what this expansion means to both travelers and the airline’s future.
What International Routes Does Avelo Airlines Offer?
Avelo Airlines announced in July 2024 that the airline will expand internationally. The announcement said the airline will be adding two international routes that will begin in November 2024 out of Hartford, Connecticut.
These routes both have been kicked off at the time of this writing.
From Hartford, you are able to fly to Montego Bay, Jamaica and Cancun, Mexico.
Since the announcement, Avelo will fly three more additional routes to begin in 2025.
In February 2025, Avelo will be adding a flight to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic from Hartford.
They will also begin offering international flights from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. These first flights from RDU will be to Montego Bay and Punta Cana.
See below for Avelo’s international flight routes currently operating as of the time of this writing.
Hartford to Montego Bay
Avelo Airlines flies four weekly flights between Hartford’s Bradley International Airport and Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport.
This route is flown on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Each day has an outbound and an inbound flight. Both of the flights between Hartford and Montego Bay have the same flight number, 903.
There are no other airlines at Bradley International Airport that have nonstop flights to Montego Bay, Jamaica. That means that Avelo Airlines owns 100% market share for this route at the airport.
Hartford to Cancun
Like the route to Montego Bay, Avelo sets aside two days out of the week with flights to Cancun. The airline will be flying into Cancún International Airport. Wednesday and Saturdays both have flights to Cancun. Both days and both directions of flights operate with the same flight number, 964.
Avelo Airlines completely owns market share for this flight. No other airlines have routes to Cancun from Hartford.
What Does Avelo’s International Service Mean to You?
You Now Have Another Ultra Low Cost Option for International Travel
Avelo’s entry into the international flight arena comes at a great time.
Air travel is getting more expensive. With JetBlue’s announcement of an introduction of a business class, airlines believe people are willing to pay more for quality.
But, you can’t ignore that there will always be people that rely on ultra low cost airlines for flights. That is why the selling of Spirit Airlines to JetBlue garnered so much publicity.
Avelo will be joining Spirit, Frontier, and Sun Country as ultra low cost airlines offering international flights.
Spirit and Frontier are moving towards a standard airline product offering based on their tiered service bundles experiment. That leaves Sun Country and Avelo as the last two remaining ULCC’s offering a traditional internationally ultra low cost experience.
Connecticut Travelers Have a Core Airline
If you are from Connecticut, you must be ecstatic about the amount of airline growth that has occurred in your state over the past 10 years.
Avelo has put a great commitment behind two of your airports, Tweed-New Haven and Hartford-Bradley as core airports in the airlines’ route strategy.
Historically, Connecticut air travelers were very limited in terms of flight offerings in-state. Tweed-New Haven lacked passenger travel for a long time. Hartford-Bradley was the state’s only airport with major airlines. But the flight options out of Hartford are limited. Many routes out of Hartford are seasonal, or to major east coast cities.
With Avelo entering the fray in 2021, Connecticutians have an airline with flights across the eastern seaboard. Many of these at a fraction of the cost of the major airlines flying out of Hartford.
Now you don’t have to drive to the New York City airports, Boston-Logan, or Providence TF-Green Airport to find consistent domestic flights. Connecticutians have commercial airline options both north and south of the state. All thanks to Avelo Airlines.
What Do These International Routes Mean for Avelo’s Future?
Cements Avelo as an Airline
For Avelo Airlines, international growth is definitely a great sign. This means the airline as a whole is doing well enough domestically. Well enough to expand to areas that it identified as opportunities for more growth.
While it is tough being an ultra low cost carrier these days, Avelo has stood up to the test. It is not yet on the level of Spirit, Frontier or even Allegiant in terms of notoriety.
These new route introductions mean that the airline is profitable. Avelo turned in its first profitable quarter in the 4th quarter of 2023 and a 75% revenue increase from 2022. They are likely to report their first annual profit in 2024.
This is a step in the right direction as other airlines, like JetBlue Airways are trying to right the ship financially. JetBlue is removing flights and shifting their focus from domestic to a more regional approach.
Opportunity For More Route and Fleet Growth
Depending on Avelo’s success in the international market, they can only go up from here. If the international flights are a hit, more doors open for international opportunities.
Countries in Latin America are improving their infrastructure and opening their doors for more tourism. Avelo may look to fill the void Spirit or JetBlue may create as they both fix their financial situations.
With flights on the horizon for Avelo, the airline needs more aircraft.
Currently, Avelo relies on a fleet of 20 Boeing 737-700s & 800s. Will we see Avelo invest further into the Boeing 737 by adding the Max family? Will they buy more older aircraft and take the Allegiant Air fleet strategy approach? Can we see Avelo make the jump to Airbus?
This is purely speculative. But, these are all questions that Avelo will start to think about. Especially if they start to find success on their international routes.
Our Final Thoughts
For you, Avelo’s success in growth is great. That gives you another ultra low cost option in a passenger aviation world. A world becoming more focused on charging premium prices for premium experiences. With Spirit Airlines in disarray, Avelo could sweep in and grab part of its market share especially here in the northeast.
As for Avelo’s international flights, only time will tell how successful these routes will be. The airline is targeting markets (New England) that don’t have nonstop flights Jamaica and Mexico.
It’s a small sample area. But a silver bullet is that many of the competing flights at Boston are only offered seasonally. Avelo would be flying these international routes year round.
Avelo can charge prices lower than other airlines at the larger local airports. We’ll have to see if that draws enough people to make this flight profitable for the airline.
Sources
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/avelo-announces-5-new-ct-destinations-4-tweed-19967490.php
