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Icelandic low-cost carrier PLAY just operated its first nonstop flight to the US — see the bare-bones Airbus A321neo flying the routehttps://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/icelandic-low-cost-carrier-play-just-operated-its-first-nonstop-flight-to-the-us-ampmdash-see-the-bare-bones-airbus-a321neo-flying-the-route/slidelist/90987956.cms2022-04-21T23:38:29+05:30

Icelandic low-cost carrier PLAY just operated its first nonstop flight to the US — see the bare-bones Airbus A321neo flying the route

Taylor RainsApr 21, 2022, 23:38 IST

European low-cost carrier PLAY just launched its first-ever flight from the US to Iceland, officially pinning a new city to its international route map.

The airline, which is a successor to defunct WOW Air, took off from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport at 7:47 PM on Wednesday and flew six hours to Keflavik Airport near Reykjavik, landing at 5:09 am the next morning.

"The transatlantic flights will be the main focus in PLAY´s operations and it was a huge project to establish a connection in a new continent." PLAY CEO Birgir Jónsson said. "But now we see the fruits of our labor, a well-made, reliable and ambitious flight plan."

From Iceland, passengers can stay on the island or continue onto 22 other European destinations.

The flight followed PLAY's maiden flight from Iceland to the US that took off from Reykjavik on Wednesday at 11:34 am Eastern time and landed in Baltimore at 5:40 pm, according to FlightAware data.

A water salute welcomed the aircraft and its passengers to the US.

PLAY used an Airbus A321neo narrowbody aircraft for the roundtrip flight, which has become popular on transatlantic journeys because it can connect low-demand city pairs at a lower operating cost.

The Boeing 737 MAX is a favorable alternative, with airlines like United and WestJet flying them between North America and Europe.

PLAY's A321neo is configured with 194 economy seats, most of which have 29-30 inches of pitch. Extra legroom seats are available for a higher fare and offer 32-35 inches, according to PLAY.

Onboard, passengers can expect a bare-bones product similar to Spirit or Frontier. The fare comes with a seat and a personal item, with other bags and snacks costing extra.

The plane will not offer any inflight amenities like WiFi or entertainment, so travelers should come prepared with pre-downloaded movies, shows, or podcasts.

However, the seats onboard do recline. PLAY CEO Birgir Jónsson told Insider that the customer experience is intended to be as "hassle-free" as possible.

PLAY has adopted a casual crew uniform for its flights to capture its mission of "simplicity, fun, and playfulness," with flight attendants wearing t-shirts and sneakers.

Baltimore is the first US market the airline will fly to, with Boston, Orlando, and New York's Stewart International Airport joining the route map later this year.

The carrier will connect the four US cities to destinations in Europe via Iceland, like Berlin, Dublin, London, and Paris.

Jónsson explained that the company will remain competitive in the market by focusing on having the lowest fares, emphasizing PLAY's "Pay less, Play more!" motto.

"We believe the price is the biggest factor in our market," he told Insider. "To be honest, I think brands in airlines is diminishing, it's about convenience, timing, and price."

Wednesday marks the first time an Icelandic low-cost carrier has flown to the US since WOW Air ceased operations in 2019.

WOW suffered from financial burdens independent of the pandemic, abruptly ceasing operations on March 28, 2019, and leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the world.

While WOW failed, Jónsson says PLAY will prevail because it is focusing on the aspects of WOW that made it successful and abandoning its predecessor's high-cost practices, like flying widebody planes from Los Angeles to Europe and into Asia.

"Our model is different because we are entering a widebody market with a narrowbody jet," he explained. "These routes really aren't long-haul and because we are using the geographic location of Iceland, we don't need a widebody jet between major cities, which is the market that's failed."

"[WOW Air] completely changed their business model and that's where they lost control of the cost," Jónsson continued. "Play is using the best part of WOW's business model, which is one that has been successful in this market for decades."

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Icelandic low-cost carrier PLAY just operated its first nonstop flight to the US &mdash; see the bare-bones Airbus A321neo flying the route