PICTURED: Bud Hafer, airport relations with Avelo Airlines (left) shakes hands with Rick Piccolo, President and CEO of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (right)

Rick Piccolo, President and CEO of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, announced Thursday that the airport was adding nonstop flights to New Haven, Conn. through new-to-SRQ Avelo Airlines. The airline will initiate service beginning on January 13th at three flights per week, said Bud Hafer, airport relations with Avelo Airlines, and with one-way introductory fares of $49.

Elliott Falcione, Executive Director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau explained that, “New Haven was an under-utilized demographic in our portfolio with great demand. If we push hard to create brand awareness in the New Haven area then [these flights] will be successful.”

Hafer further discussed the interest in the Sarasota Bradenton market, “It’s a good growing market, and the Manatee and the Sarasota CVB staff are all top notch people and great to work with and that’s always good. It’s a little colder in New Haven than here, so the desire to travel is strong.”

Piccolo also was clear to credit both the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and Visit Sarasota for their role in bring the airline to SRQ. He shared that adding flights was to the benefit of the entire region, “Our airport brings about $3 billion in economic impact per year. We don’t have any tax funding. Everything we do here is on our business operations. Name me another government operation that brings in that kind of economic impact at zero cost to the taxpayer.”

PICTURED: Bud Hafer, airport relations with Avelo Airlines (left) shakes hands with Rick Piccolo, President and CEO of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (right)

The introductory pricing should be available at the time of publishing.