Discount commercial operator Avelo Airlines is making a comeback to Las Vegas with new flights to and from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
The airline announced Tuesday that starting Nov. 12 it will fly four times a week between Harry Reid International Airport and McKinney National Airport, a reliever airport for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Love Field about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas.
Formerly known as Collin County Regional Airport at McKinney, the airport was purchased in 2013 by the city of McKinney, Texas, for $25 million as a general aviation airport.
Houston-based Avelo will turn the airport into a new base of operations.
When Avelo begins flights on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, it will rip a page from the old Southwest Airlines operational playbook by using secondary airports in large markets as a convenience to customers.
Avelo has flown nearly 10 million customers on almost 80,000 flights and currently serves 37 destinations in 15 states and two Puerto Rican destinations, Aguadilla and San Juan.
It’s somewhat of a homecoming for founder and CEO Andrew Levy, who formerly served as president of Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air and recruited several Allegiant employees to work for him.
“We’re excited to return to Las Vegas and make it easier than ever for travelers to visit one of America’s most iconic destinations,” Levy said in an emailed release. “Our new nonstop service between Las Vegas and North Dallas-McKinney provides travelers with a convenient, affordable and reliable travel option while connecting two fast-growing markets. Whether customers are planning a weekend getaway, visiting friends and family, or traveling for business, Avelo continues to deliver the experience our customers value.”
Avelo began operations in April 2021, making its first flights to and from Las Vegas in September that year. In its time in Las Vegas, Avelo offered flights to Northern California wine country, Oregon, Utah and Northern Colorado.
In September 2025, Avelo made the strategic decision to close its base at Hollywood-Burbank Airport in Southern California, and, at the same time, discontinued operations in Las Vegas.
Most of its Las Vegas flights were operated on 189-seat twin-engine Boeing 737-800 aircraft. In 2028, Avelo will be the first U.S. airline to fly the Embraer 195-E2 aircraft, a new, mainline jet with 140 seats in a 2-by-2 configuration where no one ever has a middle seat. Avelo placed an order for up to 100 Embraer E195-E2s in September 2025.
Avelo serves 37 destinations across the United States, including its bases at Southern Connecticut’s Tweed-New Haven Airport, the Philadelphia-Delaware Valley’s Wilmington Airport, Central Florida’s Lakeland International Airport, Charlotte’s Concord-Padgett Regional Airport and, in November, Collin County’s McKinney National Airport.
Avelo is introducing its Dallas service with one-way fares starting at $99 and bookings made through July will include the first checked bag free. Travelers can make reservations at AveloAir.com.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
