Avelo Airlines announces Hollywood Burbank as first base; will begin with 11 routes using three 737-800s starting from the end of April
Avelo Airlines (IATA code XP), the first new US airline to announce operations since the start of the pandemic, recently revealed that Hollywood Burbank Airport in northern Los Angeles would be its first base. It also revealed its initial 11 routes, the first of which is set to begin flying on 28 April.
The airline’s Chairman and CEO is Andrew Levy, who made his name in the industry as President at Allegiant Air, before spending a couple of years at United Airlines as CFO. The new airline aims to be low-cost and is offering one-way fares from $19.
Three 737-800s to start with
The airline will start operations with three 189-seat 737- 800s which are all between 13 and 15 years old. One appears to have flown most recently for TUI fly Netherlands and the other two with Turkish Airlines.
Hollywood Burbank handled almost six million passengers in 2019 with Southwest accounting for around 70% of traffic. The airport is closer to downtown Los Angeles, Griffith Park and Hollywood than Los Angeles LAX. The Californian metropolis is also served by Long Beach Airport (LGB), John Wayne Airport in Orange County (SNA) and Ontario International Airport (ONT).
11 routes not currently served from BUR
Avelo’s first 11 routes will launch from Hollywood Burbank between 28 April and 20 May. Initially there will be a total of 49 weekly departures. Santa Rosa and Phoenix-Mesa will be served daily, Ogden 6-weekly, Bozeman, Grand Junction, Medford, Eugene and Arcata-Eureka 4-weekly, and Pasco, Redmond-Bend and Redding all 3-weekly. The airline’s own way of describing the appeal of each of these destinations makes for interesting reading:
Arcata/Eureka, CA (ACV), Victorian charm in the heart of California’s Redwood Coast
Bend/Redmond, OR (RDM), where the snow-capped Cascades surround the high desert
Bozeman, MT (BZN), the onramp to Big Sky Country and Yellowstone National Park
Eugene, OR (EUG), where the Willamette Valley begins
Grand Junction, CO (GJT), where the Colorado River meets dramatic red rock landscapes
Medford, OR (MFR), a launchpad to the Rogue Valley and Oregon’s wine country
Pasco, WA (PSC), 300 days of sun in the heart of Washington’s wine country
Phoenix/Mesa, AZ (AZA), a stress-free airport alternative to a year-round desert oasis
Odgen, UT (OGD), a convenient Salt Lake City alternative to Utah’s famed mountains
Redding, CA (RDD), 600 square miles of state and national parks beckon the adventure seeker
Santa Rosa, CA (STS), the gateway to California’s wine country
Indirect competition on these routes comes from Alaska Airlines (BZN, EUG, MFR, RDM and STS to LAX), Allegiant (BZN, EUG, MFR and PSC to LAX), American (GJT and STS to LAX), Delta (BZN to LAX), JetBlue (BZN to LAX) and United (ACV, BZN, EUG, MFR, RDD and RDM to LAX).
In addition, American and Southwest both offer multiple-daily flights from Burbank Hollywood to Phoenix PHX. For Ogden Airport in Utah the Avelo route to Hollywood Burbank will be its second scheduled service after Allegiant’s service to Phoenix AZA.
