Avelo Airlines is pulling the plug on its entire West Coast operation by the end of 2025.
It’s a notable move for a carrier that kicked off its journey in California just over four years ago during the height of the COVID pandemic.
The Big Retreat: Avelo’s West Coast Exit
Avelo Airlines is officially waving goodbye to its West Coast operations, with the shutdown set to wrap up by early December 2025. This includes closing its base at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), which was Avelo’s inaugural base. The Houston-based carrier launched on 28 April 2021 with a flight from BUR to Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa, California.
Since then, Avelo has expanded operations, providing West Coast travelers looking for affordable flights to smaller, underserved airports that the big airlines often overlook.
But now, the carrier is packing its bags and heading east, where it has a more robust presence. All but one of Avelo’s aircraft will be transferred from BUR by 12 August, with the base closing entirely by 2 December. The rest of its West Coast routes will also end on or around that date. It’s a significant shift for a carrier that, just four years ago, planted its flag in BUR and expanded to locations up and down the West Coast and the Intermountain West.
Why the Pullback? It’s the $$$, of Course
So, what’s driving this decision? According to Avelo Airlines CEO Andrew Levy, it all comes down to dollars and cents.
“This was not an easy decision,” Levy said. “Our company’s deepest operational roots are in BUR, having launched our first flight there over four years ago during the COVID pandemic.”
We believe the continuation of service from BUR in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop.
Andrew Levy, Avelo Airlines CEO
But, he added, “We believe the continuation of service from BUR in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop.”
Obviously, the West Coast market just isn’t cutting it for Avelo’s bottom line. The ULCC model thrives on keeping costs low and serving markets with minimal competition, but the West Coast has proven to be a tough nut to crack. Levy sees “more efficient longer-term growth prospects” on the East Coast, where Avelo will now focus its efforts on achieving “sustainable cash flow generation.”
In other words, Avelo is betting big on its eastern operations to keep the airline afloat.
The West Coast Footprint Will Disappear
Avelo’s West Coast network was built around connecting smaller airports to leisure destinations, much like its ULCC cousin, Breeze Airways. From BUR, Avelo served 13 routes, stretching across California, Oregon, Washington, and even Montana. But when the curtain falls on 2 December, the following airports will see Avelo’s Boeing 737s fly away for good:
- Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) | Las Vegas, NV
- Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) | Santa Rosa, CA
- California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (ACV) | Eureka/Arcata, CA
- Rogue Valley International Medford Airport (MFR) | Medford/Rogue Valley, OR
- Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) | Bend/Redmond, OR
- Salem-Willamette Valley Airport (SLE) | Portland/Salem, OR
- Eugene Airport (EUG) | Eugene, OR
- Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) | Pasco, WA
- Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) | Kalispell, MT
Flights to FCA, SLE, STS, and LAS will end as early as August 2025, while the rest will wrap up by December. Salem-Willamette Valley Airport (SLE) will bear a particularly tough hit with Avelo’s pullout: the city will lose all commercial air service. That’s a big blow for a small market, although Salem is only about an hour south of Portland International Airport (PDX).
What Happens to the Planes and People?
Avelo’s fleet of 20 Boeing 737s (eight -700s and twelve -800s) won’t be sitting idle. The airline is relocating nearly all of them to its East Coast bases, which include:
- Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL) | Lakeland, FL
- Orlando International Airport (MCO) | Orlando, FL
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) | Raleigh-Durham, NC
- Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) | New Haven, CT
- Wilmington Airport (ILG) | Wilmington, DE
- Wilmington International Airport (ILM) | Wilmington, NC
- Bradley International Airport (BDL) | Hartford, CT
- Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (USA) | Charlotte, NC
Avelo Airlines is offering to transfer West Coast-based staff to one of these East Coast bases. It’s a generous move, but one has to imagine it’s still a tough pill for employees who’ve called BUR home since the airline’s launch.
Avelo Airlines’ East Coast Focus: What’s Next?
With the West Coast soon to be in the rearview mirror, Avelo is doubling down on its East Coast operations. The airline currently serves 53 cities across 21 states and Puerto Rico, plus three international destinations: Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ), Cancun, Mexico (CUN), and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ). After the West Coast shutdown, Avelo will still fly to 40 destinations in the central and eastern US, along with those international spots.
Avelo’s business model of serving secondary and underserved cities, while providing exemplary service, remains unchanged. This strategy has worked well for Avelo in the East, and the airline is banking on it to fuel future growth.
The ICE Controversy: A Non-Factor?
One wrinkle in Avelo’s story has been its contract to operate deportation flights for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA). The deal sparked protests and criticism from some corners, but Avelo insists it’s unrelated to the West Coast shutdown.
Protests, nor our contract with DHS, had any effect on our decision and did not impact our business.
Courtney Goff, Avelo Airlines Spokesperson
Avelo spokesperson Courtney Goff says the decision was purely financial. “Protests, nor our contract with DHS, had any effect on our decision and did not impact our business,” said Goff.
Whether you buy that or not (enplanements reportedly haven’t been affected by protests at several airports, such as Eureka), it’s clear Avelo is keeping its focus on the financials, not the headlines.
A Bittersweet Farewell
Avelo’s retreat from the West Coast is an unfortunate byproduct of the uber-competitive airline business. We all know how brutal the airline business can be, even for a scrappy ULCC. Margins are razor-thin, and the competition is relentless. Launching during the COVID pandemic was a gutsy move, and Avelo Airlines made a name for itself by bringing affordable fares to smaller, often overlooked markets like Eureka, Pasco, Bend, and others. But the numbers don’t lie, and the West Coast wasn’t delivering the returns Avelo needed.
As the airline shifts its singular focus to the East Coast, it’s hard not to feel a bit nostalgic for those early days at BUR. Avelo’s first flight to Santa Rosa in 2021 marked the start of something special: a new player in the ULCC space with a knack for serving the underdog airports.
Now, as Avelo doubles down on connecting underserved markets elsewhere, we’re rooting for them. Healthy competition is good, no matter the industry. But we all know the ULCC market, in particular, is a tough one. Frontier, Spirit, Breeze, Allegiant, Sun Country, and Avelo are all vying for a piece of the pie.
Here’s hoping there’s room at the table for them all.
