Avelo Airlines is adding four more nonstop routes from McKinney National Airport in North Texas before the Collin County field even opens to passengers, Airline Geeks reported on September 24, 2026. Starting December 16, the ultra-low-cost carrier will connect McKinney (DTX) with Denver and Atlanta four times weekly. One day later, on December 17, service to New Orleans and Nashville begins on a Thursday-and-Sunday pattern.
The new city pairs sit on top of Avelo’s original McKinney launch package. Commercial flying at DTX still begins November 11, 2026, with Las Vegas plus Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Tampa—the five leisure markets announced in June. Avelo also said it will base a third Boeing 737-800 at McKinney, a tangible sign the carrier expects enough local demand to keep metal overnight in Collin County rather than ferrying every evening.
“The response from North Texas has been extraordinary, and the bookings back that up,” Avelo founder and CEO Andrew Levy said in the airline’s release, as quoted by Airline Geeks. “Adding four new destinations and a third based aircraft further cements our commitment to Collin County.” Denver and Atlanta flights are filed Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; New Orleans and Nashville stay twice weekly.
McKinney is still converting from a general-aviation focus to scheduled passenger service, and Avelo remains the only airline with announced commercial flights there. That monopoly could change if traffic proves strong, but for now the ULCC is writing the first chapter of DTX’s airline map. Travelers in the northern Dallas–Fort Worth suburbs gain a third commercial airport option alongside Dallas/Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field, with Avelo’s pitch centered on shorter drives, low fares, and a small-airport experience.
Competitively, every McKinney route overlaps markets already flown by Southwest from Love Field or by American and others from DFW. Avelo is betting that Collin County’s population growth and highway congestion will make a local departure worth a fare premium—or at least worth skipping a drive to the larger hubs. The December adds push the winter network beyond pure Florida and Las Vegas leisure into two major connecting cities (DEN, ATL) and two mid-size leisure/business markets (MSY, BNA).
Aircraft type for the new flights was not broken out route-by-route in the September 24 coverage beyond Avelo’s Boeing 737 Next Generation fleet and the third based 737-800. The airline has also ordered Embraer E195-E2 jets for later in the decade, but McKinney’s first winter will be a 737 story.
As of Airline Geeks’ September 24, 2026 report and Avelo’s accompanying announcement, the schedule facts are: McKinney launch November 11 with LAS/FLL/RSW/MCO/TPA; Denver and Atlanta from December 16 four-weekly; New Orleans and Nashville from December 17 twice-weekly; and a third based 737-800. Source reporting: Airline Geeks, September 24, 2026; Avelo Airlines company news.
For North Texas travelers, the practical takeaway is a denser ULCC map from a brand-new commercial airport before Christmas 2026. Whether DTX becomes a durable third hublet or a seasonal leisure spike will depend on how those nine city pairs fill through the first winter and spring.
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