Tickets are now live for Atlantic Airways’ new route between the Faroe Islands and New York, which is set to launch in August.
Gearing up
Announced back in March, the highly anticipated direct connection from Vágar Airport (FAE) to New York’s Stewart International Airport (SWF) will begin on August 22 and continue until October 10. The Faroe Islands’ flag carrier will operate the service once weekly as part of a test to gauge demand for a permanent fixture to its network map.
Flights will depart westbound on Tuesdays at 16:30 WEST, taking just over seven hours to reach New York at 18:50 EST before returning Wednesdays at 10:45 EST after a brief overnight stopover for crew members. The eastbound section of the route is estimated to take around six hours, arriving back in Tórshavn at 22:05 WEST.
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Services will be operated by Atlantic Airways’ Airbus A320neo fleet, offering 174 seats across a one-class configuration. As reported by One Mile At A Time, fares fluctuate in line with demand and Atlantic Airways’ fare bundles, Low, Flex, and Flex+. Prices begin at around $416 for the most basic fare with limited baggage allowance and other perks, scaling up to $866 for the Flex+ full benefits package.
Faroe Islands Tourism
Running through the summer season, Atlantic Airways’ latest service is set to bolster tourism on the island. While a relatively small destination, the region became popular with tourists looking for an unconventional break pre-pandemic owed to its remoteness, natural beauty, and quirky marketing campaigns targeting environmentalists.
The Closed for Maintenance (CFM) scheme launched in 2019 has seen overwhelming demand from tourists hoping to help clean up and repair buildings on the island. Applications for the 2023 cohort crashed the website as tourists from across the globe vied for one of 100 exclusive slots.
Demand to travel to the island has rebounded relatively steadily following COVID-19, with CEO of Visit Faroe Islands Guðrið Højgaard confirming with Skift that it was on target to exceed 2019’s record of 200,000 holidaymakers. Air connections to the Faroe Islands remain reasonably limited.
Atlantic Airways offers four permanent links from Tórshavn to Billund (BLL), Oslo (OSL), Reykjavik (KEF), and Copenhagen (CPH), also served by SAS Scandinavian Airlines. Excluding New York, the carrier operates six other seasonal routes to European destinations. Nordic operator Widerøe also offers a direct flight to Bergen (BGO).
Despite its popularity, the United States has remained an underserved market. In a 2016 report, travelers from the US accounted for just 3,300 overnight stays. Atlantic Airways has floated North American services for several years, though plans have fallen through, limiting connections.
Atlantic Airways’ new route will streamline services. Stewart Airport is similarly utilized by Icelandic carrier Play for its North American operations. Though located roughly an hour from New York City, the airport is set to launch a bus service to and from the city timed to Atlantic Airways’ operations to ensure easy travel for passengers.
What are your thoughts on Atlantic Airways’ New York service? What other destinations would you like to see the carrier add? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: One Mile At A Time, Skift