Avelo Airlines is a relatively new ultra-cost carrier found in the United States. Its unique selling proposition is very low ticket prices and flying to destinations outside of major airports to facilitate the ease of service for its passengers.
They are currently operating a fleet of 16 Boeing 737s that handle flights for the airline. As the airline continues to grow, it is to be seen if they will continue to fly exclusively Boeing 737s.
In this guide, we’ll examine how Avelo received its Boeing 737s, the difference between the 737 variants, the routes flown, and what passengers have said about Avelo’s flight experience.
How Did Avelo Airlines Acquire Their Boeing 737s?
In 2021, when Avelo Airlines announced its intention to become an ultra-low-cost carrier in the United States, they mentioned that they would be using Boeing 737-800s for their first initial flights out of Burbank, California. Avelo had plans to acquire three of these aircraft types expanding to six by the end of 2021.
These 737-800’s came from a multitude of airlines all across the world. Their first three 737-800s once had served airlines in Egypt, Ireland, Netherlands, Turkey, and Japan. They were flown by prominent airlines like TUI Fly Netherlands and Turkish Airways.
Avelo’s Fleet Expansion Since Initial Purchase
Since that initial announcement in 2021, Avelo has onboarded an additional 13 aircraft. They’ve added six more Boeing 737-800s and seven Boeing 737-700s.
These new aircraft also had lengthy service within the United States, Brazil, Mexico, India, and Ireland. The majority of the aircraft spent time in Southwest Airline’s fleet at one point. However, some of the airframes had preexisting services with Gol Airlines, Aeromexico, and Jet Airways.
The average age of the aircraft in Avelo’s fleet as of October 2023 is 14.9 years old. It should be known that the airline is operating some of the oldest Boeing 737s in the United States.
It’ll be interesting to see as the Avelo continues to grow whether they expand into the next generation of Boeing 737s.
They can probably take a page out of Frontier’s book of operating some of the youngest aircraft in the country keeping maintenance costs down which helps the overall ticket prices.
What is the difference between Avelo’s 737-700 and 737-800?
Aircraft Configuration
From the outside, the first difference you’ll notice between Avelo’s 737-700 and 737-800 is the length of each aircraft. The 737-800 is a few feet longer than the 737-700. The reason is because the 800 variant holds about 40 more seats than the 700. Avelo Airlines’s 737-700 flights can only fit 149 passengers compared to the 737-800 which can accommodate upwards to 189 passengers.
Besides the length of the aircraft, there isn’t much difference between these two variants.
Performance
However, when you look at performance, both aircraft are quite different.
To accommodate for the extra weight of carrying more passengers, bags, and seats, the Boeing 737-800 needs larger, more powerful engines. Even with the boost in power, the Boeing 737-800 slightly underperforms when looking at takeoff roll lengths and flight range.
The 800 needs slightly more runway to take off compared to the 700. The max distance the 737-800 can fly is 2935 miles, which is a bit less than the 700 which can fly over 3,000 miles without stopping for gas.
What routes does Avelo Airlines Use Its 737s?
As Avelo Airlines does not operate any other aircraft type, the Boeing 737 is the backbone of the airline’s fleet. In this analysis, we took a look at several of the routes we observed the airline flying and broke them out based on which variant of the Boeing 737 was flying.
| Destination A | Destination B | Aircraft Type |
| New Haven | Fort Lauderdale | Boeing 737-700 |
| New Haven | Tampa | Boeing 737-700 |
| New Haven | Daytona | Boeing 737-700 |
| New Haven | Wilmington | Boeing 737-700 |
| New Haven | Southwest Florida | Boeing 737-700 |
| New Haven | Spartenburg | Boeing 737-800 |
| New Haven | Nashville | Boeing 737-800 |
| Burbank | Sonoma County | Boeing 737-700 |
| Burbank | Eugene | Boeing 737-700 |
| Orlando | Kalamazoo | Boeing 737-800 |
| Orlando | Brownsville | Boeing 737-800 |
| Orlando | Tulsa | Boeing 737-800 |
| Orlando | Binghampton | Boeing 737-800 |
| New Castle | Nashville | Boeing 737-800 |
| New Castle | Fort Lauderdale | Boeing 737-800 |
| New Castle | Tampa | Boeing 737-800 |
| Raleigh-Durham | Manchester | Boeing 737-800 |
| Raleigh-Durham | Tampa | Boeing 737-800 |
| Raleigh-Durham | Southwest Florida | Boeing 737-800 |
| Las Vegas | Brownsville | Boeing 737-700 |
| Sonoma Country | Redman | Boeing 737-700 |
What Amenities come with the Avelo’s Boeing 737s?
In commonality with most ultra lost cost airlines, Avelo Airlines does not provide many amenities on its flights. Carry-on luggage and extra bags have significant extra costs to get travelers to leave them at home.
There aren’t any in-flight entertainment systems. The only real amenity that you receive complimentary with your flight is a bottle of water.
Seating on Avelo Airlines Boeing 737s
The seating on Avelo flights is the basic economy. You can’t expect much leeway on an ultra-low-cost airline. The seat width is about 17 inches which is not a ton of room by any stretch. Avelo states that if you need more room, you need to purchase an additional seat.
The airline does offer seat upgrades. There are options for passengers to purchase seats with more legroom than the standard economy seat. Exit row seats are more expensive because they offer the most additional legroom, nearly 8+ inches. There are also seating options with more legroom of 2 and 5 inches.
There are many complaints about the seating on board Avelo’s 737s fleet. You have to remember that Avelo is a no-frill airline. Their job is to get you from destination A to destination B for as cheap as possible.
Reviews of Avelo Airlines Boeing 737 Flight Experience
The reviews of Avelo Airlines’s Boeing 737 service have been mixed. That is expected since Avelo is an ultra-low-cost carrier.
Much of the time, passengers book a flight on these ultra-low-cost airlines expecting white glove service like you would on a Delta or United premium service flight. But the point of ultra-low-cost travel is to remove most of the frills associated with the trip to keep the ticket costs affordable.
Major Complaint of Uncomfortable Seats
In several of the reviews we researched, there was a unified complaint about how small the seats are. But outside of the negative reviews of the way the airline operates, there were several that saw the silver lining and understood the essence of ultra-low-cost airlines. They concluded that Avelo Airlines got them from destination A to destination B at a low price and that was more than enough for them to rate the overall experience as pleasant.
Customers Like That the Airline Doesn’t Fly to Many Major Airports
One other positive notion about the airline service was how the airline flies to destinations without major airports. In several cases, Avelo saved its passengers time from having to drive long distances to reach a major airport. All the passengers had to do was visit their local airport that Avelo services and they were off to their next destination.
What Passengers Are Saying About Avelo Airlines
See below for reviews about Avelo’s Airlines 737 flight experience.
“An excellent experience. Cost was excellent, even the extra charges, if needed were very reasonable. Friendly and attentive staff, efficient and safe operation. No long lines, TSA at these smaller airports is very efficient and fast. Seats are standard for the Boeing 737 series. the flights are short, so just enjoy the convenience and the savings. Will use Avelo again when the need arises.”
Airline Quality
“I flew from RDU to Manchester NH with my 2 kids. Both flights left on time. boarding was the same as any flight. they don’t serve any food or drink so plan ahead and buy something if you need it. my son threw up on one flight. the flight attendants were amazingly helpful and kind. Bags, seats and other things are add ins but it is still more affordable than regular airline like JetBlue.
I didn’t notice the seats were more or less cramped. they weren’t uncomfortable. there were lots of kids likely bc it’s more affordable. they don’t have a huge selection of flight times or dates but if you work around it, it’s well worth the savings. and- they fly into NH as opposed to Boston which is much closer to where I’m going. It’s usually too expensive to fly into NH so this was great. I will definitely fly Avelo again!“
Yelp
“I had a good experience. I packed only a backpack, brought my own snacks and water bottle and had a pretty flexible schedule. I would absolutely not use this airline if I was attending a wedding or trying to make a cruise sailing because the flight schedule is so limited. But for a cheap way to get from A to B, it was a nice option.”
Reddit
“I flew from Tweed to Sarasota and it was fine, but the seats are extremely small. We were able to get everything we needed into a couple backpacks so we didn’t have to pay extra to stow a carry on in the overhead bin or check anything. I would use them again as long as the prices stay low.“
