Play makes Canadian debut with flights to Europe amid discount airline ups and downs
CBC
Junior Sobral was almost one of the thousands of WOW Air passengers left stranded when the Icelandic budget airline abruptly shut down in 2019.
"I was supposed to be flying a week after [that] news emerged," Sobral, an avid traveller who lives in Toronto, told CBC News.
But he said that won't stop him from using another discount airline, Play, which is headquartered in Reykjavík, and got its first flights from Canada off the ground this week, from Hamilton's John C. Munro airport.
Hamilton — the Ontario city is listed as "Toronto" on its booking site — is now the Icelandic airline's fifth route in North America, joining New York, Washington, Boston and Baltimore.
Play offers trips to European destinations, with a stopover in Iceland, for hundreds of dollars less than competitors. Its summer kickoff promotion has one-way flights as low as $169 Cdn.
Customers pay extra for checked baggage, food and seat selection on the Icelandic airline.
"I never had any problems or concerns with [WOW]. I was an avid fan. I was always on their website looking for the best deals," said Sobral. "I just wish [Play] was based in Toronto."
Play's first Hamilton-to-Europe flight departed Thursday evening.
There are flights to 26 destinations in Europe, including London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Brussels and Stockholm, stopping at Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik on the way.
It began offering flights between Iceland and Europe in 2021 and added U.S. destinations in 2022.
Play's no-frills service means no in-flight magazines or Wi-Fi and entertainment systems, said chief executive officer Birgir Jónsson, one of several Play executives who had worked at WOW Air.
"You basically pay for the services that you need if you want to bring extra baggage, you pay for that," he said at a media event Thursday for the launch in Hamilton. "If you want to eat something on the plane, you have to pay for it."
Play's model is similar to WOW's.
While some travellers may be leery of Play due to its leadership's links to WOW, Jónsson said he has learned from past mistakes.
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