Avelo Airlines' Route Shuffle: What's the Deal with These Cuts and Expansions?

Avelo's East Coast Obsession: Smart Strategy or Slow Suicide?

East Coast or Bust?

So, Avelo Airlines is doubling down on the East Coast, huh? After ditching their West Coast network – Burbank and all – they're going all-in on those secondary East Coast airports. Fine. Okay. But forgive me if I'm not exactly throwing a party over here.

Mike Corcoran, Avelo’s director of network planning, said their "number one inhibitor to growth right now is just the fact that a lot of people don’t know that we actually exist." Okay, fair point. But is plastering the East Coast with more Avelo flights really the answer? It feels... shortsighted.

They're talking about consolidating, focusing on "core bases," and building brand awareness. As if more flights to Wilmington, Delaware, is going to suddenly make everyone forget about American Airlines, Southwest, and the rest of the big boys. Give me a break.

The plan is to use their existing fleet of Boeing 737s to scale these smaller airports, hoping that more destinations from fewer cities will somehow translate into more customers. It's like they're betting the farm on people suddenly developing a burning desire to fly to… where even are Avelo's destinations? Honestly, I couldn't name you five off the top of my head. Is that my fault, or theirs?

The E2 Wildcard

Then there's the Embraer E195-E2. Avelo placed an order for 50 of these bad boys, apparently becoming the first U.S. airline to do so. These planes are supposed to be the game-changer, the key to unlocking Avelo's grand plan to, eventually, return to the West Coast. Delivery starts mid-2027, at a rate of one per month.

That's... a long time to wait for a "savior" aircraft.

Corcoran envisions flying the older 737s to "big Florida markets" where a higher capacity aircraft make sense. I guess that's... smart? Maybe? But what happens when those "big Florida markets" realize they have, ya know, other options?

And they are open to the idea of a dual-class configuration “as our product develops over time.” Translation: "We're not sure what we're doing yet, but we'll figure it out eventually." The airline has identified 20 potential airports where E195-E2s could be based. So, they don't even know where they're going to put these things yet. Fantastic.

The whole thing feels like a house of cards built on cheap flights and a prayer.

Avelo boasts about serving 41 cities spanning 15 states and Puerto Rico, as well as three international destinations. Most routes include at least one small, convenient airport. This makes traveling smoother, easier and more enjoyable than contending with the crowds, congestion and long walks at larger airports. That's the pitch, anyway. But convenience only goes so far if nobody knows you exist, and if your routes are constantly changing.

We also know that Avelo is launching new Chicago, Atlanta and Nashville routes. Avelo Launches New Chicago, Atlanta and Nashville Routes. They'll be the only airline offering nonstop flights on these routes. Avelo will also grow its Central Florida base at Lakeland International Airport (LAL) adding a second aircraft in February 2026. Avelo previously announced a third aircraft at its Philadelphia/Delaware Valley base at Wilmington Airport (ILG) starting March 2026.

$35 Flights: A Band-Aid, Not a Fix

And those $35 flights to Chicago and Nashville from Concord, NC? Sure, they grab headlines. But how many seats are actually available at that price? And what happens when Breeze Airways, or Allegiant, or any other budget carrier decides to undercut them? It's a race to the bottom, and Avelo doesn't exactly look like they're built to win a marathon.

But hey, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Avelo knows something I don't. Maybe they've got some secret sauce that's going to turn them into the next JetBlue.

Offcourse, that seems unlikely.

Avelo's Playing Checkers While Everyone Else Plays Chess