Thomas Breen photo
Boarding an Avelo flight from Tweed in February.
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Wednesday's virtual Development Commission meeting.
A business-boosting nonprofit is teaming up with the city to bring the gospel of New Haven on the road — or, rather, on the plane — to some of the 14 communities newly accessible via Avelo Airlines.
Virgina Kozlowski, who helms the Economic Development Corporation of New Haven (EDC), detailed those plans Wednesday morning during the latest regular monthly meeting of the city Development Commission. The virtual meeting took place online via Zoom.
Kozlowski told the commissioners that her quasi-public economic development agency has lined up a number of business-boosting trips to some of the 14 different communities that the new budget airline Avelo has already started or will soon be flying to directly from Tweed New Haven Airport.
Some of those current nonstop destinations include Orlando, Tampa Bay, and Bradenton/Sarasota in Florida, as well as Nashville, Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C. Starting at the end of this month, Avelo will also start flying directly from New Haven to Chicago, Baltimore/Washington D.C., and Raleigh, N.C.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Kozlowski said that, from May 31 to June 2, she, city Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli, and New Haven Innovation Collaborative Director Mike Harris — as well as other members of the local business community who interested in paying their own way for the trip — will travel from Tweed to Raleigh, N.C.
Then in September, she said, the EDC will lead a trip from Tweed to Chicago to attend the International Manufacturing Technology Show.
She said that the EDC is also planning still another plane trip from New Haven to Baltimore/Washington, D.C. She told the Independent after Wednesday’s meeting that her goal is to host business-boosting trips to Avelo-connected communities once per month.
EDC's Virginia Kozlowski.
The goal of these planned trips from Tweed across the country?
“Creating new connections that support our economic activity and our economic development plans for New Haven,” Kozlowski told the Independent during a phone interview after Wednesday’s meeting.
She elaborated on those plans during the meeting itself.
The goal of the trip to Raleigh and the North Carolina “Research Triangle” is to “introduce ourselves and introduce New Haven as a place to visit, and also a place to do business with,” she said. It’s also a way to “jumpstart and make everyone aware that this new flight is available” from New Haven to Raleigh.
“Avelo has been so successful over the past six months. It’s benefitted our region significantly,” Kozlowksi continued. These planned EDC-led trips are a way to get New Haven business people talking with their peers in cities like Chicago and Raleigh and Baltimore and elsewhere, she said, and to promote the fact that Avelo flies directly from New Haven to all of these places.
As an added Avelo-adjacent tourism boost, she said, the EDC and New Haven are working with the airline and the city of Bradenton, Fl. to drum up interest in flying to and from that western Florida destination. They’ll be touting that flight by having a “Baby Avelo” Styrofoam plane pop up at different spots around town, including most recently at G Cafe.
“This is very exciting,” said Development Commissioner David Valentino. Doesn’t Avelo now fly nonstop to the most destinations of any airline in Connecticut? he asked.
That’s right, Piscitelli said. “Avelo Airlines has the most nonstop destination service of any airline in the state of Connecticut.” A remarkable achievement, he said, given how it’s only been flying out of New Haven since last November.
“Has Tweed been experiencing heavy use” so far on these new Avelo flights? Development Commission Chair Anthony Sagnella asked.
“We’ll get more on their load factors from Avelo over the course of the summer,” Piscitelli replied. “Our understanding is there’s been healthy load factors on their flights.”
He also noted that Avelo doesn’t run flights to and from the same destination every day. Rather, it’s started out with a “staggered schedule.” Which, he said, helps minimize “disruption in the neighborhood.”
Is there a “potential for people in New Haven to go with you” on these trips? Valentino asked Kozlowski.
Yes, she replied. “Once we get all the details together, we will let folks know who might be interested attending and what the costs will be.” She said that all travelers will have to cover their own costs on this trip.
“We’re very thrifty” at the EDC, she added with a smile. “It’s not going to be over the top.”