It seems that Avelo Airlines has struck gold with its newest base in the Raleigh-Durham metro area of North Carolina.
The airline startup announced Wednesday that it’ll base a second Boeing 737 aircraft at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), which will allow Avelo to add three new routes.
The three new routes will bring Avelo’s total to 10 markets served by RDU — impressive growth for the carrier that just launched flights there last month.
The full list of RDU destinations now includes:
- New: Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC).
- New: Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT).
- New: Memphis International Airport (MEM).
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).
- Orlando International Airport (MCO).
- Palm Beach International Airport (PBI).
- Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ).
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).
- Tampa International Airport (TPA).
- Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN).
Service to Memphis and Rochester, New York, will begin June 14, while Manchester, New Hampshire, flights will begin June 21. All three new routes will operate on a twice-weekly basis and are available for sale starting Wednesday at AveloAir.com from just $39 each way, excluding add-ons like seat assignments and bags.
In an optimistic statement, Avelo chairman and CEO Andrew Levy shared that “we are very encouraged by the momentum Avelo is experiencing in Raleigh-Durham. We’re just getting started and look forward to inspiring even more travel to and from RDU.”
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Avelo first announced that it’d open a base in Raleigh-Durham last November. The airline has since stationed roughly 50 employees at the airport, including pilots and flight attendants, and plans to hire at least 35 additional employees to support the expanded operation.
The Research Triangle region is seemingly a smart choice for Avelo’s fifth base. While the region is a major population center, it’s not a hub for any airline. Delta Air Lines considers the airport to be a focus city, where it has 30% of the domestic market share.
Without a single dominant airline, the competition at RDU among ultra-low-cost carriers is fierce. Fellow new airline startup Breeze Airways recently announced its own expansion at RDU, with a total of eight routes launching in the coming weeks. Both Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines, two of the largest discount carriers in the country, also operate flights from RDU.
However, Avelo will become the only carrier offering nonstop flights in the three new markets it announced Wednesday, and the carrier is likely hoping that its monopoly will help stimulate traffic.
All told, the additional routes will expand Avelo’s network to 40 U.S. destinations across 23 states.
In addition to RDU, Avelo operates bases at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Wilmington Airport (ILG) in Delaware.