Wilmington Airport, graced by Avelo Airlines’ purple wing tips, has a deeper catalog of destinations and flight options today than at any point in the past decade.
The airline’s early success — Avelo took off from Delaware for the first time in February — is the result of careful planning, intentional marketing and an emphasis on service, according to airline and airport officials. Avelo is far from the first to try flights from Wilmington Airport and position itself as a convenient alternative to the labyrinths of the Philadelphia and Baltimore airports. But it has so far displayed more staying power than its predecessors.
In what’s becoming a routine, state and county officials stood shoulder to shoulder in a tent outside the airport’s terminal Thursday to cheer on Avelo’s latest expansion of service. In November, Avelo will begin flying to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Sarasota, Florida. They will be the 14th and 15th destinations Avelo will reach from Wilmington Airport.
“It’s beyond our wildest dreams,” said Thomas Cook, executive director of the Delaware River and Bay Authority, the agency that runs the county-owned airport.
PREVIOUS REPORTING: We took the first flight on Avelo from New Castle Airport. Here’s what it was like.
The announcement came less than two months after Avelo added seven destinations in the Southeast, including Charleston, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; and Daytona Beach, Florida. Avelo launched service in February with five Florida flights, headlined by Orlando.
Vicky Stennes, head of people and customer experience at Avelo, said the airline has served more than 125,000 passengers in its first six months in Delaware. That figure would put the airline on pace to surpass Frontier Airlines’ peak year of service in 2014. Official Bureau of Transportation Statistics data are available only through May. They show more than 50,000 tickets were scanned on flights heading to or from Wilmington Airport during that time.
Stennes said Avelo’s combination of the “right destinations” and strong customer service has differentiated it from other airlines that have tried commercial flights from Delaware. Avelo targets “underserved,” often smaller airports on the periphery of larger markets where they can emphasize convenience through every step of the process, from nearby parking to stress-free boarding. Stennes said the company has the industry’s lowest cancellation rate and second-best on-time reliability through the first six months of 2023.
Its marketing push, in partnership with the airport, has provided visibility that Frontier didn’t have. Purple billboards with Avelo’s flight options and introductory rates have lined the region’s highways for much of the year.
“We think once they try us, they’ll come back,” said Stennes, adding, “Nothing beats word of mouth.”
Cook said Avelo’s commitment to Wilmington Airport from day one stands out compared with previous airlines. Wilmington is one of five Avelo home bases (Las Vegas will become the sixth in September). It now has two Boeing next-gen 737s based at Wilmington and more than 100 local employees.
“They knew right off the bat that this is a premier location,” Cook said.
Conversations between DRBA and Avelo began more than three years ago. There was a chance that Avelo would launch its company with Wilmington as its first home base. Ultimately, the company chose Burbank, California, when it opened shop in April 2021. But Avelo CEO Andrew Levy kept Cook’s phone number and picked up talks after the company saw success in Burbank and a similarly sized airport in southern Connecticut.
As is typical, Avelo is launching the new destinations with limited introductory fares: $99 for San Juan and $49 for Sarasota. For existing destinations, fares for one-way flights can be anywhere from $50-$200. Everything from checked bags to priority boarding and reserved seating costs extra.
Flights to the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) will begin Nov. 2 with twice-weekly service on Thursdays and Sundays. Flights to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan start Nov. 15 with service on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Stennes said Avelo considers destinations that will draw “two-way” interest, not only travelers from the Delaware Valley. Delaware’s concentration of citizens of Puerto Rican descent or with familial or social ties to Puerto Rico made San Juan a “no-brainer,” she said. They believe Sarasota will draw passengers looking to visit family in the region.
The airline hasn’t been shy about altering its schedule if flights aren’t providing a strong enough return. Melbourne/Cocoa Beach was cut from the Southeast expansion earlier this year before service ever began. Other destinations including Charleston; West Palm Beach; Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina; Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia/Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Wilmington, North Carolina, will be seasonal, Hoy en Delaware reported.
DRBA is having conversations about how the airport could accommodate even more service. The biggest limiting factors, Cook said, are parking and the terminal.
The terminal can accommodate passengers for only one full flight. The flights are currently staggered by at least 90 minutes to avoid a backup. Expanding the terminal — there is space between the terminal and the tarmac — could allow more frequent flights and some wiggle room for delays.
The airport has three parking lots, one in front of the terminal and two to the side of the tarmac. DRBA recently acquired a retired DART vehicle to run as a shuttle between Lot C and the terminal. Cook said the agency is considering options for expanding parking.
Avelo’s next service expansion announcement could be just a month away, Stennes said.
Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @holveck_brandon.
