Avelo schedules four more McKinney routes and bases third 737-800

Avelo announced on Thursday that it will add four nonstop routes from McKinney National Airport in North Texas, a field that is transitioning from general aviation use. Flights to Denver and Atlanta begin Dec. 16, with New Orleans and Nashville, Tennessee following on Dec. 17.

The Denver and Atlanta services are to run four times weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The New Orleans and Nashville flights will operate on Thursdays and Sundays.

These additions sit alongside the airline's planned start of operations at McKinney on Nov. 11, when it will begin flying to Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa. Those five destinations were unveiled in June.

Avelo said it will base a third Boeing 737-800 at the airport. It is currently the only carrier lined up to provide scheduled commercial service at McKinney, which is preparing to open a passenger terminal.

Founder and CEO Andrew Levy said demand from the surrounding area has been strong and that bookings reflect it. He described the extra destinations and the additional based aircraft as a deepening of the airline's commitment to Collin County, and pointed to low fares, the airport's small size and convenience, and its own on-time performance as the basis for the expansion.