Ouch: Avelo Cuts 66% Of Its International Routes

Avelo Airlines is significantly reducing its international network, cutting four of its six international routes. Starting in January, Avelo will pull out of Hartford and also discontinue one international service from Raleigh/Durham. This includes ceasing flights to Cancun and Montego Bay entirely.

The decision to stop flying to Montego Bay was made before Hurricane Melissa caused devastation in Jamaica. Breeze Airways may take over some of these routes, as it has done previously on domestic routes from Burbank. Although Breeze recently canceled three routes before their launch. Avelo remains the only carrier in all three affected markets.

Historical Flight Data and Competition

According to U.S. Department of Transportation data dating back to 1990, nonstop flights from Hartford to Cancun operated intermittently between 2005 and 2023 by airlines such as Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, and USA 3000. USA 3000 also flew to Punta Cana from 2004 to 2007, while Montego Bay service was operated by Spirit Airlines in 2022 and 2023.

Load Factors and Route Performance

Load factors are one metric of route performance but should be evaluated alongside other considerations. Avelo's Hartford routes showed load factors ranging from 59% to 79%. However, the Cancun route stood out with a consistently low load factor, never exceeding 66% since its launch in November 2024.

The U.S. DOT shows that no month since the route's launch last November 2024 has surpassed 66%.

Comparing results over time remains important to fully understand route viability.

Summary

Avelo's drastic reduction in international routes reflects challenges in maintaining profitable service, especially on routes with consistently low passenger loads like Hartford to Cancun.

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Simple Flying — 2025-11-07