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I joined Avelo Airlines this morning on its inaugural flight from Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL) to Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport (HVN). I covered the festivities pre-flight in this post. It was an exciting day not just for Avelo Airlines, but also for the airport. Avelo added service to a central Florida airport that has not seen passenger flights in more than 10 years. The airport is only a 35-minute drive from me in Tampa and this was also my first time flying Avelo Airlines.
The mood of the crew and passengers was light-hearted and fun. I raced out the door as media and was the first one on this flight.
The ribbon did not cut no matter how hard they tried.
Execs greeted passengers outside of the aircraft and provided each one with a commemorative coin and ticket for the flight. This was a nice touch and something that will be added to my collection of AV geek memorabilia.
Anthony’s Take: Avelo Airlines is a low-cost carrier that launched in 2021. The airline operates a fleet of modern Boeing 737 aircraft and serves destinations across the United States. Avelo competes with Spirit Airways, Breeze Airways, Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines. It takes it a step further than some of its competitors by offering no amenities on board. There are no power outlets, no Wi-Fi, and no snacks or beverages for sale. The flight attendants here are truly along for your safety as there is no service element other than collecting trash and assisting passengers in finding their seats or stowing bags.
Booking
I booked directly with Avelo Airlines and chose a seat in the bulkhead. I paid $57 for the airfare and not much more for the bulkhead seat. The app was easy to use and I downloaded it after booking. It made checking in simple as well and my TSA PreCheck showed fine.
Boarding
I ran out first as I had a media gate pass and wanted to get some shots of the interior of the plane. Boarding was speedy and everyone was excited to be on the inaugural flight.
Seats
I was seated in the bulkhead (seat 1D), which is the aisle seat. The seats were padded fine and had ample legroom in row one.
You have more legroom in seats 1A, 1B, and 1C, but you’re also only a few feet away from and facing the flight attendants while they are in their jump seats.
Seats do recline, but there are no tray tables in row one. Other rows do have tray tables. I’ll take a bulkhead seat over this minor inconvenience any day.
Water was provided to guests upon request on a complimentary basis. Unlike Spirit Airlines that charges for water, Avelo doesn’t nickel and dime here.
Each seat had its own reading light and air vent.
Safety cards and applications for Avelo’s new credit card were all that were to be found at each seat.
Lavatory
The front lavatory was standard for Boeing 737s with a sink and toilet.
Service
Everyone we encountered was friendly and efficient. The flight attendant working up front made herself available throughout the flight and passed by to collect trash.
The flight departed three minutes early and arrived two minutes early. This was with a press conference and lots of folks mingling in the gate area. I got a picture of the cockpit before passengers boarded. I never feel comfortable going into the cockpit and am generally against passengers going inside. The flight attendant asked if I wanted a photo and I took one from the outside.
Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL) will be undergoing an expansion to add more gates and accommodate more flights. It will be interesting to see if other airlines come to Lakeland or if Avelo keeps a tight hold on this airport as it has on this inaugural’s destination of Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport (HVN).
Overall Impression: This was a pleasant flight that was highlighted as being the first for Avelo and this airport. My review is dinging the airline for not having Wi-Fi. It’s 2024, this is something that should be expected and paid for by guests for low-cost carriers to make additional revenue. It was a fun day and I would fly Avelo again if the schedule was convenient.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
