The Patreon website recently reported that Avelo Airlines filled 67% of available seats from Wilmington (ILG) on January flights.
The percentage of filled seats was among the highest among Avelo destinations and was above the airline’s so-so system-wide figure.
Although it has raised introductory fares, Avelo has kept its jets more than half full. The airline offers flash sales with lower ticket prices.
Avelo has reduced the number of seasonal destinations it serves from Wilmington as it works to build brand awareness and expand routes elsewhere. Those moves disappointed local travelers who were happy with twice-weekly flights to destinations like Nashville and Savannah. Greensboro had been on my list as a gateway to Asheville.
Last year, the airline had two jets based here. It now has one. However, no airline in recent memory has served multiple destinations from ILG for this long. Most Florida routes and San Juan, service operated over the winter from ILG.
Nearly a decade ago, Frontier Airlines briefly offered nonstop flights to multiple cities but later reduced them to occasional Orlando flights, later pulling out entirely.
Frontier made a half-hearted attempt at Orlando service years later but flew away again as it built up its hub in Philadelphia. It is now taking on the giant carrier with flights to expensive short-haul destinations from Philly.
Click here for January load factors for all airlines, including Avelo. Avelo is near the bottom of the list and is listed as TEM Enterprises.
UConn’s championship leads to fare promotion
Avelo keeps its planes in the air with team charter flights and sponsorships that include the University of Delaware Blue Hens.
Jets are available since the airline mainly flies two-hour nonstops, often a few times a week.
Avelo scored big this year when the University of Connecticut Huskies won their second NCAA championship in a row and were part of last week’s victory parade.
To mark the occasion, Avelo is offering $32 off on round-trip base fares on all flights between May 1 and June 21 with the promo code “UCONN32” when booking flights at AveloAir.com. You have until 3 a.m. Tuesday to purchase the fare.
The $32 promotion is a tribute to Huskies’ center Donovan Clingan, who wears #32. Sophomore Clingan declared will enter the 2024 NBA draft.
Avelo also flew the University of Iowa’s women’s team to the championship round, where they fell to the University of South Carolina Shown below is their star guard you might have heard about with an Avelo jet as a backdrop. – Doug Rainey
