Budget airline turf war: Breeze adds 10 routes to New Haven, Avelo’s biggest stronghold

There's a budget airline turf war heating up in Connecticut between the two newest U.S. airlines.

For months, low-cost airline Avelo Airlines has staked significant East Coast growth plans around Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN), which until recently, did not have commercial service.

But Avelo is about to get company in New Haven — and in a big way.

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Fellow startup carrier Breeze Airways will launch New Haven service in December, with plans to operate 10 routes from the southern Connecticut airport by February — including more than a half dozen routes on which it will go directly head-to-head with Avelo.

The two carriers will compete on a handful of routes to Florida as well as other Southeast destinations like Charleston International Airport (CHS) in South Carolina and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in North Carolina.

Breeze also announced plans to significantly expand its presence at Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Hartford over the coming months, where the two carriers already compete head-to-head. The plans, Breeze noted, include future international service.

Avelo announces additional New Haven service, too

For its part, Avelo isn't ceding to the pressure. The Houston-based ultra-low-cost carrier announced Tuesday it will launch a new nonstop flight to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) in November — its 27th destination from New Haven.

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The route will launch Nov. 14 with two weekly round trips on Thursdays and Sundays.

Plus, the carrier said Tuesday it will add two additional New Haven nonstop flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, beginning Nov. 8, and expand the number of Boeing 737-800 jets it operates out of its largest base.

"Avelo is proud to be Connecticut's Airline and continue growth in New Haven," Avelo CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement Tuesday.

Breeze's new routes

Here's the full rundown of Breeze's new nonstop routes from New Haven. The routes phase in from December through February.

Breeze's Northeast growth

Breeze's major New Haven expansion comes just days after the carrier seemed to close in on some of Avelo's territories, taking on the carrier on a handful of additional routes to New England, most notably Hartford.

These 10 new routes are also just the latest Northeast expansion for the Utah-based airline — with New Haven its eighth New England destination and 64th city nationwide.

"From day one, our playbook has included significant growth across the Northeast region of the U.S. due to the high population density and limited nonstop travel options," Breeze Chief Commercial Officer Lukas Johnson said in a statement Tuesday.

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In addition to its significant growth planned in Hartford, Breeze is planning to dramatically increase its Providence footprint, the carrier shared earlier this year, including international service.

The airline is in the "final stages" of securing certification to begin flying internationally, Breeze said Tuesday, with hopes to sell tickets on international flights by the end of the year.

A win for New Haven

Ultimately, as these two airlines seemingly battle for supremacy in New Haven, it's travelers in the region that come out ahead.

Just a couple of years ago, the airport had limited commercial service — at one point losing it altogether. Now, with more than two dozen destinations after Avelo's arrival, it will soon get additional nonstops and weekly frequencies with the arrival of a second carrier in Breeze.

It's also worth noting that New England more broadly has been a key focus for several U.S. airlines of late. On top of Avelo and Breeze expanding in Connecticut (and Breeze's focus on Providence), JetBlue has doubled down on the region as part of its recent network realignment — with a particular focus on routes from the Northeast to Florida and San Juan, as well.

Tweed New Haven is around 75 miles from New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA), about 80 miles from midtown Manhattan, and just 55 miles from Bradley in Hartford.

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