Those looking for a way back to the Carolinas or Georgia over Thanksgiving or Christmas won’t have the option of flying out of Wilmington.
The reservations page for Avelo Airlines shows that service to Carolina and Georgia airports will end in early November.
“Several routes are seasonal, which means they’ll go on a winter hiatus and return in the spring,” Avelo spokesperson Courtney Goff stated in confirming the seasonal schedule.
According to Goff, the affected destinations include Greenville and Charleston in South Carolina; Savannah, GA; and Wilmington and Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina. So far, things look good, but service resumption will depend on passenger traffic to and from the above cities this summer.
According to its site, Avelo flights to half a dozen Florida destinations are offered through early January. Those airports are Orlando, West Palm Beach, Daytona Beach, Fort Meyers, Fort Lauderdale, and Tampa. West Palm Beach is on a summer break, with flights resuming in early November from ILG.
The music city of Nashville remains on the schedule through early January. Most Avelo flights from ILG are twice weekly, the two exceptions being Tampa and Orlando.
Most, if not all of Avelo’s seasonal destinations are served by other airlines operating out of Philadelphia International Airport, and don’t expect lower holiday fares. For example, a round-trip flight from Philadelphia to Greenville, SC, around the Christmas holiday will cost upwards of $600.
Avelo, which operates 189-passenger Boeing 737 jets, might be unable to fill planes after the peak summer travel period, even with its discounted fares. Moreover, Avelo flights out of Wilmington (ILG) are not listed on third-party search engines like Google Flights, and competitors in Philly might be prone to keep fares down.
The airline has been aided by TV footage and online posts in Philadelphia and Delaware markets.
Meanwhile, Avelo is adding Salem, Oregon, to its route map in October with flights to Los Angeles (Burbank) and Las Vegas, the site of its new base.
Salem shares some similarities with the Delaware airport since it is only 45 miles from Portland, an airport served by most major airlines, including a large bank of flights by Alaska Airlines.
Oregon’s capital city has not seen commercial air service in over a decade and had to upgrade its airport to meet TSA security standards. Airport officials were tight-lipped on the identity of the airline coming to the city. West and East Coast competitor Breeze is also targeting smaller cities.
Salem officials are hoping to see Avelo serve multiple cities.
Working in Salem’s favor is Portland’s status as an expensive airport in terms of fares, as of 2022.
With only 15 jets and bargain fares designed to fill seats, Avelo has to be careful about expansion. There are no immediate plans for transcontinental or Vegas service from the East Coast.
