Avelo Airlines Coming to Daytona Int’l Airport

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Daytona Beach International Airport will be gaining a new airline this summer in the form of the Houston-based Avelo Airlines. The line will provide twice-weekly flights between Daytona and New Haven, Connecticut. Avelo is a smaller airline, with only fifteen Boeing 737s in its fleet as of now. It already serves several other airports in Florida: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Sarasota, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. There was a degree of intrigue as to which airline would be joining the ranks at the Daytona Airport. The item was on the agenda at the Volusia County Council’s April 4th agenda, but with no specific airline named. When the item came up for discussion hours into the meeting, it was ultimately given approval on a 4-2 vote. City Commissioners Jeff Brower, Troy Kent, Matt Reinhart, and David Santiago voted in favor, with Don Dempsey and Danny Robins against. Councilman Jake Johansson was not present at the meeting. With the four-vote majority, a minimum revenue guarantee fund of $1 million will go toward Avelo’s integration. The Commissioners were told that the addition of Avelo could offer an additional $11 million to the local economy, per a study brought forth by the airport. Volusia Aviation Director Cyrus Callum said that more airlines may well soon follow. They’ll offer an extremely low air fare for passengers flying to New Haven, with prices starting as low as $49. For Communications Manager Courtney Goff, Daytona was a natural fit for the company’s newest expansion. “We’re so excited to be the newest carrier here in Daytona Beach, as well as the first low-fare carrier here, bringing great low fares and nonstop routes to New Haven, Connecticut,” she said. “That’ll be our very first route out of Daytona Beach. Fun fact, whenever we post anything on social media or I check my inbox for people wanting new routes, it is always Daytona Beach. The move also made sense to give passengers a more easy route to some of Daytona’s most popular destinations. This airport operates on basically a lot of the standards that Avelo operates on,” Goff continued. “It’s easy, convenient and it’s going to make getting in and out and getting to the beach or to the convention center or to whatever brings you to Daytona quick, easy and simple, and that’s how we operate.” Avelo Airlines is only two years old as of April, having begun with a sole route from Burbank to Sonoma in California. Their flights have now surpassed the two million-passenger mark according to more recent data, with over 15,000 flights on the books.