Over the last few years we have seen an explosion of cheap fares to Europe, particularly to Iceland. Love them or hate them, there is no denying that low-cost European carriers are putting pressure on American legacy airlines, and reducing prices in the process. In addition, cities like Cleveland, St. Louis and Pittsburgh now have non-stop flights to the Old World, making it easier for families to take the leap.
One carrier that is constantly adding new routes from Europe to US (and v.v.) is WOWAir It’s not uncommon to find flights to Iceland for only $100 one-way, which is a fantastic deal. Sure, many of these specials are only valid during winter. But it doesn’t seem to deter some folks, like our uncle Les. He is actually only a few years older than my husband (it’s a long story). Les is our favorite uncle, especially in light of recent developments. It’s an inside family joke that Les will understand, I’m sure!
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p style=”text-align: center;”>Enjoying famous Blue Lagoon with wife and daughter
Anyway, I wanted to ask him a few questions about his trip and hopefully, it will benefit some of you guys. Without further ado:
1) First of all, what Floridian goes to Iceland in the dead of winter? Were you at all concerned about the weather?
2) Can you give us a basic cost breakdown?
3) Did you like WOW Air? How does it compare to legacy carriers?
It’s like Frontier or Allegiant. No frills. Which I don’t mind at all. It gets you there. Cheap. Period. I hear people complain about the budget carriers, but most of the complainers don’t seem to comprehend how the budget carriers work. If you understand going in that you will have no frills and you WILL pay for seat selection, early boarding, early check-in, carry-on luggage, checked baggage, drinks etc, then you can modify your travel style to accommodate those things.
With WOW, they do assign seats, and if you don’t choose to pay for seat choices, they don’t guarantee that your group will sit together. However, if you check in as early as possible (24 hrs ahead), there are enough seats still available that the computer will assign them in consecutive order and there is a good probability that your whole group will be seated together.
We did this prior to our outbound flight and had no problems. In Iceland, however, the website wouldn’t allow us to complete the check-in process. So we got to the airport three hours prior to the flight and still could not check in at the kiosk. We found out when we finally got to the desk that the reason we could not check in electronically was because we were re-entering the United States. So apparently, the security measures require physically checking your travel documents. Because we were early, we were at the head of the line. Many seats were still available, so we sat together.
Another way to minimize costs and frustration is to work with what is most cost-effective, luggage-wise. We usually don’t check baggage. However, since WOW charges for carry-on bags, it was more cost-effective to bring one checked bag for the family instead of individual carry-ons, make effective use of backpacks, and travel as light as possible.
I love budget airlines (we’ll be flying Ryanair on our upcoming Ireland/North England/Scotland trip) and don’t mind using them at all, particularly when a legacy award would use too many points. You just need to know ahead of time what to expect and how to work with their idiosyncrasies.
This mindset helps us to get the full benefit from the cheap fares without getting frustrated with the airline.
4) What surprised you most about Iceland?
5) Do you feel it’s a good place to visit for someone who has never been to Europe?
We absolutely loved it and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
I’ve been eyeing Iceland ever since Wow started flying their from Miami. It looks like it was an amazing and affordable trip.
Well, I’ve got bad news for you. It looks like WOW Miami-Iceland route will be discontinued. But there are other ways to get there from Florida. Icelandair has really cheap fares, so keep an eye on them.
What? I didn’t know that. I was really planning on jumping on one of those $99 fares at some point.
Was just announced yesterday: http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2018/02/15/wow-air-cancels-miami-flight/
But they may keep it as a seasonal route.