5 Things to Know About the Arrival of Avelo Airlines to Tweed-New Haven - HVN - Airport

Many Four Beaches residents plan a trip south during the winter months. You may like to know that Avelo Airlines is now booking reservations for flights from Tweed-New Haven Airport to several locations in Florida. According to Avelo CEO Andrew Levy, their goal is to provide a smooth and easy alternative to flights out of Hartford’s Bradley International Airport. Read on to find important planning information for your next trip to the sunshine state.

American Airlines has halted all flights out of Tweed - HVN - Airport

American Airlines has canceled its daily, nonstop service to Philadelphia from Tweed Airport. The airline, which has served Tweed for decades, flew its last flight out of the airport in September. The absence of the airline will leave a gap in commercial service at Tweed-New Haven for a month.

 “They have been having some significant problems as has the rest of the industry, and they had sort of come and gone several times at our airport over the course of the pandemic,” Sean Scanlon, executive director of the Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority, explained. “It’s sad to see them go, but it is my understanding that it is something they will re-evaluate soon.”

Avelo Airlines will begin flights out of Tweed - HVN - in November

The airline will start with five flights a week to Orlando, five a week to Ft. Lauderdale, three a week to Tampa, and two a week to Ft. Myers. A one-way ticket from New Haven to Florida will cost as little as $49. The flights begin an East Coast network for the new airline, which so far has been flying to and from West Coast airports out of its Southern California hub in Burbank.

Flight routes for Avelo Airlines

Levy said that the airline does not have any current plans to connect its West Coast and East Coast routes.

“We do expect to serve other markets besides just Florida from New Haven, including perhaps Washington, D.C.,” he said. “But for now, to start, Florida will be all. Florida was the overwhelming choice of the entries in our sweepstakes,” Levy said about an online poll to which 6,000 people responded. He said it made sense for Avelo to start out “with leisure markets like Florida, with wide appeal and low price points.”

Although airfares are attractively low on Avelo’s flights, passengers are expected to pay premiums starting at $5 for pre-reserved aisle or window seat selections and $18 for seats with extra legroom. Checked bags cost $10 each, and carry-ons $35 apiece. 

All Avelo flights out of Tweed - HVN - will utilize their fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft

All of Avelo’s flights out of New Haven will be serviced with Boeing 737 aircraft, including 147-seat Boeing 737-700s, and 189-seat Boeing 737-800s. According to Boeing,  “the 737 family is designed to offer the greatest flexibility, reliability and efficiency in the single-aisle market.”  

Avelo Airline’s Boeing 737 Aircraft

 Fliers can expect seat sizes ranging from 17 inches wide with 29 inches of pitch in the majority of the single-class cabin, to extra legroom places with up to 35 inches of pitch, and even more in the exit rows.

Seats do not have some of the bells and whistles legacy carriers might include, such as in-flight entertainment screens or power ports, but the airline does intend to offer Wi-Fi onboard, and snacks and beverages for purchase.

Cabin view of Avelo Airline’s Boeing 737

Projected air traffic means plans for a new terminal

Artistic rendering of projected new terminal at Tweed

The plans calls for a partnership under which Avports, the private company that manages Tweed airport, will invest an initial $70 million, and up to $100 million, to extend Tweed’s runway from 5,600 feet to 6,635 feet. They will also build a new, 74,000-square-foot, carbon-neutral terminal with 4-6 departure gates on the East Haven side of the airport, with a new entrance to be constructed off Proto Drive in East Haven.

Artistic rendering of projected traffic flow and new terminal at Tweed

The airport will be the home base for 100 employees, including pilots, flight attendants, customer support personnel, and technicians. Avelo Airlines will also be investing $1.2 million to help upgrade and modernize the airport’s facilities and operations. It’s estimated that the enterprise will create up to 11,000 jobs in southern Connecticut.

To check a flight at Tweed or to find out more about the proposed plans for Tweed click the links below.

New Haven’s G Cafe will open a Tweed - HVN - outpost

As part of the airport expansion, Scanlon announced a one year lease with the popular New Haven G Cafe. The 400 square foot coffee shop will be located in the waiting area past the security clearance. It will offer fresh coffee and tea as well as quiche, muffins, pretzel bagels, and bread baked that morning at the Hamilton Street G Cafe location. There will be a second grab-and-go spot by the gate.

New Haven’s G Cafe

“It will be the first time in 30 to 40 years that Tweed travelers will have access to a food and beverage operations instead of just vending machines. We wanted to have someone local. Because it’s a local airport,” Scanlon said of the decision to contract with G Cafe.

Andrea Corazzini, the owner of G Cafe, hopes to open his airport location in time for the first Avelo flights to and from Tweed and Florida on November 3.

“We are thrilled for the challenge. Maybe we can have people in New Haven personally bringing New Haven bread to their friends in Florida,” he said. You can follow this link to find out more about G Cafe and its origins in Connecticut.

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