Iceland’s newest airline PLAY has unveiled its initial routes to the United States, set to launch next spring. The carrier will fly to Boston and Baltimore/Washington multiple times per week, offering a connecting itinerary from London Stansted with a layover at Keflavik Airport of under two hours. To celebrate the launch, the airline is offering promotional fares between now and Christmas Eve.

Fly to the States for under £150

Icelandic startup PLAY has finally unveiled its first routes to the US, set to launch in April next year. The first destination to see the arrival of the bright red A320 family planes will be Baltimore/Washington, closely followed in May 2022 by Boston Logan.

Birgir Jonsson, CEO of PLAY, commented on the launch, saying,

“Travellers around the world are hungry to venture to new destinations and we’re proud to expand PLAY’s service to the United States, offering both American and European travellers a new way to reach iconic destinations. With our reliable and affordable flights, travellers can enjoy their holiday destination rather than overspending on the flight to get there.”

The airline is operating the flights on a stopover model, similar to its predecessor WOW. This means passengers can book flights from London Stansted to the United States, with a short stop in Iceland on route. The layovers on both services are less than two hours, making for a very manageable amount of on-ground time.

The flights will see PLAY arriving on the East Coast next April. Image: GCMaps

To celebrate the route launches, PLAY is offering special fares for bookings made between today and Christmas Eve. Until 12:00 GMT on December 24th, flights on the itinerary between London Stansted and the two US destinations will be priced from just £139 ($185) one way. The regular price outside of this promotion will see flights starting at £169 ($225) each way.

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Details of the flights

First to launch will be Baltimore/Washington (BWI), with a start date of April 20th, 2022. Flights will depart London Stansted four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The layover time in Reykjavik (KEF) will be one hour and 25 minutes.

Next up will be Boston (BOS), set to launch on May 11th. This route will fly four times a week also, with the layover timed at one hour and 50 minutes. Ticket sales for both routes begin today.

The red A321neos will offer a comfortable transit. Photo: PLAY

Flights will be operated by PLAY’s A320neo family aircraft. The airline presently has four planes, three of which are the larger A321neo variant. All three A321neos were formerly operated by Interjet, and have a very spacious layout onboard with more legroom than is typically found on any widebody.

The price point of these flights is incredibly attractive, very much in line with the once successful model of WOW. There is likely to be a huge demand for these services, as people look to reconnect across the Atlantic following almost two years of travel restrictions.

By focusing on a ‘pay-for-what-you-need’ pricing structure, PLAY is able to offer rock bottom fares to those who are traveling light. However, those with luggage and additional requirements should be aware there will be extra costs involved.