A relatively new budget airline called WOW Air, based in Reykjavik, Iceland just announced that they are starting service to the US in early 2015. They’ve been around since 2011, calling themselves, “The airline with the biggest smiles and the lowest prices.” Over hte past 3 years, WOW Air has been flying from Iceland to about 20 cities throughout Europe, but they are now launching flights to the US – at this point, just to Boston and Baltimore (BWI).
Flights to Boston begin on March 26, 2015 and flights to Baltimore begin on June 3, 2015, and the introductory fares are really, really low. Flights are available as low as $99-$129 each way. It’s a little hard to tell how long this introductory sale will last, or how many seats are available at the lowest fares, but I was able to find a roundtrip (directly on their website) from Boston to Copenhagen in April for $228 roundtrip ($99 for the outbound, and $129 for the return).
Amazingly, these prices include all taxes – BUT be aware, when I say that this is a “budget airline,” they truly are budget. They charge for essentially every possible extra, including carry-on luggage and choosing a seat. Take a look at the list below to see some of the extras.
Summary of Extra Fees
- Small Personal Item (less than 11 lbs) = $0
- Carry-On Luggage (11-26 lbs) = $38
- Checked Luggage (26-44 lbs) = $67
- Seat Selection (Extra Legroom) = $24
- Seat Selection (Front of Plane) = $14
- Seat Selection (Middle of Plane) = $9
- Seat Selection (Back of Plane) = $3
- Seat Assigned at Check In = $0
- Soft Drinks On Board = $2
- Sandwich On Board = $5
Keep in mind that the luggage fees are for paying in advance. If you’re caught and have to pay at the airport, the fees are nearly double (or more). Plus, as far as I can tell, they do not offer online check-in, so you have to check-in at the airport, where you have to have your luggage weighed…so it probably won’t be easy to sneak on a carry-on suitcase without paying.
Even with some of these extra fees, if you pack lightly (maybe just a carry-on), plan ahead (bring food and drinks, or eat before the flight), this can still be a remarkably affordable way to fly to Europe. Since it sounds like they are requiring every passenger to check in at the airport, I would imagine that the check in lines would be relatively long (although they only fly the Airbus 320, which seats 180 passengers, so it shouldn’t be too huge of a crowd at check in, but definitely something to keep in mind.
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