Ontario International Airport has lost an airline to the vicissitudes of the aviation marketplace.
Avelo Airlines on March 31 made the last of its twice weekly flights between Ontario International Airport and Sonoma County’s Chrales M. Schulz Airport, roughly five-and-two-thirds months after that service began.
Houston-based Avelo referenced “lower-than-expected demand” in making the announcement, with one of its corporate officers stating that the company had been unable to turn a corner in establishing the route as a profitable one and could no longer sustain the financial burden of continuing with that particular route-expansion strategy.
According to a statement, while the airline is discontinuing the flights between Ontario and Santa Rosa, the airline will continue flying to Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport from other smaller regional airports in Southern California, including Burbank and Palm Springs. as well as Las Vegas.
Avelo had initiated what were exclusive nonstop flights from Ontario to Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport on October 10, 2024.
Initially, one-way fares on those flights started at $41, with adequate pre-booking. An escalation in prices recently, taken together with the consideration that the service between Ontario International Airport and Sonoma County took place only twice weekly – on Thursday and Sunday – resulted in extremely low ridership.
Avelo utilizes Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft.