Hillsborough County residents will soon have more air travel choices as Avelo Airlines expands its operations at Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL).
Avelo began providing service at Lakeland International earlier this year and is the only scheduled airline operating out of Polk County’s major airport, filling an air-service vacuum that existed there for about a decade. Avelo currently flies to and from Tweed-New Haven Airport in southern Connecticut. The airline serves more than 50 destinations throughout the continental United States and internationally, including stops at Cancun, Mexico, and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
The new destinations announced by Avelo for Lakeland International are: Concord-Padgett Regional Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, starting Thursday, October 24; Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport in Rochester, New York, starting Friday, October 25; Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Manchester, New Hampshire, starting October 25; Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico, starting Saturday, October 26; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, starting Thursday, November 7; Wilmington Airport in New Castle, Delaware, starting November 7; and Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, starting Friday, November 8.
Trevor Yealy heads Avelo’s commercial operations, and he said the expansion at LAL reflects the airline’s success there so far.
“The customer response from Lakeland to New Haven has been tremendous,” Yealy said. He also said Avelo will open a base of operations at Lakeland International that will bring jobs to the area.
In terms of time and distance to travel to Lakeland International, it takes about 30 minutes to drive the 26.5 miles between the airport, located at 3900 Don Emerson Dr., and Brandon Exchange via highways I-75 and I-4. It is also the aviation home of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters and an Amazon air cargo hub. The airport has served Avelo’s needs very well, said Yealy.
“The customer response and reaction to the wonderful facility here and the service has been nothing short of remarkable.”
Avelo began flying passengers in 2021 and is considered a low-cost airline with its headquarters in Houston, Texas. Its destinations are mostly smaller airports, such as Lakeland International, but it also provides service at larger airports, such as Tampa International. The airline also provides seasonal service at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport to accommodate snowbird passengers. To learn more about Avelo Airlines or to make reservations, visit www.aveloair.com.
