Discount airline using Lakeland as a hub extends 10-city route network

Budget-friendly Avelo Airlines announced plans Wednesday to extend its flight schedule in multiple parts of Florida, including four airports in the region.

The airline said its extending what it called its Central Florida flight schedule through mid-November 2026. One-way fares start at $42, the airline adds in a release.

The airline's six-airport Central Florida network includes Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB); Fort Myers’ Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW); Lakeland International Airport (LAL); Orlando International Airport (MCO); Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ); and Tampa International Airport (TPA).

The schedule it's extending is to routes in the following markets:

• Atlanta
• Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina
• Wilmington, North Carolina
• Detroit
• Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Nashville
• New Haven, Connecticut
• Philadelphia/Wilmington, Delaware
• Rochester, New York
• San Juan, Puerto Rico

The extended flights come amid Avelo’s efforts to streamline its network, making Lakeland International Airport one of four hubs for the low-budget carrier, with a fifth to be added at North Dallas’ McKinney National Airport (TKI) later this year, the release says. 

On Feb. 11, the airline added a second permanent Boeing 737-800 airplane, which seats 189 passengers, and a fleet of additional employees to the Lakeland Linder airport on the same day it announced twice-weekly service to Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) to coincide with the Detroit Tigers’ spring training schedule. Later that week, Avelo resumed seasonal service to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) four days per week.