Latest news with #AveloAirlines
Forbes
13 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
A Tale Of Two Airlines: Breeze Airways Scoops Up Routes Dropped By Avelo
Breeze Airways Airbus A220-300 airliner. One low-cost airline's loss is another's gain. It didn't take long for fellow low-fare airline Breeze Airways to snatch up Avelo's abandoned routes from Burbank, CA (BUR).; Arcata, Calif. (ACV); Redmond, OR (RDM).; Eugene, OR (EUG).; and Pasco/Tri-Cities, WA (PSC.) The service from Breeze Airways will arrive in March 2026. On July 15 I received an announcement from Avelo Airlines that the struggling carrier was closing its base at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) later this year. After writing this story about Avelo, July 17 I got an announcement from Breeze Airways that it was launching its West Coast expansion with service to Burbank and four additional new cities. Although its competitor was never mentioned in the release, all five were previous Avelo destinations. The two airlines both launched in the midst of COVID, Avelo in April 2021, Breeze in May of that year. And during the past four years, both have expanded, Avelo from 3 Boeing 737-800s to 21, Breeze to its current 48 aircraft. Breeze has 40 Airbus A220-300 aircraft acquired new, as well as eight older Embraer E-190 aircraft it is planning to trade in next year. But while Avelo is retrenching, Breeze continues to expand. With service to the new destinations to begin in March 2026, Breeze now flies more than 300 routes in 76 cities and 34 states. And while Breeze is a private company, it recently reported its second full quarter of operating profit. 'With an expanded West Coast presence that connects travelers to our broader nationwide network, Breeze's service will bring even more options and convenience to these underserved communities,' said David Neeleman, Breeze Airways' founder and CEO. 'Our continued growth is evidence that our unique form of air travel that combines affordability and ease with high-value options like premium seating and inflight Wi-Fi is not only working, but highly desired by today's travelers.' David Neeleman, Breeze Airways' founder and CEO. Neeleman, an airline veteran, was also a founder ... More and CEO of JetBlue. If you'd like to try what Breeze calls its 'Seriously Nice' service, the time to buy your tickets is now. Breeze is running a No Flex Fare promotion which requires purchasing tickets from July 17, 2025, July 23, 2025 (11:59 pm PT). [All fares are one-way.]The $39 No Flex Fare promotion is available only when booking a new reservation for BUR-PVU, PVU-BUR, BUR-ACV, ACV-BUR, LAS-PVU, and PVU-LAS. The $49 No Flex Fare promotion is available only when booking a new reservation for BUR-RDM, RDM-BUR, LAS-RDM, RDM-LAS, BUR-PSC, PSC-BUR, BUR-EUG, and EUG-BUR. The BUR-PVU and PVU-BUR promotion is valid only for travel from March 11, 2026, through May 12, 2026. The No Flex Fare is the airline's lowest fare. As a low-fare carrier, Breeze charges for services like seat assignment, luggage, food, etc. These can be purchased 'ala carte' or in packages dubbed Nice Nicer and Nicest We spoke to Lukas Johnson, 43, the Chief Commercial Officer of Breeze, about the airline's entrée into the new airports. His official biography notes that 'with 14 years in senior leadership positions at Allegiant Air and Canada Jetlines, he has extensive experience in revenue management and network planning, launching more routes in that time than anyone else in the industry. Johnson says, 'We had no inside knowledge' about Avelo's plans to exit the routes. However, he says, 'It's an interesting time for the space. Domestic hasn't just been struggling this year, but for at least two years.' 'We studied the routes out West, we look for underserved markets, we think we are the best carrier plane and model to pick up service. We're constantly in touch with many of the commercial airports; they were excited to get a long-term carrier.' Passengers sitting in Breeze Ascent, or first class seats on a Breeze Airways Airbus A220-300. Johnson says the airline will continue to use Provo, Utah as its main Western base, flying two to four flights out of Burbank a day. Most of the other destinations will have service two or three times per week. He adds that with its brand-new fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft and offerings like free family seating, fast onboard Wi-Fi and no change and cancel fees, Breeze is 'making it nice to fly affordably'. Unlike many low-cost airlines that offer just one class of service (like Avelo and Southwest) Breeze A220 have 137 seats, including 12 First Class, or "Breeze Ascent.' The lay-flat seat don't have the typical five-X price delta of transcontinental and international carriers. With most flight under three hours, Johnson says fliers can often upgrade for less than $100. Some 45 seats have extra leg room. Families are seated together for no additional seating charge in the family section. Even if I might call it the 'no screaming' section, Johnson says he's flown with his young family very comfortably. 'We consider ourselves a premium 'nice' carrier,' Johnson says. 'The majority of our passengers are leisure travelers, but we also have a lot of small and mid-size business owners getting around the country,' Lukas Johnson, Chief Commercial Officer of Breeze Airways. Breeze flights are all domestic now, but Johnson says the company is planning to add 'near shore' international flights around Christmas. Johnson wouldn't disclose the destinations but think Mexico and/or the Caribbean. The company does have some transcontinental service, with LAX to Hartford, CT, its longest flight. Passengers can book a flight at or download the Breeze Airways app. In June, Breeze ranked #4 among U.S. domestic carriers in on time performance. But like many things in the volatile airline industry, these rankings can change. In 2024, Avelo ranked #1 in this critical category. Even considering the economic headwinds, low-cost carriers like Avelo and Breeze continue to put out a competitive product.
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Travel + Leisure
2 days ago
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
This Budget Airline Is Ending All Flights From the Los Angeles Area
It's the end of an era for a popular low-cost airline. Avelo Airlines will close its base at the Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and end operations in the Los Angeles area, the carrier recently confirmed to Travel + Leisure. Operations will begin to slow down starting Aug. 12 when the airline will reduce to just one aircraft in the market, before completely ending service in Burbank on Dec. 2. 'We believe the continuation of service from BUR in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop,' Avelo Airlines CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement shared with T+L. Prior to this, Avelo had been operating regular flights from Burbank to Sonoma, California, and Eureka, California, the Pasco area in Washington state, and to Oregon (Bend, Eugene, Portland, and Medford), as well as operating seasonal flights to Kalispell, Montana, according to the carrier's route map. Avelo first launched in 2021 with its inaugural flight scheduled out of Burbank. The airline said its plan is to re-base its aircraft to other priority markets, including strengthening its growing East Coast presence. Passengers who have future flights booked on Avelo from Burbank will need to visit the airline's website and cancel their reservations to receive a refund, according to the airline. Located just over 20 miles north of the larger Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Burbank is often viewed as an easier travel option due to the lower frequency of flights and fewer passengers. In 2024, more than 6.55 million passengers passed through Burbank airport, according to airport data, marking a record high and an 8.5 percent increase from 2023. (For comparison, more than 76 million passengers arrived and departed from LAX last year, according to Los Angeles World Airports.) The Burbank airport is popular among other low-cost carriers, including Southwest Airlines, which operates flights from there to Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and other destinations. Additional major air carriers also operate from the airport, including United Airlines (which offers direct service to Denver and San Francisco), and Delta Air Lines (which operates routes to Atlanta and Salt Lake City), among others. Overall, Avelo currently operates a fleet of 21 Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft and flies to more than 50 destinations, including to Jamaica, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Beyond Burbank, the airline has bases in six other airports: Connecticut's Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), Delaware's Wilmington Airport (ILG), Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), Florida's Lakeland International Airport (LAL), Charlotte's Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (USA), and North Carolina's Wilmington International Airport (ILM).
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Fast-Growing Avelo Airlines Cancels Its West Coast Service
Avelo Airlines takes off with first flight between Burbank and Santa Rosa at Hollywood Burbank ... More Airport on April 28, 2021 in Burbank, California. (Photo byfor Avelo Air) Avelo Airlines appears to be in trouble. The four-year-old domestic low-fare airline this week announced it is closing its West Coast base at Burbank Airport (BUR) and will soon be shutting down its West Coast services. It gives me no pleasure to write these words, as I was literally there at the beginning. In April 2021, I was a passenger on Avelo Flight 101, from Burbank to Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Sonoma, California. The crowd loved the first flight to California wine company, and the enthusiasm from the pilots, flight attendants, employees and Avelo's founder and CEO Andrew Levy, who was onboard. The start-up was the first new airline in the United States in 15 years. Avelo began with three used Boeing 737-800 aircraft; today it has 21. Until now, Avelo's startup story was inspirational. That first flight on April 28, 2021, was deep within the COVID-19 pandemic that pounded the airline industry. To launch the new carrier, Avelo employees worked remotely from Florida, Texas, California, New York, and other locations via Microsoft Teams. Many did have years of airline experience, like CEO Andrew Levy, co-founder and former president of low-cost carrier Allegiant Airlines, and former chief financial officer of United. But many others were new to the airline industry. To train dozens of new flight attendants in safety and other critical on-board skills, Avelo created NBA-like COVID-free 'bubbles' so each new class could be quarantined together. Avelo Airlines takes off with first flight between Burbank and Santa Rosa at Hollywood Burbank ... More Airport on April 28, 2021 in Burbank, California. (Photo byfor Avelo Air) Why launch during a pandemic? At the time, CEO Levy said, 'Demand is coming back quickly.' And according to a July 9, 2025, Avelo press release, 'Avelo has flown more than 7.4 million Customers on nearly 60,000 flights. Today Avelo serves 53 cities spanning 21 states and Puerto Rico, as well as three international destinations: Jamaica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.' Avelo recently announced it is extending its East Coast flight schedule through mid-February 2026, with one way-fares starting at $37. But this week CEO Levy announced, 'Avelo is closing its base at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) later this year. On August 12, 2025, we will reduce our BUR operation to one aircraft before exiting the remaining aircraft on December 2, 2025, and closing the base. 'This was not an easy decision. Our company's deepest operational roots are in BUR, having launched our first flight there over four years ago during the COVID pandemic. There is rarely one singular reason why decisions like this are made, and this one is no different. We believe the continuation of service from BUR in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop. We intend to redeploy these BUR aircraft to business areas where we see more efficient longer-term growth prospects, while also building depth and breadth to our East Coast operation.' Andrew Levy, chairman and chief executive officer of Avelo Airlines, waves as he boards the ... More inaugural flight of Avelo Airlines from Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) to Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa (STS) on April 28, 2021 in Burbank, California. - Avelo Airlines begins low-cost carrier service with a fleet of Boeing Co. 737 aircraft as leisure travel resumes after the Covid-19 pandemic stunned the global airline industry. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) Levy, who was not available for an interview, concluded, 'We appreciate our Crewmembers in California for their hard work and dedication, and all will be given the opportunity to transfer to another Avelo base. We are deeply grateful for the support from the local community and from our business partners. Customers who have flights booked can visit the Manage Trips section of our website to cancel their flight and receive a refund.' Avelo added 17% additional capacity in 2025. Unfortunately, in 2025 domestic leisure air travel demand has dropped, with fares cut, flights cut, and now airlines like Avelo cutting service. As David Neeleman, CEO of competitive low-cost carrier Breeze Airways, said in March "Your first needs are food and shelter. And then we're a little bit down the list of expenditures. If you don't have a job, you're not going to go buy an airline ticket." Credit and debit card spending on airline purchases fell 7.2% in February 2025, while the stocks of many publicly traded US airlines (Avelo is private) fell. American Airlines is down 29%, UAL is down 9%, and Delta is down 8%. Still, such well-established carriers have significant cash reserves and can even go to the bond market to raise money. But according to Cranky Flier Avelo Airlines had just $23 million in cash and short-term investments at the end of 2024. As the publication noted, 'With demand tanking, you have to be very concerned about the future of your business if you're running Avelo.' Avelo's financial problems led to what proved a controversial move by the airline. It accepted government contracts with ICE to fly deportation flights for undocumented migrants. Student Camila Torres joins with well over 150 other residents to protest Avelo Airlines at Tweed ... More New Haven Regional Airport in New Haven, Conn., on Friday April 17, 2025. Avelo is contracted with ICE to carry out Trump Administration deportation flights. (Christian Abraham/Connecticut Post via Getty Images) The backlash against the flights, which began out of Mesa, Arizona, in May, was fierce. More than 19,000 people in Connecticut signed a petition pledging not to fly Avelo, while local officials threatened to revoke financial incentives provided to the airline. A New Hampshire state representative raised money to put up billboards reading 'Does your vacation support their deportation?' which devolved into a court battle. Even the New York Times attacked the beleagured airline for 'aiding Trump's deportation campaign,' helpfully pointing out that Avelo serves 'liberal cities on the coasts.' Has the low-cost airline built enough good will with its low-cost flight to popular destinations to survive these financial and reputational reverses? As a paying customer on flights to wine country, I will certainly miss Avelo's on-time service out of Burbank. But refocusing on the denser Eastern seaboard routes, including its popular Florida flights, may be enough to keep this low-cost contender going. Orlando, Florida USA Avelo Airlines, Boeing 737-800 aircraft, taxiing to the gate, after arriving ... More from Wilmington, Delaware.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Avelo says decision to end West Coast flights not tied to work for ICE
Avelo Airlines is ceasing all operations on the West Coast, including its hub in Burbank, California, it confirmed in a statement. The ultra-low-fare carrier will start pulling commercial passenger flights out of 10 cities as early as next month. In a statement, the Houston-based airline said departing the West Coast 'was not an easy decision' and there was no singular reason for cutting the 10 routes, shrinking its map to 41 destinations.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Budget airline that took ICE deportation flight contract shuts down West Coast operations
A budget airline that contracted with ICE to launch deportation flights has shut down its West Coast operations, citing financial difficulties. Avelo Airlines, which sparked controversy and boycotts of its service earlier this year over the agreement, will end flights in California, Oregon, Washington and Montana, with some services stopping as soon as August. 'Avelo Airlines will be ending service from several West Coast airports next month and later this year,' CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement, shared with various outlets. 'This includes our original base at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR).' Some flights will end starting from August 10, with others, including those to Eugene, Oregon, and Burbank, California, ending at the beginning of December. Levy added that the company plans to focus on its East Coast operations. 'There is rarely one singular reason why decisions like this are made, and this one is no different,' he said. 'We believe the continuation of service from [Burbank] in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop.' The Independent has reached out to the airline for more information about the affected routes. Avelo received backlash in May after it launched federal deportation flights from Arizona, with three Boeing 737 -800s being chartered for deportation flights from Mesa Gateway Airport near Phoenix. At the time, the move drew sharp criticism, including from the union representing its flight attendants, and sparked an online petition calling for a boycott of the airline. 'We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic," Levy said in a statement at the time. Avelo was launched in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, following a rebrand – having previously operated as Casino Express Airlines. The airline generally operates older, more affordable Boeing 737 jets and utilizes less congested, cost-effective secondary airports. The airline focuses on routes overlooked by larger carriers and reported its first profitable quarter in late 2023.
