Avelo is now offering service from Salem's McNary Field to Las Vegas and Burbank.

Redmond Airport will add a direct flight to Palm Springs, California.

Avelo Airlines, a Houston-based carrier, announced Thursday it will offer nonstop service from Redmond to Palm Springs via twice-weekly flights that start Nov. 11.

The flights will leave Redmond at 10:45 a.m. on Fridays and return at 5 p.m. on Mondays. Jim Olson, head of communications for Avelo, said the midmorning departure and evening return flights will make it easy for travelers to get away for both weekend and weeklong trips.

“Flying direct at such a convenient time can get you in for a round of golf before dark,” said Olson.

Avelo will use a Boeing 737 aircraft, which seats 189 passengers, to fly the routes. The flights have a roughly two-hour duration.

Olson said Central Oregon and Southern California are a good match for air connections, since a number of travelers want to go in both directions year-round. In the winter, for instance, Californians like to get up to Central Oregon to ski while Oregonians might be looking for warmer weather.

Palm Springs has a lot of second homeowners and retirees that travel seasonally between the two regions, so Olson said Avelo thinks the flight to inland Southern California will be successful as well.

Avelo has been operating a direct flight from Redmond to Burbank Airport in Los Angeles since May 2021. Olson said that route has been successful for the company, with more than 80% of seats filled, and he thinks the company will consider additional expansions between Redmond and the wider West Coast.

Avelo is a discount airline that does not offer a first-class section or connecting flights.

It serves nearly 30 destinations, including now 12 in the West, with its base of operations at Burbank. In addition to Redmond, the airline is adding connections to Palm Springs from Eugene and Santa Rosa, California.

Zach Bass, Redmond Airport director, said the Palm Springs flight ups the number of direct connections from Redmond to 10. Six commercial airlines are currently operating out of the Redmond Airport, and Bass said he hopes to increase both numbers as air travel bounces back from the pandemic.

To start, the new Redmond-Palm Springs flight will be offered on a seasonal basis. Olson said Avelo will consider its options in the spring, once it has information on the number of passengers that have used the service.

The new flights between Redmond and Palm Springs are being offered at a discounted introductory fare of $39 for one-way travel. You can book at the Avelo website, AveloAir.com.