Avelo's Sky-High Stunt: Trading Morals for Margins, One Route at a Time
Alright, let's talk about Avelo Airlines. You know, the "quickly growing airline" that’s apparently decided Delawareans need more options to get out of… well, Delaware. Big news dropped, right? Two shiny new routes coming in 2026: Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago O'Hare. Februrary 12th for Atlanta, March 12th for Chicago. Five flights a week to the busiest airport in the world, four to O'Hare. Suddenly, little ol' Wilmington Airport is gonna have 14 nonstop routes. They're even bringing in a new Boeing 737. Sounds like a win for convenience, doesn't it? More choice, easier travel, all that jazz.
But let's be real for a sec. This ain't just about getting you to a Braves game or deep-dish pizza faster. There’s a whole lot of turbulence brewing under Avelo’s wings, and it’s got nothing to do with weather patterns. I'm talking about the kind of ethical crosswinds that should make any conscious traveler — or hell, any person with a pulse — think twice before booking a ticket.
The Uncomfortable Truth Avelo Hopes You Forget
See, while Avelo's PR machine is touting these new routes like they're some kind of public service, they're simultaneously trying to make us forget about the giant, blinking neon sign that reads: "We work with ICE." Yeah, that ICE. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The same folks who are busy flying detained immigrants out of the country from places like Mesa, Arizona. Avelo, our friendly neighborhood budget airline, is apparently happy to be their chauffer.
And what's their excuse? Avelo’s founder and CEO, Andrew Levy, gave us this gem earlier this year: "We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic. After significant deliberations, we determined this charter flying will provide us with the stability to continue expanding our core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 Crewmembers employed for years to come."
Sensitive and complicated? Give me a break. That’s corporate-speak for "We know it looks bad, but the money's too good to pass up." Stability? Crewmembers employed? Sounds less like a moral dilemma and more like a spreadsheet calculation. It's the classic corporate playbook: "Do something ethically questionable, then claim it's for the greater good of our employees and our bottom line." It's like a kid who steals a cookie, then says, "But I was just trying to keep the cookie company in business!" You can practically hear the clinking of coins in the background.
This isn't some quiet boardroom decision, either. People are pissed. Protests have been lining Dupont Highway outside Wilmington Airport, urging folks to boycott Avelo until they cut ties with ICE. Wilmington city council even passed a resolution pushing Mayor John Carney's administration against making deals with companies involved in deportations. Councilmember Shané Darby didn't mince words, pointing directly at Avelo, saying, "I think it's important that this local airline that we have, Avelo, that's right down the street ... that we do the right thing as a city to make sure that we're not using public dollars to support what is happening with ICE." You could practically feel the collective sigh of frustration ripple through the council meeting.
So, here's the million-dollar question: How long can Avelo keep flying this dual path? Can they really expect to keep expanding their "convenient" routes to major cities while simultaneously acting as a cog in the deportation machine? Do they think a couple of new destinations to Atlanta and Chicago are enough to make us forget the ethical baggage they're carrying? Or are we, the flying public, just supposed to pretend one hand doesn't know what the other is doing? I mean, who exactly are they trying to fool here...?
The Price of Convenience, When It's Not Just a Ticket
Look, I get it. We all want cheap flights and easy access. Avelo has flown over 750,000 customers on 5,500 flights since 2023. That’s a lot of people who appreciate the convenience of a tiny local airport. But at what cost? Is saving a few bucks on a flight to O'Hare worth tacitly endorsing a company's role in a deeply divisive and often inhumane system? It feels like we're being asked to ignore the stench of hypocrisy for the sweet smell of a bargain.
This whole situation is a perfect microcosm of our modern corporate landscape. Companies want to be seen as friendly, accessible, and community-focused on one hand, while quietly engaging in practices that many find morally repugnant on the other. Avelo's trying to have its cake and eat it too, flying families to vacations while flying other families away from their lives. It's a high-wire act, and honestly, I don't think they're going to stick the landing... not without a lot more public scrutiny, anyway. Maybe I'm just a cynic, but sometimes, a deal that looks too good to be true usually is.
