Avelo Airlines has announced that it is temporarily relocating flights that were originally scheduled to depart from Dubuque Regional Airport (DBQ) to Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) in Cedar Rapids, according to a statement on its website. The announcement comes as Dubuque awaits TSA certification and remains unable to operate flights in the meantime.
Affected flights include Avelo's route from Dubuque to Orlando International Airport (MCO), which will depart from Cedar Rapids as of January 14th. The flight is scheduled to take off at 17:50 Central Time and land at 21:35 Eastern Time. The return flight will depart from Orlando at 15:05 Eastern Time and land in Cedar Rapids at 17:05 pm Central Time. It is unclear at this time how long it will take for Dubuque to receive TSA certification.
Impacted customers will receive a $100 Avelo voucher that they can use to book future flights through the airline. They can also reschedule their flight to a later date or opt for a full refund.
TSA certification
The process of TSA certification is one that all major airports must undergo before they are permitted to operate flights. In particular, the procedure applies to airports that serve airlines that operate aircraft with more than 60 seats.
TSA certification helps to ensure that the airport in question is compliant with federal policies regulating security for air travel. Such policies include making sure that only certified individuals are allowed into certain areas, and that screening requirements are on par with safety guidelines.
Avelo Airlines
Avelo Airlines is an American low-cost carrier based out of Houston that has been operating scheduled flights since April 2021. Prior to that, the carrier operated charter flights under the names Casino Express Airlines (founded in July 1987) and Xtra Airways (founded in December 2005).
Avelo operates an all-Boeing fleet that consists of 12 aircraft: seven Boeing 737-700 and five Boeing 737-800. The airline's bases include Burbank (BUR), New Haven (HVN), and Orlando (MCO).
It is worth noting that the carrier flew over a million passengers last year, marking significant progress for an airline that is just under two years old. The carrier also recently launched two new routes from Orlando (MCO) to Capital Region International Airport (LAN) in Lansing, Michigan and Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO).
Avelo's announcement that it is relocating flights from Dubuque to Cedar Rapids ultimately comes at a time when the airline is looking to sustain its momentum from 2022 and set itself up for a successful 2023. The carrier has done extremely well for itself in the past year and a half since its inception, and the recent addition of new routes to its flight network is a step in the right direction as the airline hopes to expand further. Dubuque's delay in acquiring TSA certification represents a bump in the road for Avelo as it kicks off 2023, but by offering flexibility to its customers, the carrier has done the right thing to mitigate any negative effects that such a situation might have.
Sources: AOPA, Avelo Airlines, KWWL