Avelo Airlines celebrates new milestone at Sonoma County airport

It’s been three years and three days since Avelo Airlines made its entree into the aviation industry with its inaugural flight between Hollywood-Burbank Airport and Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport.

On Wednesday, Avelo celebrated a new regional milestone as the airline debuted its base operations at the Sonoma County airport and launched service to four markets in addition to the four it already serves. Existing destinations are Burbank, Las Vegas, Palm Springs and central Oregon.

The inaugural flight to Montana was scheduled for 7 a.m. with 40 passengers, including Margaret Pickens from Anderson Valley.

“I have an old friend … she lives in Missoula, so Kalispell is close enough, so she’s going to pick me up,” Pickens said.

When it comes to flying Avelo or Alaska Airlines on the routes both serve from Sonoma County, passengers said they were swayed most by cost and convenience.

“(Avelo) is my first choice, moneywise, if it works out,” said Monica Patterson of Santa Rosa. She was heading to Kalispell to visit a friend who moved there about four years ago. “I’m just pretty excited.”

Toby Treu of Petaluma was on her way to Kalispell to see her son.

“This is great,” Treu said. She already flies out of the Sonoma County airport whenever possible because it’s easier than traveling to Oakland International Airport and San Francisco International Airport. “The more (Avelo) adds on, the more we will fly.”

For Sebastopol’s Willy and Connie Van Riet, Avelo’s new Montana flight will make it easier to visit their daughter and son-in-law.

“We’re excited because it’s a direct flight to Kalispell, and it cuts out a six-hour wait up in Seattle,” said Connie Van Riet, referring to Alaska’s regional service from its Washington hub. “I’ve done this multiple times, but when I found out that Kalispell was in the Avelo flights, we booked the first flight.”

Greg Baden, chief operating officer for Houston-based Avelo, gave an inaugural speech as Avelo personnel handed out goodie bags to boarding passengers.

Baden told the Business Journal afterward that Avelo’s growth at the regional airport has proven to be a “recipe for success” for the company’s business model. The airline started service April 28, 2021, beginning with Burbank and now offers eight destinations from Wine Country.

“This is a smaller airport around a large populated area that's usually underserved, or not served at all,” Baden said, adding that Avelo’s pricing structure and convenience has been key to its growth so far. “I wish it would have happened a little sooner, but we had COVID and we had a lot of other obstacles — war in Ukraine and high fuel prices. But we’re right on course and happy to be here.”

Pickens already booked her next trip on another of Avelo’s new routes.

“In a month, I’ll be visiting another dear old friend who lives in Idaho, and we’re going to meet in Boise,” she said. “I’ll fly Avelo again just because it’s convenient. Otherwise, I don’t know how I would be able to see these people. They live in real out-of-the-way places like I do.”