Paul Bass File Photo
Avelo steps on Breeze's big week.
The race is on — as one budget airline announced four more flight destinations from Tweed, a day before another budget airline plans to kick off its tenure at the Morris Cove airport.
At a Monday morning press conference, Avelo Airlines announced it will be adding four more direct routes from Tweed next spring.
Those new Avelo New Haven destinations include Jacksonville, Fla (starting Feb. 14); Dallas, Texas (starting March 7); Detroit, Mich. (starting April 4); and Portland, Maine (starting May 22.) Avelo also announced on Monday it will offer flights to the Dominican Republican from Hartford’s Bradley Airport.
The four new New Haven stops come more than three years after Avelo first made Tweed its East Coast hub in November 2021. Avelo currently flies or will soon be flying to 31 different cities from New Haven.
Monday’s announcement by Avelo, meanwhile, comes a day before a competitor airline, Breeze, is set to launch its first flights from Tweed on Tuesday.
Breeze will offer flights from New Haven to ten different destinations, including New Orleans, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Charleston.
Tweed received approval from federal regulators for its terminal expansion and runway extension back in December 2023. In September, Tweed received local approval for temporary office, ticketing, and passenger-waiting trailers to stay up three more years, until the new terminal is built.
All the while, some Morris Cove, East Haven, and Branford neighbors have consistently raised concerns about more airplane traffic out of Tweed — and the resulting loud noises, air pollution, and vehicle traffic — hurting their quality of life.
Pop quiz: Which side has more balloons?