Budget airline Avelo opens base in Orlando with $59 one-way introductory tickets

Low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines is opening a new base at Orlando International Airport Thursday, adding two new routes to its map and extra service to its existing hub in New Haven, Connecticut. "We’re excited to make Orlando a big center of gravity," Andrew Levy, Avelo's CEO told USA TODAY in an interview. "There’s a lot of opportunity to add service in and out of Orlando to markets that are not being served either at all or adequately today.” Avelo will start with three Boeing 737s in Orlando, with about 10 pilots and 15 flight attendants designated per plane. Levy said that having crews and equipment based there will make service to the airport more reliable and will allow the airline to serve more destinations from Florida starting this week. “It’s such a massively popular destination,” Levy said. “It’s incredible the demand that there is to fly in and out of central Florida, and it’s really year-round.” Seasonal service between Orlando and Baltimore-Washington International Airport will start Thursday, with new service to Wilmington, North Carolina, slated to begin Friday, the airline said in a statement. Introductory fares to both cities start at $59 for a one-way ticket. Above all, Levy said, the new base will help make service between New Haven and Orlando more robust, with up to three flights per day on the new schedule for that route, with one-way fares starting at $69.<br/>