Icelandic airline offers cheap flights to US

An Icelandic airline has announced plans to operate flights from Dublin to two American cities for prices from €149 return, beginning in October.

WOW Air says it is the first low-cost airline to fly transatlantic from Dublin.

It plans to begin flights in October to Boston and Washington from Dublin Airport via the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik.

The €149 one-way fare will include taxes and the flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from Dublin.

The service could be the first salvo in a transatlantic price war. The airline, which uses A320 and A321 planes, was founded in 2011 by Icelandic entrepreneur Skúli Mogensen, and flew its one millionth passenger last December.

The Boston flight — which includes a two-hour stopover in Reykjavik — will last 12 hours and 20 minutes. The Washington flight, including the stopover, will take 12 hours and 45 minutes.

Announcing the route, Mr Mogensen, CEO of WOW Air, said: “Our aim is to transform low-cost transatlantic flights and make travel to the US affordable for everybody.”

However, Mr Mogensen said US customs pre-clearance will not be available for WOW passengers at Dublin airport due to the Reykavik stopover.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Mogensen added that the airline expects to expand its service from Dublin next year to other destinations.

“So far, the reaction has been very good. We fly to a number of major cities in Europe to and from Iceland already,” he said.

“Based on the reaction, we will be adding at least three new destinations in 2016.”

A check on the airline’s website yesterday revealed Dublin to Boston and Washington one-way fares at €146.06, including taxes but not including a ‘payment fee’ of €10.92.

This brings the price of the cheapest one-way ticket from Dublin to either US city to €156.99. The free carry-on baggage allowance is confined to light-weight items. “No more than 5 kg is included in your ticket price,” states the WOW website. Passengers can purchase an additional 7kg of carry-on capacity for €14 each way.

As of yesterday afternoon, the cheapest available flight from the airline’s website from Boston to Dublin in October was €208.09, including taxes and payment fee. The cheapest flight available online from Washington to Dublin in the same month came to a total of €248.36.

Last October WOW announced that the airline would fly from Dublin to Reykjavik, offering the first ever direct scheduled flights between Ireland and Iceland. That route begins on June 2.