Latest news with #HollywoodBurbankAirport
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Budget airline shuts down operations across West Coast
Californians will soon have one less flight option. Avelo Airlines, the Texas-based budget carrier known for its sub-$30 fares and West Coast roots, is pulling out of California. Its decision comes amid mounting backlash over its cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security and increasing business pressure in the region. The company announced Monday that it will shutter its base at Hollywood Burbank Airport and shift focus to its 38 other destinations, largely concentrated on the East Coast. 'We are in the planning phases of relocating the three planes to the East Coast, so [these are] only positive outcomes for our East Coast airports,' Avelo added. Before the decision, Avelo flew into 10 cities on the West Coast. Budget fliers could connect to destinations spanning the region — including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Portland, and Kalispell, Montana. Those services will end by December 2, 2025. It's a major retreat from the first airport the company ever served. Avelo's inaugural flight departed Burbank and flew to Northern California in 2021. 'This was not an easy decision,' the company's top boss, Andrew Levy, said in a statement. 'Our company's deepest operational roots are in BUR, having launched our first flight there over four years ago during the Covid pandemic. ' But the company said those roots weren't deep enough to weather the region's competitive pressures. The spokesperson said executives made an 'investment of significant time, resources, and efforts' to make the West Coast routes work, but the venture did not produce 'the results necessary to continue our presence there.' Avelo plans to redeploy its California aircraft to the East Coast, where it sees 'more efficient longer-term growth prospects,' Levy said. The decision to shutter California operations also comes as the company faces mounting criticism. Avelo is under fire from activists and consumers calling for a boycott over its cooperation with the Trump administration on deportation flights. The airliner signed a contract with the US Department of Homeland Security in April to transport migrants to detention centers inside and outside the US. It maintains that protests had no influence on the decision to leave California. 'Protests nor our contract with DHS had any effect on our decision and have not impacted our business,' a spokesperson for the company told Opposition has cropped up across the country — from outside Burbank Airport to the company's hub in New Haven, Connecticut — with demonstrators urging Avelo to end its partnership with DHS. Nancy Klein, a California-native, told Reuters she had organized seven protests against the company. She believes the company's decision to end their service at the airport is partially due their calls to boycott the airline. 'This change in Avelo's business operations is some evidence that being on the right side of history, while being principled and persistent, can make a difference,' she said in a statement. Klein said she is planning the next protest against the carrier at Burbank Airport on July 27.
Skift
18 hours ago
- Business
- Skift
Avelo to Shut Down West Coast Operations, Says ICE-Flights Backlash Not a Factor
Avelo said leaving Burbank was unrelated to its controversial contract with ICE. Backlash against the contract nor the contract itself has impacted Avelo's business, the carrier said. Avelo Airlines, which recently sparked controversy for its decision to fly deportation flights for ICE, is shutting down operations out of Hollywood Burbank Airport — one of its major bases. The ultra-low-cost startup carrier said it would reduce operations at Burbank to just one aircraft before fully exiting the airport on December 2. Avelo said part of the reason for shuttering its Burbank operations was that it could not see a path forward at the airport. 'We believe the continuation service from BUR in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop,' Avelo said. 'Despite the investm
The Hill
21 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Low-cost airline shutting down entire West Coast operations
(KTLA) – One of Hollywood Burbank Airport's major airline partners is set for departure. On Monday, budget airline Avelo announced it would be shuttering its Southern California base, moving its planes to various hubs across the country and offering its California-based staff the opportunity to transfer elsewhere. For more than four years, Avelo has been operating out of the Burbank airport, establishing it as its West Coast base. The airline launched under its current brand name during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, a move that was deemed risky at the time by some industry analysts. The ultra-low-cost carrier quickly expanded operations in Burbank, adding flights to various parts of Northern California, Oregon and, briefly, Montana. In 2023, the airline celebrated flying its 1 millionth passenger, and even described its Burbank flights as being among its most successful offerings, accounting for one-third of its total customers at the time. But airline officials say the company has been hit hard with new financial challenges that have made it increasingly difficult to provide service to its West Coast destinations. On Monday, CEO Andrew Levy confirmed that Avelo would be reducing its number of planes flying out of Los Angeles County to one by mid-August, before shutting the base down entirely on Dec. 2, 2025. That closure will coincide with Avelo ceasing all West Coast operations, company officials confirmed. Levy described the decision as a difficult one, adding that there's no singular reason for Avelo ceasing operations with one of its longest airport partners. 'We believe the continuation of service from [Hollywood Burbank Airport] in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop,' he said. Avelo will relocate its current Burbank fleet to different locations where Levy says the company sees more 'efficient longer-term growth prospects,' as it attempts to build out its East Coast operation. All California-based employees will be given the opportunity to transfer to another Avelo base, Levy said, all of which are on the Eastern Seaboard, including Hartford, Connecticut; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Wilmington, Delaware. Passengers with existing flights can cancel their trips online and receive a refund. India orders airlines to inspect certain Boeing models after Air India crash In addition to flying ticket-purchasing passengers out of Los Angeles County, Avelo also received backlash and calls for boycott after it was announced that the airline had partnered with the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide charter flights to assist with its deportation efforts. Those flights were specifically operated out of the Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona, but a push for a company boycott was widespread on social media. A spokesperson for the company denied that the decision to close its Burbank base was related to its charter program in Arizona, and said the company had invested 'significant time, resources and efforts' that have not produced 'results necessary' to continue its West Coast presence.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Major airline partner shutting down base at Burbank airport
One of Hollywood Burbank Airport's major airline partners is set for departure. On Monday, budget airline Avelo announced it would be shuttering its Southern California base, moving its planes to various hubs across the country and offering its California-based staff the opportunity to transfer elsewhere. For more than four years, Avelo has been operating out of the Burbank airport, establishing it as its west coast base. The airline launched under its current brand name during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, a move that was deemed risky at the time by some industry analysts. The ultra-low-cost carrier quickly expanded operations in Burbank, adding flights to various parts of Northern California, Oregon and, briefly, Montana. In 2023, the airline celebrated flying its 1 millionth passenger, and even described its Burbank flights as being among its most successful offerings, accounting for one-third of its total customers at the time. But airline officials say the company has been hit hard with new financial challenges that have made it increasingly difficult to provide service to its West Coast destinations. On Monday, CEO Andrew Levy confirmed that Avelo would be reducing its number of planes flying out of Los Angeles County to one by mid-August, before shutting the base down entirely on Dec. 2, 2025. That closure will coincide with Avelo ceasing all West Coast operations, company officials confirmed. Levy described the decision as a difficult one, adding that there's no singular reason for Avelo ceasing operations with one of its longest airport partners. 'We believe the continuation of service from [Hollywood Burbank Airport] in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop,' he said. Avelo will relocate its current Burbank fleet to different locations where Levy says the company sees more 'efficient longer-term growth prospects,' as it attempts to build out its East Coast operation. All California-based employees will be given the opportunity to transfer to another Avelo base, Levy said, all of which are on the Eastern Seaboard, including Hartford, Connecticut; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Wilmington, Delaware. Passengers with existing flights can cancel their trips online and receive a refund. In addition to flying ticket-purchasing passengers out of Los Angeles County, Avelo also received backlash and calls for boycott after it was announced the airline had partnered with the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide charter flights to assist with its deportation efforts. Those flights were specifically operated out of the Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona, but a push for a company boycott was widespread on social media. A spokesperson for the company denied that the decision was related to its charter program in Arizona, and said the company had invested 'significant time, resources and efforts,' that have not produced 'results necessary' to continue its West Coast presence. Request for comment from the Hollywood Burbank Airport regarding the news was directed back to Avelo. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
Avelo Airlines to stop flights out of Hollywood Burbank Airport
Beginning next month, Avelo Airlines will start closing its hub at Hollywood Burbank Airport before eventually ceasing its Southern California operations by the end of the year. "This was not an easy decision," Avelo wrote in a statement. "Our company's deepest operational roots are in BUR, having launched our first flight there over four years ago during the COVID pandemic." On Aug. 12, Avelo will only have one aircraft operating out of Burbank before closing its only base on the West Coast on Dec. 2. The budget airliner plans to move the jets to other hubs. "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 wrote in a statement. "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." Avelo offers flights across the U.S. and to international destinations including the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico. It operates out of eight hubs across the U.S., flying out of airports in North Carolina, Florida, Connecticut and New Hampshire. The airline said employees in California will be given the opportunity to transfer to another base. Customers can receive a refund for booked flights by visiting the "Manage Trips" section of Avelo's website.
