There’s hope for Florida flights to return to Kalamazoo, airport director says

KALAMAZOO, MI — Avelo Airlines recently decided to discontinue Florida flights to and from Kalamazoo, but the airport director is hopeful they could come back in the future.

Avelo discontinued its flights between Orlando to the Midwest, including Kalamazoo, and a couple of other markets this winter season, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport Director Craig Williams said on Monday, Oct. 14.

The airport will work with air carriers to show them the value of bringing more flights to Kalamazoo, Williams said.

“We understand Avelo’s broader decision to reduce their Orlando footprint and hope that they do not give up on smaller communities,” Williams said. “The airline’s recent decision to serve Lakeland, Florida would be a great fit for SW Michigan and we hope that as they grow their footprint in Lakeland that they will consider the natural synergies that occur between the two communities.”

Avelo discontinued flights between Kalamazoo and Orlando in April, but indicated they’d return in November for the winter season. But now, the airline has pulled out entirely.

Avelo’s decision also impacted airports in Lansing; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Dubuque, Iowa; Binghamton, New York and Brownsville, Texas, Williams said.

The Kalamazoo airport saw rebounding flight numbers in 2023, with nearly 88,000 passengers boarding a plane there — a 20.7% increase from 2022.

But it still pales in comparison to pre-pandemic numbers. Flights from the airport are down 42.1% compared to 2019.

With the discontinuation of the Florida flights, people can still get from Kalamazoo to Florida using connecting flights.

Avelo initially intended to fly from Kalamazoo to Fort Myers as well, but those plans were derailed after Hurricane Ian hit the Florida beach town in 2022. Avelo’s Kalamazoo-to-Orlando flights started at $49, when launched in October 2022. The flights took about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

The Kalamazoo airport also used to have direct flights to Minneapolis and had plans to offer direct flights to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Currently, the only direct flights Kalamazoo offers are to Detroit (through Delta Airlines) and Chicago (through American Airlines). For more information on flights in Kalamazoo, visit flyazo.com.

The new carrier Avelo is coming to Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Thursday, July 27, 2022. Avelo will begin non-stop service to Orlando starting in October. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com

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