Avelo Airlines is an American airline, regarded as an ultra low-cost carrier. They fly around the East Coast and the West, with their base in Houston, Texas. You can fly to multiple destinations, such as Las Vegas, Santa Rosa, and even New Haven, while maintaining a tight budget.

Their cheap rates are truly out of this world, allowing a wider population to access air travel. However, the question is whether they are any good. This is an honest review of what it’s like flying with Avelo Airlines for the first time!

Let’s talk about some of the positive aspects as well as the less pleasant details of my flight.

Pros of Flying with Avelo Airlines

As an airline that markets itself as “ultra low-cost”, you can only expect so much in terms of service. Regardless, here are some things I liked about my Avelo flight. 

Cheap fares

As a low-cost carrier and a budget airline, you can always rely on Avelo to have affordable tickets available for you and your family. I booked my flight a week in advance, and by that time, Avelo had the cheapest fares. I always try to purchase my tickets earlier because, as expected, Avelo fares also rise over time; the earlier you purchase, the cheaper it costs.

An average Avelo ticket can cost as little as $44, which is truly a surprise in this economy. If you are a budget traveler like me, these prices will certainly convince you to fly with Avelo. It’s safe to say that this airline offers competitive prices that are relatively cheaper than its peers. 

On-time performance record

When it comes to Avelo’s otp, it’s known to perform pretty well! In fact, current statistics show that they had an 83.9% on-time arrival rate. This is pretty extraordinary, depicting that Avelo is up there with major airlines such as American Airlines and Delta. 

Since Avelo focuses on serving smaller airports, you can enjoy quick transfers and smoother airport experiences. While small airports will be more crowded during busy times, it’s a win-win overall.

Data also shows that Avelo had one of the lowest flight cancellation rates, further strengthening its position in the market and encouraging customer trust. When I flew with them, our flight departed with little to no delay, and it landed on time, which we all appreciated. You can expect low-cost airlines to have their flaws here and there, but that wasn’t the case with Avelo!

Other benefits

• One thing that I really liked about Avelo is their flexible cancellation policy. While most of its peers are rigid, Avelo offers passengers the value of their flight and allows them to fly at a future date. You can cancel your flight and get a full refund as long as you do so within 24 hours of booking. I didn’t feel the need to cancel, but I was glad to see the option either way. 
• While other ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCC) such as Spirit charge additional fees for printing boarding passes at the airport, Avelo doesn’t. Technically, the base fare is for the boarding pass, so they print it for free. This was a big difference, certainly a good one.
• Avelo had clean aircraft, and the overall aesthetics were pleasant as well. It wasn’t necessarily fancy,y but thankfully, we didn’t run into anything unsanitary.

Cons of Flying with Avelo Airlines

Now that we have discussed some of the positive aspects, let’s talk about the unpleasant details of my flight. 

La carte business model

Even though it’s pretty much common knowledge for low-cost carriers to have a la carte business models, it never stops being unpleasant. With Avelo, it’s important not to fall for their cheap rates without estimating everything else. Once you purchase the ticket, everything else is categorized as “add-on” or optional services. Much like its competitors, Avelo also advertises “cheap rates” to attract customers. Little do first-time fliers realize that the price is just a “base fare” and all the other essentials are add-ons. Hence, requiring extra fees. This includes everything from seat selection and baggage to suitable leg room and priority boarding. 

Avelo is a good option for people who fly light. I had to pay an extra $35 for a checked bag, but my travel partner, who only packed personal items in a carry-on bag, ended up paying more. Turns out Avelo charges more for carry-ons than checked luggage. People can skip seat selection if they don’t mind being seated anywhere; Avelo has confirmed that their seat assignment is truly random. Either way, if you are lured by the cheap rates on their website, please take a minute to calculate the cost of all the optional services that you want.

In-flight experience 

Unfortunately, Avelo failed to provide a comfortable in-flight experience. In terms of their seat designs and layout, Avelo is right up there with Spirit and Frontier (and not in a good way!). The seats were so close together that there was no personal space whatsoever. Not only that, but the limited legroom gave me terrible cramps. I didn’t think it was possible for an airline to have worse padding than Spirit, but Avelo made me second-guess that assumption.

After my 4-hour flight, I got out with back pain and sore legs, which didn’t earn a lot of points. I would recommend future fliers to buy extra legroom, especially if you have a long-haul flight ahead of you.

As for the customer service, the flight attendants and gate attendants were decent but not exemplary. They were pretty professional in terms of behaviour, etc, but they were not as efficient or knowledgeable as one would hope. I think that the gate agents and check-in counter agents were nicer than the cabin crew. Either way, there were no major problems, and staff members were friendly.

Unreliable technology 

It’s not one specific thing but rather a combination of factors that make Avelo’s online presence unsatisfactory. For instance, their tech system is not that advanced; apparently, it can break down at any moment. One of my friends with whom I was flying ended up having a last-minute crisis. It took her several hours just to check in. We reckon it was because of website traffic or some bug, but either way, it was very stressful. 

While I was able to check in on time, I also had trouble with the interface. It was very clear that their website is not well developed. The links were not loading, the system was not interactive, and the overall experience was unsatisfactory. I even downloaded their app, but unfortunately, it was not user-friendly at all. Avelo can definitely invest in this area and make booking/checking in easier for passengers.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, I think we can say that Avelo provides exactly what you expect it to. Their service isn’t extraordinary, but then again, you shouldn’t look for that in a ULCC airline. Considering everything, Avelo offers an overall satisfactory travel experience. I always think that “quality provision” isn’t just about high-end amenities, it’s about providing what you advertised. I was satisfied after my first flight because there were no surprises; I knew what I was paying and managed my expectations accordingly.

You can have a great experience flying with Avelo if you understand the scope of their business practices and acknowledge that they won’t go above and beyond. Given their cheap fares and relatively nicer service, I would definitely fly with them again. 

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