Avelo Airlines is tweaking its schedule while preparing to launch service to eight additional cities from Wilmington (ILG) beginning next week.
West Palm Beach service is gone as of early July but is expected to return. Flights to Tampa, Fort Meyers, and Fort Lauderdale remain on the schedule. Demand for service to Orlando has been strong enough to allow for four weekly flights this summer to the home of Universal and Disney, up from three.
As noted earlier, previously announced flights to Melbourne, FL on the Space Coast are no longer on the Wilmington schedule.
Avelo operates larger Boeing 737 jets, while rivals on some routes use more cramped regional jets.
Expect continuing adjustments as Avelo works to fill the two jets that will be based out of the Delaware airport.
Avelo’s posted flight schedule only runs through the end of October, and it will be interesting to see if some or all of the new destinations work out. The new cities are Daytona Beach, FL; Nashville, TN; Savannah, GA; Myrtle Beach, Greenville and Charleston, SC; and Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington, NC. Flights are typically twice weekly and are geared for long weekends.
Wilmington is one of the focus airports for Avelo. The others are New Haven, CT; Raleigh Durham, Orlando and Burbank, CA.
Despite operating on the East and West coasts, Avelo has no plans for transcontinental flights that tie up aircraft and lead to head-to-head matchups with the big guys.
Avelo’s gets decent customer ratings
Customer ratings on Avelo are hard to find due to the airline’s size.
Consumer Reports did come out with a rating of all airlines, with Avelo ending up in the middle of the pack, just below Southwest Airlines.
Hawaiian and Alaska Airlines ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively. American was the lowest-rated major airline, with low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines dead last, just below Spirit. Breeze Airways, a new carrier, which like Avelo, focuses on smaller airports, finished in third place.
The rankings of 13 airlines were based on responses from 15,000 Consumer Reports members. Regional carriers owned or allied with major carriers were not listed.
Avelo got good marks for cabin cleanliness, check-in, and service from staff and did not receive low marks in any category.
Frontier offers discounts on fare bundle.
Low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines launched an option that upgrades passengers to full service for $100 one way. The bundle is available after purchasing the base fare.
The special limited-time price is for “The Works” bundle and includes a carry-on bag, checked bag, seat selection, priority boarding, refundability, and free flight changes.
Also included is a guarantee that overhead bin space will be available for customers’ carry-on bags. The Works is in addition to the purchase of airfare, plus taxes and fees.
Frontier, like Avelo, typically offers low base fares with separate fees for luggage, seat selection, etc.
Frontier also offers The Perks bundle for a limited time at $69 per passenger per direction. The Perks includes all the features of The Works other than refundability and free flight changes. The limited-time pricing for both bundles is available through June 19.
The specials also take aim at basic economy fares charged by airlines like American that charge for luggage in overhead bins. That can sharply increase fares already on the hefty side, especially for family travelers.
Frontier is also dealing with low marks from customers. (See post above).
Frontier is the second largest carrier operating out of Philadelphia.
