An Icelandic airline is the newest in an more and more crowded area of startup carriers vying for the hard-earned journey {dollars} of budget-conscious Canadians.
Reykjavik-based Play – which was based in 2019 to supply low-cost air service between North America and Europe – introduced Tuesday it’s increasing to Canada.
The provider stated starting June, 2023, it should provide flights from Canada to 26 European locations together with London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Brussels, Stockholm, and Gothenburg.
The entire Icelandic airline’s new Canadian flights will probably be provided out of Hamilton Worldwide Airport, and all routes will contain an roughly one-hour visit Reykjavik’s Keflavik Worldwide Airport.
The stopover mannequin was beforehand utilized by Wow Air, an Icelandic low-cost provider that provided flights from North American cities, together with Montreal and Toronto, to Europe through Reykjavik however went bankrupt in 2019.
A number of members of Play’s govt staff, together with CEO Birgir Jonsson, are former Wow Air executives.
“We’re proud to broaden Play service to Canada with service in Hamilton, providing each Canadian and European travellers a brand new option to attain iconic locations,” Mr. Jonsson stated in a information launch.
“With our dependable and reasonably priced flights, travellers can take pleasure in their vacation spot somewhat than overspending on the flight to get there.”
In 2022, Play served 25 locations together with 4 within the U.S. The airline says it retains fares as little as $169 one-way by providing a streamlined, no-frills service with out pricey options corresponding to magazines, WiFi, and leisure.
Play passengers pay further for non-obligatory add-ons like in-flight meals, carry-on and checked baggage, seats with further legroom, and cancellation safety.
Whereas the low cost provider mannequin has been used efficiently in Europe and the U.S. by airways corresponding to Ryanair, Easyjet and Frontier, it’s nonetheless comparatively new in Canada.
Nonetheless, Edmonton-based Aptitude Airways has been aggressively increasing within the final 18 months in an effort to seize the Canadian finances flying market.
Calgary-based Lynx, which launched final yr, additionally payments itself as an ultra-low-cost provider, whereas WestJet has been working its personal subsidiary low-fare airline, Swoop, since 2018.
