Sad News for Low Fare Lovers - PLAY Airlines Pulling Out of USA

PLAY Airlines A320Neo - TF-PPE

Icelandic low-cost carrier PLAY Airlines is pulling out of the USA entirely by late October 2025, with all three of its current transatlantic routes from Reykjavík (KEF) set to be discontinued. With return tickets in the low £200 region from London Stansted to North America, PLAY served an important role for budget travellers

PLAY was founded in 2019 following the bankruptcy of WOW Air, aiming to fill the gap left in Iceland’s low-cost transatlantic market. It began operations in 2021, positioning itself as a budget-friendly option for travellers between North America and Europe, with stopovers in Reykjavik-Keflavik. Operating an all-Airbus A320neo family fleet, PLAY focused on lean operations, serving secondary airports to keep fares low, attempting to learn from the mistakes of Wow Air who flew to bigger airports, and had a greater diversity of aircraft.

However, recent schedule updates posted by aviation analysts @Ishrion Aviation and @SeanM1997 on X, signal a full retreat from the US market. The final flights are as follows:

• New York (Stewart International) - last flight on 1 September 2025

• Boston (Logan International) - last flight on 15 September 2025

• Baltimore (BWI) - last flight on 24 October 2025

PLAY’s exit comes amid increasing competition on both sides of the Atlantic, and changing travel demands with fewer passengers wanting to fly from Europe to the United States. Its US routes had been seen as a key pillar of its growth strategy, linking smaller US airports to major European destinations via Iceland. Although this could have been part of the problem. If I were going to New York, then I'd be happy to fly into JFK or Newark, but Stewart? I couldn't even point to Stewart on a map. If you want to know, Stewart is 70 miles north of Manhattan!

PLAY first withdrew from Canada in April this year, attempting to serve Toronto and the greater Ontario area from Hamilton Airport. Again, Hamilton is 50 miles to the west of Toronto. PLAY's withdrawal from North America will be a disappointment for more cost-conscientious travellers, leaving Icelandair as the sole connecting airline in Iceland.

PLAY Airline's predecessor, Wow Air

While PLAY continues to serve multiple European cities from Reykjavik, the withdrawal from North America suggests a potential re-focusing on short-haul operations within Europe, and a new focus on a leasing operation. As part of a 2023 restructure, PLAY launched Play Europe, a Malta-based subsidiary set up to lease aircraft and operate flights for other carriers across the continent. This involves three aircraft flying routes in Eastern Europe, with no PLAY branding and no connection to Iceland. PLAY's main operations will continue from Reykjavik, with a fleet of ten aircraft focused on its low-cost Icelandic network.

Will we see Wow Air 3.0?

Sam

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