New Route of the Day – Americas (11 February 2026): Avelo Airlines between Detroit and Lakeland

Avelo Airlines introduced flights between Lakeland in Florida and Detroit on Wednesday 11 February. The 1,585-kilometre service will be maintained 2-weekly, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with the 189-seat 737-800 aircraft. The LCC has no competition on the route.

The service is being launched to support the Detroit Tigers baseball team, which will be undergoing spring training in Lakeland.

Flight XP202 departs Lakeland at 07:00 local time, arriving in Detroit at 09:44. The return service, operating as flight XP203, takes off at 10:35 local time, touching back down in Florida at 13:22.

What they said

Andrew Levy, Founder and CEO of Avelo Airlines, said: “Detroit, say hello to spring training in Lakeland with Avelo! We are excited to take flight from Detroit with our nonstop route to Central Florida, a great way to escape to cheer on the Tigers.”

Avelo is Lakeland’s only carrier

Lakeland, with a population of just over 100,000, is located in Central Florida and is home to several colleges and universities. Lakeland Airport is served exclusively by Avelo Airlines, which now maintains flights to ten destinations, three of which are operated seasonally, including Detroit.

Avelo launched flights from Lakeland in June 2024, commencing the airport’s first commercial services in over a decade. San Juan in Puerto Rico remains Avelo’s most popular destination from Lakeland.

The rising passenger numbers have had practical knock-on effects. The airport’s leadership has pushed forward a terminal area master plan aimed at accommodating future growth and even adding more gates to handle increasing foot traffic.

Apart from Avelo, Lakeland Airport serves as an air cargo hub for Amazon Air.