New Airline, Avelo, Adds Non-Stop Flights to Key West
Key West International Airport is set to welcome its newest airline, Avelo Airlines, on November 19th. This will add to the island’s growing air service options, making it the 24th non-stop destination from the airport. Avelo’s arrival is a win for travelers looking for direct flights, avoiding the hassle of connecting flights.
Avelo will operate twice-weekly flights from Tweed-New Haven Airport in southern Connecticut, with fares starting at $77 one-way. Similar to other low-cost carriers such as Spirit and Allegiant, Avelo offers an à la carte experience, where passengers can pay for additional amenities such as baggage, seat assignments, and extra legroom.
The airline’s main base in New Haven attracts travelers from Westchester County, New York, Hartford, and across Southern New England. Avelo’s network covers 50 cities in 20 states, Puerto Rico, and three international destinations. Their fleet consists of Boeing Next-Generation 737-700s in two all-economy configurations, with all routes operating point-to-point, bypassing the traditional hub-and-spoke model. The experience is similar to Allegiant, with fewer frills available for purchase.
Avelo takes pride in its industry-leading reliability, ranking #1 in on-time performance and having the lowest flight cancellation rate in the U. S. airline industry, according to a respected industry data source.
However, the airline has faced challenges in the crowded low-cost airline sector, where rising costs and competition from major airlines are affecting profits. In April 2021, Avelo debuted but has recently announced the closure of its original Burbank, California hub and all West Coast operations to free up aircraft for new destinations such as Key West.
Avelo has also faced controversy due to its long-term contract with U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with three of its aircraft dedicated to transporting detainees. This decision has sparked protests and political condemnation in liberal-leaning New Haven, with some even calling for a boycott of the airline. Despite the backlash, Avelo CEO Andrew Levy defends the decision, stating that it will provide financial stability to expand passenger service and keep their crew employed.
Spirit Airlines, another low-cost carrier, also recently announced its entry into the Key West market, stepping in to replace Silver Airways, which stopped its non-stop service to Ft. Lauderdale in early June. Spirit will operate four weekly flights, with plans to ramp up to daily service on December 18th. From Fort Lauderdale, passengers can access Spirit’s full network of one-stop connections nationwide, as well as to the Caribbean and Latin America.
Spirit will operate Airbus A320neo family aircraft, making it the largest regularly scheduled jet to serve Key West.