Launched just three years ago, ultra-low-cost airline Avelo Airlines quickly found a market offering flights to popular vacation destinations from smaller cities not always served by main carriers like Delta (DAL) and United Airlines (UAL) .
Earlier this year, Avelo announced a series of new flights to Florida's Lakeland and Fort Myers from places like Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN) in Connecticut and Wilmington International Airport (ILM) in North Carolina.
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This week, Avelo also announced a number of new nonstop routes to different cities in the U.S. and two international destinations in the airline's first expansion outside the country — Jamaica's Montego Bay and Cancun in Mexico.
'18 new routes and our first two international destinations'
The two international routes will run out of Connecticut's Bradley International Airport (BDL) outside Hartford. The Montego Bay flight will launch on Nov. 16 while Cancun service will start on Nov. 20. Both will run twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays on a Boeing Next-Generation 737 (BA) .
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"The expansion we are announcing today is the most substantial in our airline's three-year history," Avelo's founder and CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement. "Avelo's purpose is to inspire travel and the addition of 18 new routes and our first two international destinations will make getting where our customers want to go easier than ever."
The new domestic routes include flights from Hartford to North Carolina's Charlotte, Florida's Daytona Beach and Texas' Houston as well as routes to Lakeland International Airport (LAL) from Atlanta, Charlotte and Hartford.
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Want that $52 fare? Here is what you need to do
Additional itineraries include flights from Charlotte's Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (USA) to New York's Albany and Rochester and Wilmington Airport (ILG) between Philadelphia and Delaware to Charlotte and Orlando.
To celebrate the new routes, Avelo is offering the new flights for $52 in each direction — including the new international routes to Montego Bay and Cancun — while availability lasts.
By going on the airline's website, one will be able to see a calendar showing when the routes are available and which still have the $52 fare although that fare will not be available as the days inch closer to the Christmas travel period. The base fare also does not include any baggage or airport fees and taxes that will be added at the end of booking.
The new routes bring Avelo’s network to 52 destinations across 23 states as well the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico and, now, Mexico and Jamaica. Both Cancun and Montego Bay are often identified as starting to see explosive tourist demand from winter sun-seekers in different pockets of the U.S. — according to Avelo, many of its customers were specifically looking for a direct flight from their smaller city.
"First on the list of must-visit attractions is Doctor's Cave Beach, a renowned stretch of golden sand framed by crystal-clear turquoise waters," the airline writes of the new destination. "Visitors flock here to bask in the sun, swim in the refreshing sea, and snorkel among colorful marine life."
Cancun, meanwhile, is described as a "dazzling blend of ancient wonders, natural beauty, and vibrant culture from the iconic ruins of Chichen Itza to the breathtaking beaches of Isla Mujeres."
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