Summary
- Avelo Airlines to restart Wisconsin-Orlando flights in June with a new schedule and earlier timings.
- Temporary pause strategic around school break, airline aims to fill planes efficiently.
- Tickets now on sale starting at $84 for flights operated by all-economy Boeing 737NG fleet.
Avelo Airlines has announced it will resume flights between Wisconsin and Orlando this summer following a brief hiatus starting in late April. The carrier will operate two weekly services on a new schedule starting in early June.
Avelo will resume Wisconsin-Orlando in June
The ultra-low-cost carrier will pause flights between Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA) and Orlando International Airport (MCO) for over five weeks, halting services from April 28th until restarting on June 5th. A representative from Avelo Airlines has stated that the airline plans to keep the route on its new schedule until the end of the year.
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock
When flights resume in early June, Avelo will switch to a new schedule which will now operate on Wednesday and Saturday, shifting a day earlier from its current Thursday and Sunday frequencies. The timings will also be a lot earlier, with the outbound flight from Wisconsin departing at 06:30 instead of the current afternoon departure. The full schedule is as follows:
Avelo Airlines Head of Commercial, Trevor Yealy, said,
“We’re excited to provide summer flights between Central Wisconsin and Orlando. Whether enjoying a vacation or visiting friends and relatives, getting to Central Florida is easier than ever.”
Orlando is Avelo’s sole connection with Central Wisconsin Airport, a route it launched in October 2023. The small Wisconsin airport also benefits from regular commercial service with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which operate year-round direct flights to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Minneapolis-St Paul (MSP), respectively.
A “strategic” pause
As reported by WXPR, CWA Airport Director Brian Grefe said the temporary suspension of services is a strategic decision, as Avelo would struggle to fill up planes to Orlando in the period before the school summer break. Much of the traffic on this route revolves around Orlando’s reputation as “The Theme Park Capital of the World,” home to no less than 18 major theme parks.
Grefe commented,
“Typically there isn’t as much travel to Orlando just before school gets out. So rather than eat up the minimum revenue guarantee, which we have with them as a new carrier, we said let’s pause, and come back flying when we know we can fill those planes up.”
Grefe noted that Avelo has proven to be a popular airline at CWA, with its load factors growing month-to-month. The airport hopes Avelo will launch a second connection in due time, with Las Vegas touted as a prospective destination, particularly since Avelo set up a new base in Vegas last September.
Fares on sale
Tickets for flights are now available, with introductory one-way fares starting at $84. Flights will be operated by the airline’s all-economy Boeing 737NG fleet.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
Avelo now flies to 50 destinations and has served over 4.2 million passengers since its launch less than three years ago in April 2021. While it hasn’t run an annual profit just yet (as is normal for airlines in their early years), the airline is on track to break even sooner than estimated and even recorded its first-ever profitable quarter in Q4 2023. It has developed a reputation for punctuality and reliability, achieving the lowest cancelation rate of any US carrier in 2023 and the second-best on-time performance (OTP).
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