Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Avelo Airlines is making bold moves this May as it returns to the global aviation stage at Chicago O’Hare International Airport—one of the world’s busiest hubs—after a nearly three-decade absence. Simultaneously, the low-cost carrier marks its first-ever entry into New England with new flights to Portland, Maine. Complementing these milestones, Avelo has also launched fresh service to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Long Island, New York, expanding its national footprint to forty-nine destinations and reinforcing its strategy of connecting underserved airports with direct, affordable routes.
Avelo Adds Long Island MacArthur to its New York Roster
May 22 saw Avelo open operations at Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), launching flights from Concord-Padgett Regional Airport in North Carolina. Using Boeing 737-700 aircraft, this new connection is now served twice a week. In June, Avelo will expand Long Island connectivity with two more routes: Islip to Wilmington (North Carolina) and Islip to Lakeland (Florida)—both operated with the larger Boeing 737-800. Long Island marks Avelo’s third destination in New York State, joining Albany and Rochester. The airline previously operated in Binghamton before suspending service in August 2024.
Grand Rapids Gains Direct Flights from Raleigh/Durham
Rounding out Avelo’s May network additions is Grand Rapids, which welcomed its first Avelo flight on May 23. The new route connects Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) with Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and operates twice weekly on Boeing 737-700s. A second route from GRR—to Lakeland, Florida—is scheduled to commence in June with 737-800 aircraft. This expansion gives Michigan residents new nonstop access to the southeastern United States and positions GRR as a key midwestern node in Avelo’s expanding grid.
Network Snapshot: Forty-Nine Airports and Counting
With the addition of these four airports, Avelo’s scheduled service now spans forty-nine U.S. airports as of May. This includes both year-round destinations and seasonal markets like Destin–Fort Walton Beach, which resumed flights on May 1, and Knoxville, which followed on May 2. Though these seasonal resumptions are excluded from the new additions, they contribute to the airline’s broader summer schedule.
Top Airports by Weekly Departures (May 25–31)
Based on the airline’s published schedule for the last week of May, Tweed New Haven remains the dominant hub in Avelo’s network, accounting for nearly one-quarter of all scheduled flights. During this period, Avelo is set to operate approximately 390 departures network-wide. Only airports with at least twelve weekly flights are included in the summary.
| Airport | Departures (May 25–31) | Avelo Share of Flights | Active Routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tweed New Haven (HVN) | 90 | 80.4% | 28 |
| Wilmington (Delaware) | 24 | 100% | 12 |
| Burbank (California) | 23 | 3.6% | 7 |
| Wilmington (North Carolina) | 21 | 9.0% | 9 |
| Raleigh/Durham (North Carolina) | 20 | 1.4% | 9 |
| Nashville (Tennessee) | 12 | 0.5% | 5 |
| Orlando International | 12 | 0.3% | 3 |
| Santa Rosa (California) | 12 | 10.3% | 4 |
West Coast Base Shrinks as Focus Shifts East
Burbank, once the beating heart of Avelo’s West Coast operations, has seen a noticeable contraction. The California hub now operates seven routes—down from a dozen in the same week last year—and its weekly departures have declined from forty to twenty-three. The routes currently active from Burbank include Eugene, Arcata/Eureka, Medford, Redmond, Salem, Santa Rosa, and Tri-Cities. With this network shrinkage, Burbank has dropped from Avelo’s second-busiest to third in the system.
Santa Rosa, which previously served as a second West Coast base, was closed after half of Avelo’s ten lowest load factor routes in 2024 originated there. This realignment underscores the airline’s renewed focus on higher-performing routes in the East and Southeast regions.
Conclusion: Avelo’s Growth Stays Focused and Opportunistic
Avelo’s May 2025 expansion reinforces the airline’s strategic blueprint—targeting secondary airports, introducing underserved city pairs, and leaning into East Coast demand. By launching service at high-traffic and new frontier airports like Chicago O’Hare and Portland, Avelo isn’t just expanding geographically—it’s also testing the waters of bigger aviation markets while maintaining the lean, efficient model that defines its operations.
With forty-nine airports now in its portfolio, Avelo continues to scale responsibly, adapt dynamically, and bring affordable, direct flights to passengers who often lack nonstop options. As the summer travel season kicks off, these additions set the stage for even broader growth in the months to come.
