City announces airline bringing commercial flights to Salem
Avelo Airlines is bringing commercial flights to Salem Airport in October, city officials announced Thursday.
The news comes after months of mystery surrounding which flights Salem residents could soon be able to book after going more than a decade without commercial air service.
The airline with start off with flights to the Hollywood Burbank Airport in the Los Angeles area and to Las Vegas.
Introductory one-way fares start at $39. Customers can make reservations at AveloAir.com.
Avelo Airlines is an ultra-low-cost carrier headquartered in Houston. It currently serves 45 destinations in 24 states, including the Eugene Airport.
Avelo will operate twice-weekly, nonstop service on Thursdays and Sundays between Salem and Las Vegas beginning Oct. 5. Twice-weekly nonstop service on Fridays and Mondays between Salem and Burbank begins on Oct. 6. This route will then adjust to Thursdays and Sundays on Nov. 2. Both routes will utilize Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft.
Avelo officials said they are prepared to expand services to other cities once service is established in Salem. They declined to specify which cities, but Phoenix and San Francisco were rumored to be top contenders.
Courtney Goff, spokeswoman for Avelo, said the airline was drawn to Salem because it was an underserved, growing community with lots of potential — smack dab in the heart of wine country, close to outdoor recreation and being the state capital.
She said Avelo wants to keep fares affordable and accessible for people in Salem long-term.
"As the first airline to serve the capital city in nearly 15 years, Avelo makes getting to your favorite destinations easier and more affordable than ever," Avelo Airlines chairman and CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement. "Say goodbye to the hassle of long and expensive gas-guzzling drives to other distant airports, and say hello to a new era of convenience, low fares and reliability.”
The name of the airline had been kept secret by a select few at the city. Officials were in negotiations for several months and earlier this year allocated millions of dollars to renovate the airport and get it ready for commercial flights.
The airline's name was redacted in city documents as part of a nondisclosure clause, but the agreement specified the airline serves the Los Angeles basin, San Francisco, Phoenix and Las Vegas.
City leaders were enthusiastic about the announcement Thursday.
“This is a bright day for Salem’s future," Mayor Chris Hoy said. "As our city continues its coming-of-age journey, commercial passenger air service will make investing in our city easier and will make the world a little more accessible for our residents who travel."
Years of effort
The push to bring commercial air service back to Salem has been years in the making. But millions of dollars in renovations and upgrades needed to be undertaken before the airport was up to TSA standards.
Leaders with Travel Salem and the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce have spoken in favor of bringing commercial service to the region, saying it would increase tourism and access to the Mid-Valley's wine region, bring jobs and serve as an economic boon to local businesses.
Those against the project have said it is a waste of taxpayer funds and will only serve to worsen climate change and carbon emissions.
In January, Salem City Council voted to transfer more than $2.3 million from the General Fund to pay to renovate the terminal and hire nine new airport employees.
Earlier this year, Hoy said he hoped to bring commercial air service to Salem by the Fourth of July holiday.
"It wasn't always sure we were going to get to this day, but here we are," he said Thursday.
He thanked city staff and community partners for helping make this vision a reality.
"What started out as an endeavor led by a few key stakeholders five years ago has grown into a full-blown communitywide effort to restore commercial air service to Oregon’s capital and the state’s second-largest city," said Travel Salem CEO Angie Villery.
She said the tourism and hospitality sectors and many Salem business owners backed the quest to bring commercial service to Salem.
"We cannot wait to welcome Avelo customers to Salem – the birthplace of the Oregon Territory and gateway to Oregon’s wine country," she said.
She said work will continue on marketing commercial service and Salem as a destination. Several leaders remarked they would like to see more airlines join Avelo at Salem Airport.
More: Flights by summer? Salem council approves $2.4M to ready airport for commercial service
Previous commercial flights
This is not the first time the city has sought to bring commercial air service to the region.
McNary Field was opened by the city in 1929. Twelve years later, the first United Mainliner with 21 passenger seats landed at the airport.
United service continued for decades. Statesman Journal archives indicate 24,000 passengers flew into Salem in 1976. United Airlines discontinued its flights in 1980, citing increasing fuel and labor costs.
Previous plans to connect Salem to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in 2005 failed to come to fruition.
For just more than a year from 2007 to 2008, Delta offered twice-daily flights between Salem and Salt Lake City. Archives said the service was dropped because of the price of oil and the impending recession.
SeaPort Airlines' commuter air service briefly had regular stops in Salem, but ended service after just three months in 2011.
A boost to tourism, business sectors
It was a sprint to get the airport up to TSA requirements in a matter of months. Security was beefed up, technology infrastructure was improved and a baggage area and cameras were added.
Salem Airport Manager John Paskell said most of the improvements needed to get the airport commercial flight ready were completed. The airport is fully staffed with nine people, and TSA is set to deliver its equipment in September.
City Manager Keith Stahley said focusing on bringing in discount carriers that provide low-cost fares instead of legacy carriers like Delta could be the recipe for success.
"The airline industry is in flux right now," he said. "The difference here is that we're dealing with a discount carrier and not a legacy airline. Discount carriers have a different approach."
They provide cheaper flights and have prevailed in underserved markets, Stahley added.
However, discount airlines have been fickle in the region as well.
Allegiant flew in and out of Bend to Las Vegas and the metro Phoenix area for several years before suspending service in July 2022. An airline called aha! Airlines abruptly halted services out of Eugene, Redmond and Medford in August 2022 after filing for bankruptcy.
On Thursday, Salem Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Hoffert said the chamber was thrilled to see the investment made into the airport pay off.
"We look forward to this new beginning for our community, the local economy, and the regional impact of restoring commercial flights to SLE," he said.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter at @wmwoodworth
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: City announces airline bringing commercial flights to Salem
