Second Who is Avelo Airlines?
Avelo Airlines is an American ultra low-cost carrier headquartered in Houston, Texas. It previously operated charter flights as Casino Express Airlines and Xtra Airways, before transitioning to scheduled operations and rebranding as Avelo Airlines on April 8, 2021. Avelo is lead by Andrew Levy a former CFO of United Airlines and COO of Allegiant Airlines. Mr. Levy is not stranger to the airline industry.
What is important to note is Avelo as of September 2022 has yet to turn a profit and to date is operating safely.
Now on to my experience with Avelo airlines!
July 28th, 2022 is when Avelo Airlines announced a new flight from Kalamazoo to Orlando NON-stop and it sure was exciting considering my old Employer United Airlines/ United Ground Express had pulled Service from Kalamazoo as a move to "stabilize the market." I immediately began asking around to see who this airline was and if they were going to be hiring. Very few people in the industry had many answers as to who they were, why they chose markets that where being "stabilized" by other airlines pulling out of them, and then everyone started to go, "Are they another Direct Air?" An airline that was flying out of Kalamazoo and stranded people On March 12, 2012. Direct Air literally parked the planes and walked away from them with people sitting in airports waiting to get on the flights. Seeing Avelo's Pricing for fares, Seating, Baggage, and being no frills.... the thoughts were that they could be.
Even with the risk of them being another Direct Air and seeing the pricing for Flights to Orlando at all the surrounding airports including Detroit and Chicago, I needed to see if this it would be worth the Ultra Low Rate to recommend to you my clients to use for travel to Orlando. So I booked a Round Trip flight on them to test them out 2 days after they announced service.
My trip was a quick trip. Leave on a Friday and Return the following Monday. I had planned on having all day Saturday, Sunday and part of Monday to do what I wanted in Orlando. A few days.... yes a few days after booking the trip, my Fight times got changed and not in a small way. Originally the flight on Friday was supposed to leave at 8:20pm and arrive in Orlando at 11:30pm at night. That time got moved up to leaving at 4pm and arriving at 6:20pm which is much better than arriving at 11:30pm. The return flight that was originally schedule for 4:20pm and arriving in Kalamazoo around 7:10pm. That was moved up to departing at 12:20 and arriving in Kalamazoo at 3pm. So I gained time on Friday, but lost a bunch of time on Monday.
The week prior to flying I decided that instead of just taking a back pack like I would normally do, that I was going to check luggage. The cost was $45 each way as long as it was 50lbs or less. I still opted out of paying to choose my seat since I was just flying alone.
Pre-Flight
24 hours prior to my flight, I checked in online. At that time I as presented with the option of picking a seat. Some the seats were pricy and other were actually free, which may have been a glitch in the system. So I chose a Free window seat. I was not able to get a boarding pass after selecting the seat and told to meet a representative at the check in counter when I arrived at the airport. No big deal because I was checking a bag. I arrived 2 hours early just in case there was going to be any problems.
Boarding
Duncan Aviation was the contracted ground handlers for Avelo in Kalamazoo. While the agent checking me in was nervous (it was the second flight), everything from getting my bag checked to getting my boarding pass was simple and easy; especially since I arrived early and there was no wait. I was group 4 the last boarding group. Again no problem for me because now I had a checked bag at the counter and a seat assignment so the only thing I needed to do is walk on the plane. This is where the problems happened though and it wasn't Avelo's fault. It was the fault of people trying to get Carry on Bags on for Free. You are allowed one personal item to carry on for free. There were people that were bringing backpacks and luggage and trying to be "Karens" to get the bags on for free. The gate agent who was also the lobby agent ( this is normal for SMALL airports) was nervously but professionally doing a good job of handling the people that try to skirt the policies.
On the way back from Orlando, it was the repeat of the above. What really surprised me was for as large as Orlando is, the number of passengers, and number of flights there were, The person that checked me in, was also boarding the plane like a small airport but running back and forth between two gates while dealing with Karens trying to get bags on for free. That will lead to some bad customer interactions eventually. Not to mention to get the gate in Orlando you have to take a tram to the gate so the agent had a lot of distance to cover.
In-Flight
The interior of the plane was clean and everything inside the plane was in working order. What I was not prepared for was that there was no WI-FI, No Snacks, and No Drinks. The flight attendants were doing their basic duty of being the "hall monitor". They did the safety announcements, walked the aisle to see if belts were fastened, and electronic devices were off. The remainder of the flight they stayed out of site except to occasionally walk through the cabin to pick up trash. So if you are flying with them be prepared to buy Snacks and beverages before getting on the plane and have a way to entertain yourself if you are reliant on Wi-Fi.
Post Flight
I was off the plane at both locations in a reasonable amount of time. No issues getting my bag. I arrived safe and sound, the flight served its purpose and got me there on time.
Things to consider
This airline has yet to earn a profit and is continuing to add new routes with limited aircraft.
If they cancel a flight, you could be stuck someplace for a while....Like days...
There are no snacks, beverages, or wi-fi on the aircraft.
You get what you pay for, but you will arrive safely once you are in the air.
The Flight attendants are there to due what is required for them to be there for. That is to be there to give the safety spiel, make sure you seat belts are fastened, and to direct you in case of an emergency. During the flight they are basically hall monitors making sure you are in your seats and waiting for your turn to enter the restroom.
Make sure you have have entertainment and snacks before your board the plane.
Would I fly them again?
I plan on it as long as they stay in business and keep fares low. I understand the risk of flying them and I normally fall asleep when flying. I will of course buy travel insurance to cover me in case the flight cancels.