Budget airline Avelo has quietly scrapped its entire international network, cancelling all six routes to the Caribbean and refocusing on domestic flying. Every international service ended in January, leaving popular sun destinations like Cancún, Montego Bay and Punta Cana without the carrier.

The Texas-based ultra-low-cost carrier only started flying internationally in November 2024, when it launched Hartford's Bradley International Airport to both Cancún and Montego Bay. More routes followed in February 2025: Punta Cana from Hartford, plus Montego Bay and Punta Cana from Raleigh-Durham. Wilmington in North Carolina got a single international link to Punta Cana in December 2025 — it lasted barely a few weeks before Avelo blamed weak demand and pulled out, leaving the airport with no international service at all.

So why did it go wrong? The numbers tell the story. Aviation analytics firm Cirium shows Avelo averaged a weighted load factor of just 68.5% across roughly 93,500 international round-trip passengers. Airlines generally need above 80% to turn a profit, and even the best month — around 79% in June 2025 — slipped away once the summer peak passed. Most of the routes also had no direct competition, which sounds good until you realise it can simply mean nobody wants to fly them.

The cancellations are part of a wider restructuring. After financial losses and fleet changes, Avelo is going back to basics: no-frills fares on secondary-airport domestic routes, where extras like bags, meals and seat selection cost more. There are no immediate plans to return to international skies.

If you booked or were hoping to use Avelo for a Caribbean getaway, you'll need to look elsewhere. Travellers from Hartford still have options to Cancún with Frontier and JetBlue, and Raleigh-Durham keeps Punta Cana service with American Airlines. The Montego Bay and Punta Cana routes from Hartford, and Raleigh's Jamaica link, now have no direct competitor — expect connections through other hubs instead of nonstops.

For most holidaymakers the impact is limited to a handful of East Coast airports, but it's a reminder that ultra-low-cost international routes are fragile. If a budget carrier launches a cheap nonstop from your local airport, enjoy it while it lasts — and keep an eye on schedule changes if you've booked far ahead.