Concord regional airport adds new airline, more nonstop destinations. What to know

The Concord regional airport added a second low-cost commercial carrier: Avelo Airlines, airline officials announced on Tuesday.

Avelo is offering nonstop flights to New Haven, Connecticut, from the airport in Concord, Cabarrus County, just northeast of Charlotte.

Beginning May 2, Avelo will operate flights twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays using Boeing 737 aircraft. That will make Avelo the only airline in the Charlotte region offering non-stop flights to southern Connecticut and Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport.

Introductory one-way fares between USA and HVN start at $62, the airline said.

The flights from Concord will make it easier to get to southern Connecticut and the greater New England and New York regions, Avelo Airlines Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement.

Before the announcement, Allegiant Air was the only commercial airline at Concord-Padgett Regional Airport. It has operated from there since 2013. Allegiant passengers in the Charlotte region can catch flights to several regions in Florida such as the Orlando/Daytona Beach area, Tampa, Fort Myers and south Florida.

At the Concord airport, Trevor Yealy, head of commercial development for Avelo, said the company wanted to take advantage of an opportunity to serve the Concord and Charlotte region. Avelo has been interested in the Concord airport for a while, he said.

“There’s a ton of existing latent demand today for travel from Connecticut to Charlotte,” he told The Charlotte Observer. “There’s no service from New Haven. We’re the only airline in New Haven.”

Concord’s airport and its parking is also convenient for customers, Yealy added “Easy in, easy out,” he said. “The parking lot is only a stone’s throw from the terminal, which is really nice.”

At this time, there are no plans to expand Avelo service at the Concord airport. Yealy said the airline is focused on making sure operations goes right with New Haven first.

“If they do, there’s no shortage of opportunity to plug in other bases that we have in our network and other cities that we have in the future,” he said. “But first things first, we’re focused on getting this to work and take off — pun partially intended —before we start adding any new cities.”

About Avelo Airlines

Avelo is a relatively new airline, with its first flight on April 28, 2021. Avelo has since flown over 4 million customers on over 30,000 flights, according to Avelo. One of the airline’s six hubs is Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). Another is in New Haven.

Houston-based Avelo offers low, one-way fares to 47 destinations in 23 states and Puerto Rico, according to the airline’s website.

Avelo offers advanced seat assignments. One-third of its seats have extra leg room from 32 inches to over 36 inches. Customers also pay fees for priority boarding, checked bags, carry-on overhead bags and pets in the cabin.

Avelo customers can change or cancel itineraries with no extra fees. And, every child 14 and younger will automatically be seated with an accompanying adult at no additional cost, according to Avelo.

Along with Concord, Avelo said it is expanding to Atlanta (ATL), Knoxville, Tennessee (TYS) and Destin-Fort Walton, Florida (VPS). All flights begin in May.

About Concord regional airport

The Concord airport is owned by the city, and is frequently used by NASCAR race teams because of its proximity to nearby Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Concord regional has a single runway that is 7,400 feet in length.

In the fall, Sun County Airlines moved its Caesars Air Public Charter Flights from Charlotte to Concord. The flights operate about twice a month and take passengers to destinations where Caesars Entertainment has resorts and casinos.