Dayton’s new airline: Your questions answered about Avelo Airlines and the Dayton airport

Avelo is the first new mainline U.S. carrier to launch in nearly 15 years. (Photo: Business Wire)

Avelo is the first new mainline U.S. carrier to launch in nearly 15 years. (Photo: Business Wire)

A new low-cost airline will start to offer service in early 2023 from the Dayton International Airport to Orlando, Florida.

Here’s what you should know:

Who are they?

Avelo Airlines, which has a headquarters in Houston, Texas, has four “bases” at airports in Wilmington, Delaware; New Haven, Connecticut; Burbank, California; and Orlando, Florida.

The company’s first flight took to the skies in April of 2021.

Avelo Airlines currently provides air service to 32 destinations across the U.S., but new routes from Dayton and Dubuque, Iowa, were recently announced.

Adding destinations has also meant employment growth, from 330 to 550 employees.

How many aircraft do they have?

Avelo has a fleet of 14 Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft, and the company should have 16 in operation by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

Is Avelo a discount airline?

Avelo flies “big planes” and focuses on providing inexpensive fares. Introductory one-way fares between Dayton and Orlando will be $49.

What will Avelo’s destinations be from Dayton?

Avelo will offer twice weekly trips to Orlando. Flights will run on Fridays and Mondays.

The new service takes to the skies starting Friday Jan. 13. 237 reservations were booked within 24 hours of the Nov. 3 announcement that Avelo was entering the Dayton market, city officials said.

Avelo said it wants to grow its service in Dayton if its Orlando flights are popular and if there’s evidence of strong demand for other destinations.

What is the company saying about being in Dayton?

Hunter Keay, the company’s chief financial officer said, “There’s no limit to how much we may grow in Dayton if demand is strong ... We will add more cities to the route map, we will add possibly more days of the week to Orlando, depending on what demand is.”

“We’re going in there with a commitment to make this city work,” he told this newspaper.

“Dayton, Ohio is a destination packed with big-city experiences, amenities, attractions and shopping wrapped in small-town charm,” Avelo said last year. “It’s home to exceptional arts and culture through music, theater, festivals, fine dining, and more.”

What commercial air carriers fly out of the Dayton airport now?

Allegiant, American, Delta, United and now Avelo. Southwest Airlines ceased service at the Dayton airport more than five years ago.

Avelo is the first new airline Dayton International added since 2016, when Allegiant launched service to two Florida markets.

How busy is the Dayton Airport?

The Dayton airport currently has about 30 to 35 flights each day to about a dozen locations.

Avelo will be the first new airline the airport has added since 2016.

Are there other upgrades happening at the Dayton airport?

The Dayton International Airport plans to invest more than $40 million in the next several years to improve its concourses, consolidate its concession area and shorten the walk to its gates.

In the concourse areas, plans are to centralize its escalators beyond the TSA checkpoint, which will lead up to the new second-level public space, eliminating duplication and improving the passenger experience. The airport will also re-reroof most of the terminal and replace windows in Concourse A and upgrade its elevator.

The airport is going to consolidate its food concessions into a new second-floor area that will be much closer to the gates. Travelers will be able to see the gates from the new food court area.

The new elevated connectors will provide more direct paths to Concourses A and B. The airport has 22 gates, and the current connectors were constructed more than 30 years ago.

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