Avelo Airlines. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
MOSINEE, WI (WSAU) — Central Wisconsin Airport celebrated the landing of Avelo Airlines’ first flight on Thursday.
Avelo’s Head of People and Customer Experience Victoria Stennes says her company is proud to add CWA to their growing roster of more than 40 regional and international airports, covering half of the United States. “I understand some of the competition has diminished a bit [at CWA] so we see this as a great opportunity. [We offer] a little bit bigger airplane and a destination that, we understand, is the #1 destination out of here.”
Those changes that she’s referring to include the loss of United Airlines service, leaving CWA with only Delta and American flights, and the complete loss of service to Detroit. Those changes have left CWA with just a handful of flights daily between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Stennes says adding a new direct destination like Orlando means travelers won’t have to connect through those larger facilities and risk losing hours from their vacation due to a delay or baggage complication. “The convenience factor that we will bring to our customers up here we think is incredibly exciting.”
She also sees this as a marketing tool for Central Wisconsin, offering Central Florida residents the opportunity to fly directly to Central Wisconsin to ski Granite Peak, partake in snowshoeing or cross-country skiing at Nine Mile Park, or see family and take in all of the other seasonal offerings in the area.
Avelo Airlines ribbon cutting at CWA. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
The plane landed a few minutes early at CWA and was greeted by a water cannon salute from the CWA firefighting staff. The flight crew then participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony facilitated by the Greater Wausau Chamber and Mosinee Chamber leadership before taking a break. The return flight to MCO took off after 7 PM.
The Mosinee-to-Orlando flights will typically run about 3 hours and 15 minutes. Airport Director Brian Grefe noted that the “heat map” for Avelo shows residents from all corners of Wisconsin into Michigan’s Upper Penisula are taking advantage of the route. Stennes says that data will be considered when it comes time to expand service to CWA. “Grefe shared [that information with me] earlier and I think for Avelo it would exceed our expectations. We knew this was a community rich with opportunity, and that we would maybe get some traffic spilling in from other community airports served by our competition. But when we saw the reach being far across the state and into the UP, that was incredibly rewarding to us to see this early.”
That passenger traffic, especially from the first 90 days of service, will be one metric that Avelo’s route planners will consider when it comes time to expand the Orlando route. The current schedule focuses on one round-trip each day on Thursdays and Sundays, with some Tuesday service added from the end of November to early January. Stennes says if the data and passenger count support an expansion of the route, either more flights on those days or added flights on other days of the week, they won’t hesitate to make that call. They’ll also rely on old-fashioned word-of-mouth when it comes time to add routes, something that must be done carefully. Avelo can’t just add a flight to their hub in New Haven, CT, or Durham, NC from CWA and expect instant results.
But one destination that may require very little thought for those planners would be Las Vegas. “I have heard an awful lot already about Las Vegas,” said Stennes. “I am taking that back to our planning team immediately. We want to expand. Our planning team is in constant contact with our communities, the airport authority [asking] ‘What are the opportunities? Where do your customers want to go?’ all of that is a continuous dialog.”
Avelo is currently booking flights through the end of April. Prices for the MCO-CWA route can range from $39-$115, though travelers should note that there are extra fees for carry-on or checked baggage. Selecting your seat and priority boarding can also bring an extra fee.
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