BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – The sky is no longer the limit when it comes to flying in and out of the Brownsville/South Padre Island airport.
A new economic airline company, called Avelo, made a symbolic flight by touching down on the airport tarmac this Wednesday, May 17, and was scheduled to fly out to Orlando and Los Angeles later in the day.
The Houston-based airline added Brownsville as its newest destination and will be making two flights a week on Wednesday and Saturday.
Tickets are available online or at the counter and a one-way flight costs anywhere from $39 to $100 for a seat. Other expenses, such as luggage, are in addition to that.
A ribbon cutting to announce Avelo service to this part of South Texas was held Wednesday and officials from both the private and public sectors attended the event, welcoming the new business to town with open arms.
Brownsville Mayor John Cowen said having a new airline will connect the city with other major destinations.
“We can now go to both coasts,” he said. “This is going to open more opportunities for the city and for our area.”
Helen Ramirez, the city’s manager, said she feels they have accomplished quite a lot.
“We have a new airline, a relatively new airport terminal, have a revitalized downtown and have become a culinary city,” she said. “We are all working together as one.”
Ramirez said Brownsville has South Padre Island nearby and having Avelo is going to make tourism a lot more attractive.
She said the city offered an economic incentive to Avelo but only on an as needed basis.
Travis Crist, a company spokesman, said Brownsville fits well for Avelo.
He said the company looks for markets with small airports and Brownsville came on their radar for its vibrant economic and growing population.
Avelo took off the ground in 2020 in Burbank, Calif., and it now serves more than 40 destinations across the United States.
The company operates 17 737 airplanes and plans to have 18 by the end of this year.
“We are excited to be here,” he said. “One of our plans is to make Texas a major destination.”
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