NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Peninsula travelers will soon have to look elsewhere for low-budget flights.
Avelo Airlines is ending its service from the Newport News-Williamsburg Airport, officials announced Wednesday.
A Peninsula Airport Commission spokesperson says the decision was made for economic and market reasons, "which far exceed the control of the Peninsula Airport Commission or Newport News/Williamsburg Airport".
Avelo Airlines' service will officially end on April 16.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Avelo said: “We have decided to end service at Newport News effective April 17. The last flights out of PHF will be Sunday, April 16. Unfortunately, PHF has not been generating the demand we expected and has been underperforming in future bookings. This was not the outcome we envisioned when Avelo took flight at PHF last fall. All Customers who have tickets booked past April 17 will be automatically refunded and we are in the process of notifying Customers about this news.”
Earlier this month, commissioners fired the executive director of the Newport News-Williamsburg Airport, Michael Giardino, in a 4-1 vote. While board chairwoman Lindsey Carney-Smith would not specify reasons for his termination, she said the airport is focused on growth.
The PAC met last month to discuss Giardino's performance and in December to share concerns about the lack of enplanements between Avelo and American airlines.
The cancellation is bad news for passengers like Charlene Morris-Harris who had plans to fly to Orlando this summer on Avelo Airlines.
“I received an email yesterday stating that they canceled my flight and they would be refunding my money in seven to 10 business days," she said. “I was pretty upset only because I’ve already made my hotel accommodation and it was about the cheapest flight going, anyway.”
Morris-Harris said the entire experience has left a bad taste in her mouth about the airline and the airport.
“Well, I can say this, they don’t have to worry about me ever trying to find anything out of there, anymore," she said. “Now it’s like ok – it may be a circumstance that we may have to drive and that’s something that we didn’t want to do.”
Newport News-Williamsburg Airport still holds the Small Community Air Service Development Program Grant. the PAC says it intends to use the grant to grow the airport by attracting additional carriers.
The airport also says it will continue to provide exceptional service to American Airlines and other airport tenants.
Avelo Airlines began service from the Newport News-Williamsburg Airport last October with nonstop flights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. Flights left twice a week and started at $49.
Avelo Airlines is continuing to create new routes, with a flight from Charlottesville to Orlando added just this week. That route will begin flying on May 3.