Budget airline drops new Caribbean flight from RDU before it even starts
Apparently the Bahamas is just not that popular a destination for Triangle travelers.
For the second time in about a year, an airline has canceled nonstop flights between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and the Bahamas, this time before the first one ever took off.
Avelo Airlines says it won’t begin flying between RDU and Nassau, the island nation’s capital, after all. The low-cost carrier had announced the new service in March, setting a start date of June 11.
But sales weren’t what the company expected, according to spokeswoman Courtney Goff.
“The demand and bookings were not where we wanted them to be to be successful,” Goff wrote in an email.
Avelo was the only airline selling tickets between the Triangle and the Bahamas. In late 2022, BahamasAir began flying nonstop between RDU and Freeport on Grand Bahama Island but quietly discontinued that service last year.
Nassau was to be the third Caribbean destination for Avelo from RDU. In February, the carrier began flying nonstop from the Triangle to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Goff said those flights are still doing well, as are ones from RDU to seven domestic destinations, including Manchester, New Hampshire, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. She said the lack of demand to the Bahamas was surprising, given that the other Caribbean flights “are still booking pretty well.”
Avelo’s Nassau flight would have been one of a record 15 international flights from RDU. The 14 that remain include new nonstops to Bermuda on BermudAir, which began last month. Air Canada and WestJet each announced new nonstops to cities in western Canada starting in June.
This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 3:28 PM.
