Is WOW Air making a comeback? A cryptic Facebook post made public in the last hour indicates something is coming soon. But what that 'something' is, we're still not sure of. Could this be the revival of the fallen airline? Or is it a cruel marketing strategy for something else...We are now close to a year since WOW Air suspended its operations and collapsed. Leading up to the full bankruptcy was a failed acquisition by Indigo Partners, as well as failed talks with full-service rival Icelandair. The famously purple airline had been facing financial difficulties for roughly five months prior to the collapse. In fact, the CEO of the company even had to use his own money to prop it up at one point.
The cryptic message
This message was posted at approximately 9pm UTC on the airline's Facebook page:
With over 60 shares and more than 300 comments, there's already a good deal of attention with the post. However, a lot of the attention is pretty negative, with some comments blasting the company for not paying compensation or leaving travelers stranded due to its sudden collapse. Also mixed in with these comments are a good deal of people wanting the airline to get back in business.
What in the world is WOW World?
At this point, there is very little indication as to what WOW World could be. There are two possibilities from our perspective:
The name of a new airline: In September we wrote about a possible revival of the Icelandic budget carrier. The reincarnation would start with a route between Washington D.C. and Keflavik and the airline was to keep WOW’s original brandings and logos. This relaunch of the airline was reported to be in October - obviously, that never materialized. Maybe now is the time?
A new café: Far less exciting, we had also covered the news that a WOW Air branded café was coming soon. Even with the original story, there were very few details about the café. We put forward the idea that maybe the café would also be a sales office for tickets on the actual airline. We still have no idea.
However, looking at the Facebook post, there is mention of 'clean cuisine'. I' only flew on WOW Air once but I don't think people ever chose to fly the airline because of its meal options... I certainly didn't. That could be the key phrase that suggests that the post is closer to a café launch than an airline re-launch.
Conclusion
The mysterious post gives no details except to say that WOW Air is giving way to WOW World. As the website gives visitors nothing more than a big bold logo, this move is clearly meant to build suspense, generate some curiosity, and create a buzz.
What do you think WOW World is all about? Could it actually be the long-awaited reincarnation of WOW Air? Or something far less exciting? Let us know how you would interpret the Facebook post!
We sent WOW Air an email with a request for more information, however, the 'airline' has yet to respond to our inquiry. This article will be updated if any new information is received.