Just like the excitement over the birth of a new child, comes the hopes and fears and the pride and pain of launching a new airline. On Wednesday, a new airline was born: Avelo.
Avelo 737-800 Inaugural Flight Report
I had the pleasure of flying on the very first Avelo flight yesterday, as the carrier launched commercial service with a flight from Burbank to Sonoma County. But it was really more than a flight – it was a pageant of tradition with a bold hope to stand out among others (and avoid the cavernous mass grave of peers) by carving a unique niche.
Avelo is led by Andrew Levy, a former executive at United Airlines and Allegiant. He’s a smart guy and sees a market in serving secondary airports with no-frills flights. Unlike Spirit and Frontier, you won’t see Avelo at major airports like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, or New York City.
Initially, Avelo is launching airports from Burbank Hollywood Airport, a small but incredibly convenient airport easily accessible to much of Los Angeles – a hidden gem. It will fly to a number of cities including:
- Arcata – Eureka, CA (ACV)
- Bozeman Yellowstone, MT (BZN)
- Eugene, OR (EUG)
- Grand Junction, CO (GJT)
- Medford – Rogue Valley, OR (MFR)
- Ogden – St. Lake City, UT (OGD)
- Pasco Tri-Cities, WA (PSC)
- Phoenix-Mesa, AZ (AZA)
- Redding, CA (RDD)
- Redmond – Bend, OR (RDM)
- Santa Rosa – Sonoma, CA (STS)
But Wednesday’s inaugural was all about Santa Rosa. Thanks to a truly last-minute opening in my schedule, I was able to score a seat on the inaugural flight…then come back three hours later in time to pick up my son from school.
I arrived at Bob Hope (I still call it Bob Hope despite its name now officially being Burbank – Hollywood Airport) and was met a by a table in the Terminal A lobby festooned with balloons which welcomed special guests and members of the media (including me – I traveled as a guest of Avelo).
After picking up my name-tag, I proceeded down to the check-in hall where a pair of lovely check-in staff welcomed me and directed me to the queue for check-in.
While check-in is at Terminal A, Avelo departs from Terminal B, which is a very short walk at BUR. After clearing security I encountered a heavy, non-socially-distanced crowd at the gate: everyone was happy to take part in the festivities.
After brief remarks from Andrew Levy expressing optimism in his new airline and thanking his team, he cut the ribbon and boarding shortly commenced.
The 737-800 used by Avelo for this flight is a former Turkish Airlines model, recently retrofitted with new carpeting and 189 economy class seats in a single-class configuration. Levy greeted every passenger as they boarded.
I ducked into the flight deck and had a chat with the pilots, including Captain Tony, who also had captain’s stripes. Captain Tony has been with Avelo for many years (when it was called Xtra Airways) and is now its Senior Pilot. His co-pilot has flown 737 private jets as well as commercially for Oman Air and EgyptAir. The men were beaming with pride over their new airline and a pleasure to speak to.
I found my seat and settled in. Legroom is tight for the most of the plane at 29 inches, but very much manageable considering how thin the seat is and that seats do not recline. The seat felt like flying Spirit Airlines or EasyJet, but I have to say for a one hour flight it was still considerably more comfortable than the Recaro slimline seats used by Lufthansa and its partner carriers.
After welcoming us onboard, we took off and had a very powerful takeoff roll (perhaps no cargo in the belly?)—I mean the most powerful takeoff roll I’ve ever experienced on a 737.
After reaching cruising altitude, Levy welcomed everyone on the PA and service began.
Despite being an ultra-low-cost carrier, Avelo offered a complimentary snack pack including:
- bottled water
- shortbread cookies
- wipe
For a one hour flight, this was perfect, though I would expect buy onboard food and drink to eventually permeate.
To commemorate the launch flight, a special toast was also offered featuring sparkling apple cider (the airline does not have the permission to serve liquor onboard yet).
Passengers also received a fully a first flight certificate and luggage tag.
Bring your fully charged devices onboard because there is no in-seat power and there is currently not wireless internet offered.
We landed on-time in Santa Rosa to a round of applause (it felt like flying in the former Soviet Union) and a parade of ground staff and Sonoma County officials waiting to greet the flight.
Every passenger was offered a swag bag from the airport which included a genuinely thoughtful assortment of items.
CONCLUSION
This was a fun inaugural flight and I really hope, especially because it is operating from my hometown airport, that Avelo finds a niche in reaching a new base of customers to sustain its operations.
Ground staff, flight attendants, and pilots were friendly and gracious – that will be a key ingredient moving forward beyond the inaugural flight.
Stay tuned for further insight on flying Avelo and some interesting tidbits I learned while having lunch with Avelo’s Chief Operating Officer. I also plan to fly Avelo again on a non-media flight to get a better idea of what service is like on a “normal” day.
Nice meeting you yesterday! Also, fun to see that I snuck into one of the photos you posted upthread!
It was great to meet you and your son as well! Hope to see you again soon!
Sounds an enthusastic flight and team.
Nice and interesting.
Did they just repurpose a baggage loader to board the plane?
That’s what Burbank uses. It used to be stairs, now it is this.
What’s up with the passenger in seat 15D? Why isn’t he masked up?
That’s the COO. I’m sure he was just drinking something.
Hi Matthew, great story and I hope this new baby does well and grows up to be a mature carrier quickly! My Mom lives in Newhall, and Bob Hope is obviously her favorite airport. She flies up to Oregon a couple times a year, with stops, so this may be a game changer for her (she’s 84)!
Would LOVE to see them add RNO to their schedule!
The last thing we need is another ULCC. I wish them safe operations and a speedy end to their business.
Explain?
This carrier is not competing with others directly – it is flying new routes and its business model calls for appealing to new travelers.
That’s what they all say, but it will have an effect on yields for the full service airlines and will result in less service.
@Matthew, I don’t know what it is, but the photos make the seats looks really spacious. It’s hard to believe that the pitch is only 29″! 😮 Are the seat cushions shallower than normal?
In any case, it’ll be interesting to see future trip reports.
Also, FYI, I noticed a few typos: assessable -> accessible, Recarro -> Recaro, and “not in-seat power” -> “no in-seat power”
Thanks Tennen!
“Avelo is launching airports”
I’m impressed! 🙂
Seats look like Spirit’s new 320neo seats with a different color scheme.
A cool thing to do! Re: Bob Hope; why was the airport’s name changed to Burbank (besides the obvious answer that it is located in Burbank)?
It used to be Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport, then Bob Hope, and now Burbank-Hollywood to try to attract people from “the Hills” and because Burbank officials thought the new generation doesn’t know who Bob Hope was.
Awesome, Matthew..glad you were able to get on this!
While Avelo is attempting to not go head to head with others in standard markets, that will not preclude Southwest and Spirit, amongst others, to take the fight to Avelo’s turf. Just look at Myrtle Beach these days as an example. They are going to have a rough ride ahead.
Watch WN announce Santa Rosa soon, mark my words. And I bet they will go for the jugular and do it from BUR and LAX. Santa Rosa/Napa is booming. Resorts are sprouting up everywhere and a lot of people are moving into the area from the city.
It won’t stop there. Southwest already is starting Eugene service as an example. And those other markets Avelo is targeting are mostly all boom areas that will not go unmatched by carriers with a lot more cash. At least allegiant was smart in connecting really odd places (like Central Nebraska Airport) with targeted leisure spots (Like Las Vegas).
I give them a year at best. Maybe two.
Interesting! How do you pronounce their name?
Ah – vell (rhymes with Dell) – o
[I had to be corrected – I thought it was Ah-vah-lo]
It’s good to see this kind of initiative. I prefer point to point, no frills travel, in the manner of Easyjet ( even Ryanair, at a pinch , and turning a blind eye to the loathsomeness of O’Leary). I can do without the hoopla and status game folderol involved in going through major airports and on full service carriers. One suspects there’ll be more…and those that do it well will not only survive but thrive.