Avelo officially has a new base, and this time, it’s in a key hub known for its gambling and bright neon lights.
The ultra-low-cost startup officially added Las Vegas as its sixth base Thursday, with the launch of flights from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) to Oregon’s Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM).
Avelo plans to fly five new routes from its newest base. The other four routes will be to Brownsville, Texas; Eureka/Arcata, California; Dubuque, Iowa; and Salem, Oregon. While Avelo already flew between Las Vegas and Santa Rosa, California, it will now double those flights to four days a week.
“We are excited to start the exclusive nonstop access to Vegas that Avelo’s new base will offer our Customers from these six communities, with more to come in the future,” Avelo CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement.
Avelo has been eyeing Las Vegas as a base for a while, given that it’s a popular leisure destination for ultra-low-cost carriers that target leisure travelers. Levy told TPG in a June interview that Las Vegas was a natural step for the carrier.
“Connecting many of our cities that we serve today into Las Vegas is, in our view, a pretty low-risk proposition,” Levy said in June. “It just makes sense.”
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Las Vegas, which has both leisure and business traffic demand, is also a focus city for Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines, among others.
The discount startup has also gained significant momentum in the past year, adding a slate of new routes across the country and in Puerto Rico. However, Levy cautioned that with its new Las Vegas base, Avelo most likely won’t add any long-haul flights to the city. For example, a flight from its biggest East Coast hub in New Haven, Connecticut, to Las Vegas isn’t likely to happen, Levy said in June.
That’s because Avelo’s network primarily consists of shorter flights between smaller cities, many of which have limited to no commercial air service.
Las Vegas is the second base Avelo added in 2023; in February, Avelo made Wilmington, Delaware, a base.
As Avelo expands its presence in Las Vegas, it plans to hire more Las Vegas-based pilots, flight attendants, maintenance technicians and supervisors. The ultra-low-cost startup said it has already hired around 50 crew members and is considering adding another Boeing 737 to the airport in 2024, keeping the option to add more destinations from the base.
“Vegas has something for everyone,” Levy said in a statement, “and Avelo’s affordability, convenience and reliability will make getting to this popular destination easier than ever.”
Here is Avelo’s full schedule of flights from Las Vegas:
- RDM: The first flight takes off Sept. 7, with twice weekly service on Thursdays and Sundays.
- Sonoma County Airport (STS): Avelo’s existing schedule of two weekly flights will increase to four starting Sept. 8 (Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays).
- Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport (BRO): The first flight takes off Sept. 8, with twice weekly service on Mondays and Fridays.
- California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (ACV): The first flight takes off Sept. 8, with twice weekly service on Mondays and Fridays.
- Dubuque Regional Airport (DBQ) in Iowa: The first flight takes off Sept. 13, with twice weekly service on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- Salem Municipal Airport (SLE) in Oregon: The first flight takes off Oct. 5, with twice-weekly service on Thursdays and Sundays.