Watch out, Brightline. There’s a new cheap and fast way for travelers to get from Orlando to Miami and back.
Avelo Airlines, a low-cost airline, is now offering nonstop service between Orlando and Miami. The company is testing the route between Orlando International Airport and Miami International Airport, starting at $46 one way. The flight is just over an hour long.
The service begins June 7 and will operate on Fridays and Sundays through Aug. 18.
Avelo Airlines is now the third carrier offering service to Miami from MCO.
Other travel options currently available include Spirit Airlines, which flies directly to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport, or the Brightline train, which costs anywhere from $39 to $89 one-way. The Brightline route to Miami takes approximately three hours and 30 minutes.
Avelo Airlines is based in Houston and operates at 10 airports in the state including South Florida’s three international airports in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Miami.
“Orlando — Avelo is growing again! We’re excited to announce exclusive nonstop service to Miami,” Avelo Airlines Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement. “Our MCO base continues to be an exciting platform for growth for Avelo as we add another exciting destination for Orlando-area residents. Avelo’s combination of low fares, industry-leading reliability and travel-friendly service continues to inspire more people from across Central Florida to travel.”
MIAMI – Another relief flight transporting U.S. citizens out of Haiti landed at Miami International Airport on Thursday.
The Global X charter flight from Cap-Haïtien touched down at 11:53 a.m.
It is unclear how many passengers were on board.
Thursday’s transport came days after the first official evacuation flight brought in 30 Americans to Miami on Sunday after the airport in Port-au-Prince remained closed as gangs continued to control the area.
Amidst a backdrop of escalating gang violence and a worsening humanitarian crisis in Haiti, Haitian-Americans arriving in Miami from Cap-Haïtien expressed relief to be back on U.S. soil. For many, the decision to leave Haiti was driven by concerns over personal safety, food shortages, and the deteriorating security situation.
As gang violence continues to grip neighborhoods, causing widespread fear and displacement, the United Nations has labeled Haiti’s humanitarian situation as dire. Citizens recount harrowing experiences, with some recalling moments of terror amidst gunfire and uncertainty.
“What did it mean for you when you landed and you know that you got here safely?” Local 10 News reporter Christina Vazquez asked passenger Gaston Desirre, who was staying in the Port-au-Prince area.
“I’m just happy because I get to the United States,” Desirre responded.
Local 10 News also spoke with Wilson Joseph who was one of several charter flight passengers arriving to Miami International Airport from Cap Haitien to say they felt relieved to be back on U.S. soil.
“Why did you want to seize this opportunity?” Local 10 News reporter Christina Vazquez asked Joseph.
“Because was going to Haiti for 15 days and (I) already get mugged,” he responded. “The people as for only one person who can help—Guy Philippe, everybody is looking for him to be president.”
A National Security Council spokesperson released a statement to Local 10 News Thursday on their efforts to bring American citizens who are stranded back home:
Local 10 News also spoke with Yves Stinfil who went to Haiti to pick up his 69-year-old mother Marrie.
Stinfil said while the area his mother’s from is not as dangerous as areas north of Port-au-Prince, he’s grateful she made it back to America.
“She’s happy she left Haiti.” At @iflymia spoke with charter flight passengers from Cap Haitien to include Yves Stinfil who went to Haiti to “pick up” his 69yo mom Marrie. While area she’s from not as dangerous he said as areas north of Port-au-Prince—he’s grateful she’s here. pic.twitter.com/9PfGcFyUdx
— Christina Boomer Vazquez, M.S. (@CBoomerVazquez) March 21, 2024
On a U.S. government-assisted charter flight, Ashley Nurilus and her mother Acephie found themselves in a predicament along with other passengers. They expressed concerns as their departure from Haiti approached, only to realize they couldn’t leave. Flight cancellations left them feeling trapped.
“It was very scary,” said Nurilus. “I was supposed to come back March 10 (until) they canceled my flight, so I got stuck there.”
Authorities confirmed the first flight chartered by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis landed late Wednesday in Orlando and brought home 14 passengers who were stranded on the island amid the increase of gang violence throughout Haiti.
The sudden evacuation plan was not in place late last week, signaling a rapid response to the escalating situation.
Details about future flights remain uncertain, with flights operating out of Cap-Haitien, located 100 miles from Port-au-Prince, on a highway made perilous by armed gangs.
During a State Department Briefing on Monday, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel stated, “We are continuingly staying in touch with American citizens and those who may either be interested in hearing from embassy operations or interested in potential assistance in departing.”
“It is not a hyperbole to say this is one of the most dire humanitarian situations in the world,” Patel added. “Gang violence continues to make the situation in Haitian untenable. U.S. citizens should not go to Haiti and those in Haiti should depart immediately.”
Meanwhile, private efforts, including those led by Florida Congressman Cory Mills, an Army combat veteran and defense contractor, have successfully evacuated dozens, including missionaries using helicopter connections.
More than 90 Americans were able to depart Haiti on flights chartered by the U.S. Thursday, according to a State Department official.
The official told ABC News that more than 60 U.S. citizens left by plane, taking off from Cap-Haitien, Haiti and landing in Miami, and that more than 30 others were able to leave Port-au-Prince by helicopter for the Dominican Republic.
This brings the total number of private American citizens who have departed Haiti since March 17 through transportation organized by the U.S. to 160.
Local 10 News reached out to Global X for information about Thursday’s flight and how many passengers were involved, but the airline declined to comment about “any flights operated on behalf of their “charter clients.”
The U.S. embassy in Haiti released an advisory for American citizens looking to leave the country, which you can find by clicking here and here for the latest security information.
Fantasy medieval game Blacktail, Krakow-based studio The Parasight’s debut, lets you play as folktale witch Baba Yaga in her bow-and-arrow-carrying youth. You command her fate, if she’s a good witch or a bad witch, depending on how you navigate the magical, dangerous forest she roams.
“When living memories of her past return as foul, walking spirits,” Blacktail’s website says. “Yaga is faced with no other option than to hunt them down in hopes of unraveling her own mystery.”
I’m excited by Blacktail’s premise—I’m a former little kid with vivid imagined memories of Baba Yaga’s gnarled hands and battered cabin in the woods. Though, I am a little annoyed that Yaga’s voice actress sounds British despite the character growing up isolated from everyone except, like, early Belarusians. I’m hoping the game’s story is so mythic and compelling that I’m distracted by the Anglo-Saxon intrusion.
Release date: December 15
Compatible with: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5
What 2022 game release are you most looking forward to? Or are you keeping your sights set squarely on next year?
