There are too many different things that all need to be protested all at the same time. It is overwhelming; none of us can (nor should) try to take it all on. How to pick where that energy should go? I guess I’m lucky in a way that one of the options is a topic near and dear to me.
A few weeks back news broke that a small, upstart airline would close its operating base in Santa Rosa, California, moving those planes and crew to Mesa, Arizona. Why? Because a new contract with DHS was more stable, provided much needed revenue to keep the lights on while the company navigates a downturn in the domestic travel market.
This is the industry I work in. I believe aviation can connect families, link cultures, and help tear down the barriers. And I hate seeing it used to destroy those things.
I know Avelo the company reasonably well. I’ve taken a handful of flights, including two different inaugural trips. I’ve interviewed CEO Andrew Levy a few times.
I'm at MHT Airport this morning for the inaugural flight on Avelo Air to GSP Airport. Finally got to meet the airport director IRL, and the mayor. Plus, awesome cake. #paxex #avgeek
— Seth Miller (@wandrme.paxex.aero) May 10, 2024 at 9:54 AM
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I’ve written several stories about its ups and downs. And I’m acutely aware of just how hard it is for a new airline to succeed.
When faced with a collapsing revenue environment (it is a broader industry problem thanks to economic uncertainty induced by incoherent trade policies, with the newer, smaller carriers being hit harder), Levy went looking for ways to stabilize the company’s cash flow. This charter contract was the answer.
“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.”
– Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy
Maybe this deal means the airline survives and eventually resumes its passenger service growth. Maybe this was the only way to ensure the company’s continued viability, including the employment of 1,100 people. Maybe it means the company’s investors – reportedly to the tune of a few hundred million dollars – stand a chance of seeing that not evaporate.
But that does not mean it is the right choice to make.
Avelo (and others) will likely point out that the company has flown DHS contracts in the past. But that was not the same.
In the past the deportees were afforded due process, not snatched off the street, moved multiple times to evade the judicial process, and put on planes before they could appeal.
In the past they were returned to their country of origin, not a third country.
In the past they were not shipped to a labor camp from which no one is ever released.
These are not the same deportations as in the past, and any company signing on in April 2025 to operate those flights knows that.
Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is “Only a Matter of Time”
Avelo is not the only airline operating DHS contracts. But it is the only one selling tickets direct to consumers today. That makes it the only one exposed to direct action from consumers to show their displeasure with the new line of business.
Protests have cropped up around the country, with New Haven the main focus. That’s Avelo’s main base, operating 4x as many flights as any of the others. If the operation at New Haven collapses it is likely the company will overall.
I don’t particularly want to see the airline fail. But if this is the only way for it to survive, then I believe failure is the morally appropriate outcome.
And since I cannot be in New Haven personally to join the protests I’m doing the next best thing I could think of: Just say avelNO!.
Billboards should be going up in the next few days to remind consumers in the area they have a choice when it comes to their next trip.
Should I be contributing to these protests? Should I be spearheading a campaign against a company in the industry I write about professionally? What will the impact be of crossing those streams?
I wrestled with those questions a lot over the past couple weeks. I asked many colleagues for their opinion. Ultimately, a trusted friend gave me the nudge I needed, “As someone who gets paid to tell you this is a bad idea, I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”
Besides, working to halt these flights is the right thing to do. I’ll sort out the business implications later.
I’m also grateful to the more than 60 people who have donated more than $5,000 to help expand the reach of the campaign.
On a more local note, things continue to move along in New Hampshire as expected, mostly with terrible outcomes.
The NH House passed a disastrous budget on April 10th. It ignores the housing crisis, will increase childcare and healthcare costs for those least able to afford them, and will directly contribute to higher property taxes. On the flip side, it includes tens of millions of dollars in handouts to the wealthiest in our state to subsidize their kids going to private school.
That will not be the final budget. The Senate still gets to take a whack at it, and then a conference committee, followed by a final vote in June. In the meantime, we’re also dealing with other bills from the Senate, working them through committee.
In Transportation there’s just one bill we get to handle that is egregiously bad. SB13 is a bit of xenophobia, wrapped around licensing. We had two others just like it already this year and I’m sure this one will pass as well. It sucks. So much hate, so little empathy. All wrapped in the guise of “fair.”
We’re showing up. We’re mitigating damage where we can. And as a caucus we’re generally presenting a strong, unified front. That’s a small consolation as we see the mess being created. But it is all we can do.