Avelo Airlines Launches ‘Stretch’ and ‘Stretch+’ Premium Seating Options
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Avelo Airlines has announced the introduction of two new premium seating options—Stretch and Stretch+—across its Boeing 737 fleet, effective for travel starting September 3, 2025. The move reflects the growing trend among ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs) to monetize onboard space by offering enhanced comfort options, especially in response to evolving demand for premium leisure products.
Stretch and Stretch+ Seating Products
Avelo’s fleet, which includes 149-seat Boeing 737-700s and 189-seat Boeing 737-800s, will offer:
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Stretch: Seats with 32–36 inches of pitch, compared to the standard 29 inches
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Stretch+: Same extra legroom, plus a blocked middle seat for added personal space
Both products are now available for selection during the booking process via Avelo’s seat map tool. While Avelo has previously had extra legroom seats in the cabin, this marks the first time the airline is packaging and branding them as premium seating.
“Stretch and Stretch+ reflects our commitment to giving travelers more choice and comfort while staying true to what sets us apart: convenient, reliable, and affordable service,” said Brian Davis, Avelo’s Chief Commercial Officer.
These premium seats are aimed at capturing incremental revenue from travelers seeking comfort without the overhead of a traditional business class product.
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Fleet-Wide Implementation Without Cabin Modifications
Despite introducing these new seat products, Avelo will not be physically reconfiguring any aircraft. The additional legroom seating is already present on Avelo’s 737s, primarily in the forward cabin and at exit rows. The Stretch+ product’s blocked middle seat is a new offering but is being implemented operationally rather than structurally.
Seat configuration by aircraft:
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Boeing 737-700
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Stretch+: Left side of the first few rows + exit rows
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Stretch: Right side of the first few rows + exit rows
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Boeing 737-800
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Stretch+: Right side of the first few rows + exit rows (left and right)
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Stretch: Left side of the first few rows
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Roughly one-third of all seats on each aircraft will now fall into one of the premium seat categories.
Competitive ULCC Strategy Amid Industry Challenges
The move comes amid ongoing industry headwinds, particularly softening domestic demand in the U.S. air travel market. While Avelo initially posted impressive post-launch financials, the ultra-low-cost landscape has grown more competitive and complex. In recent months, Avelo has made headlines for branching into government-chartered deportation flights, reflecting the airline’s need to explore alternative revenue streams.
Premium seating upsell strategies have become increasingly popular across the ULCC segment as a cost-efficient way to increase per-passenger revenue without increasing capacity.
Bottom Line
Starting September 3, 2025, Avelo Airlines will debut Stretch and Stretch+ seating options across its fleet of Boeing 737s, offering passengers more legroom and—in the case of Stretch+—an empty middle seat. While the rollout includes enhanced branding and new seat-blocking practices, the airline is not altering aircraft configurations, instead monetizing existing cabin space more effectively.
This shift underscores Avelo’s strategy to adapt to changing traveler preferences and enhance onboard revenue potential amid a challenging market environment.
