Airport officials at Lakeland Linder say they knew this could happen. In fact, they budgeted for the possibility of Avelo cutting back.
LAKELAND, Fla. — Just months after announcing an ambitious flight schedule out of Lakeland Linder Airport, low-cost airline Avelo is already cutting two of its routes.
Airport officials at Lakeland Linder say they knew this could happen. In fact, they budgeted for the possibility of Avelo cutting back.
The airline is reevaluating which routes are working and which are not.
“I was gonna go to Baltimore,” Terra Greve said, considering booking a flight on Avelo to the northeast.
But Greve said she was a little less confident after hearing the startup airline was already cutting routes between Lakeland and Atlanta, as well as Hartford, Connecticut.
“Well, hopefully I fly out fast enough that I don’t have to worry about the future,” she said.
This year, Avelo launched an ambitious flight schedule between Lakeland and seven destinations.
When asked whether eliminating two of those routes might suggest turbulence ahead for the airline, airport officials said they’ve been assured that’s not the case.
“It’s not a red flag. It’s not a yellow flag. It’s actually a green flag,” Lakeland Linder Airport Director Kris Hallstrand said. “Because we’re finding out what works best for our community and that’s vitally important.”
The city of Lakeland has a big stake in Avelo’s success, having already invested in infrastructure and security upgrades.
But the airline, says Hallstrand, has even more on the line.
“They have invested a lot more by moving airplanes and hiring crews and staffing people here in Lakeland,” Hallstrand said. “There are about 45 or 50 people that are employed here in our local community working out of this airport to provide this service to the community.”
Hallstrand also pointed out that while eliminating two destinations, Avelo says it’s adding another route between Lakeland and Nashville. Those flights are expected to be available in March.
The airport says it’s already fielding calls from people who had booked flights on the routes that are being eliminated. Ticket holders, they say, should reach out to Avelo directly.