A new airline is making waves among travelers this season by offering $99 flights from Los Angeles to Iceland, one way.
WOW Airlines has offered this deal for a limited time and the trip back tends to cost a little more, but these days you can barely fly from Boston to Chicago for less than $350.
It begs the question, however, what is a $99 non-stop flight from California to Iceland, really like?
WOW Airlines was founded in 2011 by technical genius Skuli Mogensen. After serving on numerous technological boards in Finland, he started WOW as the sole owner.
Mogensen successfully launched and grew the company into an entirely debt free company, something very hard to find in today’s economy.
The airline’s website describes the carrier by stating,
“WOW air is a happy low-fare & high-performance airline based in Iceland.”
The airline boasts recognition for being the newest airline with the lowest emissions in Iceland, as well as receiving Iceland’s coveted Air Operator’s Certificate.
Lesley Bella of Los Angeles Magazine recently reported to Business Insider about her experience on the first $99 flight to Iceland.
Bella begins talking about her experience from the very beginning of the trip; having a taxi driver find the airlines. Due to WOW being relatively new, no one really knows what you are talking about when you ask to be dropped at WOW’s terminal. However, it is very well marked with their signature purple everything.
Airlines today have been able to lower ticket prices by changing luggage policies to include virtually nothing for free. WOW is not much different with their luggage policies.
Bella describes the baggage fees by saying:
“Baggage. You get one carry-on bag for free (that’s including your purse, ladies) so long as it weighs 11 pounds or under. After that, it starts at $39 per bag and $48 at the counter. For checked luggage, one bag (max 44 pounds) will cost you around $58 online or $76 at the gate.”
The staff with WOW airlines seems to be the pure delight of the flight. Professionally dressed, neat in appearance, and wearing their bright flight attendant gear and friendly smiles, the flight attendants are reported to be extremely helpful and accommodating.
Bella discusses the food quite extensively but to sum it up; the food is not much different than any other airline. Like most flights, food selection changes depending on where you are leaving from and how long your flight is.
It is important to note, however, that none of the food or drinks are complimentary on this flight. The cost of food and drinks range from $2.50 to $11.
The seating is very similar to any coach flight you have flown with one exception; the plane is the new AB330, a much wider plane than others. The only upgrades for seating available are for seats with more legroom, and those upgrades start around $49.
Though a flight to Iceland may sound uncomfortable in coach, the accommodations seems to be comfortable and sufficient.
As far as entertainment, WOW boasts a vacation from the internet on their flights and do not offer WiFi. There are, however, electrical sockets under each seat that allow you to plug in your devices and watch downloaded content.
WOW also offers the rental of IPads for $16 which have a library of movies pre-downloaded for your convenience.
Altogether, from the description of the flight to the amenities, the trip still seems like a good deal considering where you are flying. Even with extra baggage fees and cost of food, which you would get on any airline on a trip that long, you still come out paying much less than you would with another carrier.
WOW currently offers flights within the United States, from the U.S. to Europe and Iceland, and from Iceland to European locations.
Watch WOW Airlines receive a water salute from Canada:
