Avelo, the new discount airline that inaugurated service last week from its base in Burbank, Calif., will add an East Coast base this summer or early in the fall.
The carrier said Thursday that it will begin flying out of Tweed New Haven Airport in Connecticut sometime in the third quarter. No routes were announced.
New Haven currently offers service on just one route, an American Eagle-branded flight to Philadelphia. But Avelo said it will contribute $1.2 million to a newly announced $100 million upgrade at the airport, which will include construction of a new terminal and a runway extension. The upgrade will be undertaken for New Haven by the airport management company Avports.
New Haven Airport is located 72 miles from New York's LaGuardia Airport and 80 miles from JFK, according to the airport website. It's also about 55 miles south of Bradley Airport in Hartford, which is served by the Big 3 airlines as well as Southwest, JetBlue and Spirit.
The city of New Haven is also approximately two hours from Boston.
Avelo will be flying 11 routes by the end of May, all between Burbank and secondary airports in the western U.S.
The carrier flies Boeing 737-800s and is offering introductory fares as low as $19, with upcharges for checked bags, carry-on bags and seat reservations.
Avelo is not distributing through the GDSs.