Avelo Airlines is opening two new bases in 2026 — Denver (DEN) and McKinney, Texas (TKI) — and that means cheaper nonstop flights to places like Boise, Spokane, and Oklahoma City starting at $39 one-way. If you live in Colorado or the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, this is the biggest budget-airline shakeup in your market since Frontier and Spirit started fighting over your wallet. Here’s exactly what’s launching, how to book it without getting burned by fees, and whether Avelo is actually worth your money.
Photo by Acton Crawford on Unsplash
What Avelo Airlines Just Announced for 2026
Avelo is a small ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) that launched in 2021 and has been quietly building out a network of secondary airports. In 2026 it’s making its biggest move yet: establishing crew and aircraft bases at Denver International Airport and McKinney National Airport, roughly 30 miles north of downtown Dallas.
Denver becomes Avelo’s westernmost base and its first major hub in the Mountain West. McKinney gives the airline a second Texas foothold (it already flies out of Houston’s Hobby Airport) and puts it directly in DFW’s backyard without paying Love Field or DFW International rates.
The timing matters. Fuel costs have stabilized, Spirit’s post-bankruptcy network is still shrinking, and Frontier has pulled back from several mid-size markets. Avelo is stepping into that gap with a model built on cheap airport fees and high aircraft utilization.
The New Denver (DEN) Routes and Fares
Denver is the bigger story. Avelo is launching five nonstop routes from DEN, with introductory fares starting at $39 one-way for the first batch of seats on each flight.
| Route | Frequency | Intro Fare | Typical Fare After Intro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver (DEN) – Boise (BOI) | 4x weekly | $39 | $59–$119 |
| Denver (DEN) – Spokane (GEG) | 3x weekly | $49 | $69–$139 |
| Denver (DEN) – Oklahoma City (OKC) | 5x weekly | $39 | $49–$99 |
| Denver (DEN) – Santa Rosa (STS) | 3x weekly | $59 | $79–$149 |
| Denver (DEN) – New Haven (HVN) | 2x weekly | $79 | $99–$189 |
A few things stand out. The Oklahoma City and Boise routes are the cheapest and most frequent, which tells you Avelo sees them as bread-and-butter business and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) routes. The New Haven flight is the longest and the most expensive, but it’s also the only nonstop between Denver and southern Connecticut — a route that previously required a connection through Chicago, Dallas, or New York.
Santa Rosa (Sonoma County) is the dark horse here. It’s the closest airport to Wine Country, and there’s no nonstop competition from Denver at all. If you’ve ever priced a Denver–SFO flight plus a two-hour drive north, you’ll understand why this route exists.
The New McKinney (TKI) Routes and Fares
McKinney National Airport is a small general-aviation field that’s been courting commercial service for years. Avelo is its first scheduled passenger carrier, which is both exciting and a little risky — if the routes don’t fill, they disappear fast.
| Route | Frequency | Intro Fare | Typical Fare After Intro |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKinney (TKI) – Boise (BOI) | 3x weekly | $49 | $69–$129 |
| McKinney (TKI) – Colorado Springs (COS) | 4x weekly | $39 | $49–$109 |
| McKinney (TKI) – Nashville (BNA) | 4x weekly | $49 | $59–$129 |
| McKinney (TKI) – Tampa (TPA) | 3x weekly | $59 | $79–$149 |
| McKinney (TKI) – Las Vegas (LAS) | 5x weekly | $39 | $49–$119 |
The McKinney–Las Vegas and McKinney–Colorado Springs routes are the value plays. Both are short hops that major carriers price at $150–$250 round trip, and Avelo is undercutting them by 50–70% on the low end.
Nashville is the interesting one. DFW–BNA is a heavily traveled route, and Avelo is betting that enough travelers live north of Dallas and would rather drive 25 minutes to McKinney than 45 minutes to DFW or 50 to Love Field. That’s a real bet, but it’s not crazy.
How Avelo’s Pricing Actually Works (Read This Before You Book)
Avelo’s $39 fare is real, but it’s also the airline’s version of a fishing lure. Here’s what you actually get and what costs extra.
Included in the base fare:
- One personal item (fits under the seat, max 17” x 13” x 9”)
- Seat assignment is random unless you pay
Costs extra:
- Carry-on bag: $35–$55 each way, more if you add it at the airport
- Checked bag: $40–$65 each way
- Seat selection: $5–$30 depending on row and route
- Priority boarding: $10–$20
- Snacks and drinks: $3–$10
The math is simple. A “cheap” $39 fare with a carry-on and a seat assignment becomes roughly $95–$110 one-way. That’s still competitive with Southwest and Frontier on most of these routes, but it’s not the $39 you saw in the ad.
My rule: if you can travel with just a personal item, Avelo is genuinely one of the cheapest ways to fly in the US right now. If you need a carry-on, compare total price against Southwest (which includes two free checked bags) before committing.
Booking Tips That Actually Save You Money
Book on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Avelo releases fare sales midweek, and the cheapest inventory on new routes tends to drop then. Set a Google Flights alert for your route and check manually on Tuesday mornings.
Fly Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday. These are consistently the cheapest days on Avelo’s schedule. Friday and Sunday departures run $30–$60 more per leg.
Buy your bags at booking, not at the gate. Adding a carry-on at the airport costs $25–$30 more than adding it online. This is the single most common way people blow their savings.
Skip seat selection if you’re solo. Avelo’s random assignment usually puts solo travelers in middle seats, but on a 2.5-hour flight to Boise, who cares? Save the $15–$30.
Watch the booking window. Avelo typically opens schedules 6–9 months out, and the absolute cheapest fares appear in the first 72 hours of a route launch. After that, prices climb steadily until about 3 weeks before departure, then spike.
Use the Avelo app. It occasionally shows app-only fares that don’t appear on the website. It’s not consistent, but it takes 30 seconds to check.
If you’re booking a full trip — flight plus hotel plus rental car — bundling through a portal like [AFFILIATE_LINK_EXPEDIA] can sometimes beat booking direct, especially on the McKinney and Denver routes where Avelo doesn’t have hotel partnerships.
Denver vs. McKinney: Which Base Is Better for You?
| Factor | Denver (DEN) | McKinney (TKI) |
|---|---|---|
| Airport size | Major hub, 25M+ passengers | Small GA field, ~1,500 passengers |
| Drive from city center | 25–40 min | 30–45 min from Dallas |
| Parking | $10–$28/day | $5–$10/day (much cheaper) |
| TSA wait | 15–45 min | 5–10 min |
| Route count | 5 | 5 |
| Best for | Mountain West, West Coast | Texas, Southeast, Vegas |
| Risk of route cuts | Lower | Higher (new airport, unproven demand) |
Denver wins on route stability and connectivity. McKinney wins on convenience and parking cost — you can park for a week for under $70, which is unheard of in DFW.
If you live in Plano, Frisco, Allen, or McKinney itself, TKI is a no-brainer for the Vegas and Nashville routes. If you live in Dallas proper or south of I-635, the drive to McKinney isn’t worth it over Love Field.
Who Avelo Is Actually Best For
Best for:
- Solo travelers and couples who pack light
- People flying short-haul routes where a 2-hour flight doesn’t justify $200+ fares
- Travelers with flexible schedules who can fly midweek
- Residents of secondary cities (Boise, Spokane, Santa Rosa) who currently connect through hubs
Not great for:
- Families with multiple checked bags (fees add up fast)
- Business travelers who need same-day changes (Avelo’s change fees are steep)
- Anyone who needs a guaranteed seat assignment or legroom (Avelo’s 737s are standard 31-inch pitch)
- Travelers with tight connections — Avelo doesn’t interline with other airlines, so a delay means you’re rebooking yourself
What This Means for Budget Travelers Overall
Avelo’s expansion is good news, but it’s also a signal. The ULCC model is consolidating around secondary airports and underserved routes, and that’s where the real savings live now. Denver and McKinney aren’t glamorous, but they’re cheap to operate out of, and Avelo is passing some of that savings to you.
The bigger picture: if you live in a major metro and you’re willing to drive 30–45 minutes to a smaller airport, you can consistently fly for 40–60% less than what you’d pay at the big hub. That’s the trade. Time and convenience for cash.
For Denver specifically, this is the first real low-cost competition on Boise, Spokane, and Santa Rosa in years. Expect Frontier and Southwest to match or undercut on some of these routes within 6 months — which is great news for you regardless of which airline you end up booking.
For McKinney, the risk is real. New airports and new routes get cut fast if load factors don’t hit 80%+. Book early, but don’t book nonrefundable if you’re flying in the first 90 days of a route launch. Give it a quarter to prove itself.
If you’re planning a trip around one of these routes, a flexible booking tool like [AFFILIATE_LINK_GOOGLE_FLIGHTS] can help you track price drops and set alerts. And for travel insurance on these new routes — especially McKinney — [AFFILIATE_LINK_TRAVEL_INSURANCE] is worth the $20–$40 for a round trip, given the higher-than-average chance of schedule changes.
FAQ
Is Avelo Airlines safe? Yes. Avelo operates a fleet of Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft with an average age under 20 years. It’s a US-certificated Part 121 carrier under FAA oversight, same as Southwest, Frontier, and Spirit. Safety record is clean.
Does Avelo fly to Denver International or a smaller airport? Denver International (DEN). Avelo uses the main terminal and concourse, not a secondary field. That means full TSA, full concessions, and normal DEN chaos.
Can I bring a carry-on for free on Avelo? No. Only a personal item (17” x 13” x 9”) is included. Carry-ons start at $35 each way if purchased at booking, and go up to $60+ at the gate.
What happens if Avelo cancels my McKinney flight? Avelo will rebook you on the next available Avelo flight, which on a 3x weekly route could mean a 2–3 day delay. It doesn’t rebook on other airlines. This is the biggest risk of flying a new route out of a new airport — buy travel insurance or book with a card that includes trip delay coverage.
Are Avelo fares refundable? Base fares are nonrefundable. You can cancel for a travel credit minus a fee (usually $25–$50 per person). If you booked a “Bundle” fare that includes a bag and seat, the rules are slightly more flexible. Always read the fare rules before clicking buy.
When do the Denver and McKinney routes actually start flying? Avelo has announced launches rolling out through late 2026, with Denver routes beginning in phases and McKinney following. Check the Avelo website for exact start dates on your specific route — they’ve shifted dates before.
Bottom Line
Avelo’s Denver and McKinney expansion is the most interesting budget-airline move of 2026. If you pack light, fly midweek, and live near either airport, you can realistically fly round trip for under $100 on several routes. If you need bags, seat assignments, and flexibility, the math gets murkier — and you should compare against Southwest and Frontier before booking.
Book early, buy your bags online, and treat the first 90 days of any new route as a trial period. That’s how you win with Avelo.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools and services we’d use ourselves.
Last updated: 2026-09-27