A New Airline Is Born As Low-Cost Avelo Airlines Takes Flight

[brooklynite]

Forbes

The packed Hollywood Burbank Airport waiting room was filled with people showing old Hollywood-style excitement. In the face of COVID-19 and its impact on travel, Avelo, a brand-new airline, was ready to launch.

Flight 101 of Avelo Airlines, a Boeing 737-800, took off on the morning of April 28 from Burbank (BUR.) It landed about an hour later at Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport (STS) in California wine country. The first new US airline in 15 years had taken flight with paying customers.

The plane was comfortable as were the seats (I’m 6’ 1), with snacks served by Avelo’s attentive flight attendants. The crowd, including a good number of airline hobbyists (affectionately known as ‘avgeeks’) loved the first flight and the enthusiasm from the pilots, flight attendants, employees and Avelo’s founder and CEO Andrew Levy, who was onboard.

Levy is the co-founder and former president of low-cost carrier Allegiant Airlines, and former chief financial officer of United. The new airline was buoyed a reported $125 million in start-up capital from Morgan Stanley’s North Haven Tactical Value fund. The airline has 200 employees and three 737-800 aircraft, with another three on the way.

This is essentially the Ryanair model (regional rather than metropolitan airports and third tier cities, low-cost tickets but no extras).

[mcar]

1. We've flown Allegiant many times

We love the smaller airports and Allegiant flies to places that most other airlines don't (St. Pete, FL to Asheville, NC, for example). Yes, it's budget airline but there aren't many airlines left that don't charge you for everything.

[brush]

2. Wonder how they'll survive not flying to major cities?

[Initech]

3. I'm planning a trip to Phoenix in a few weeks.

And I'm really curious to try their Burbank - Mesa route, even though it's a bit further than Sky Harbor is from where I'm going. The price is right!

Though I may wind up taking a road trip instead.

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

4. Everytime I hear budget airlines I think ValuJet, notorious for lax safety and maintenance cost-cuts