WOW Air, known for $99 Europe fares, adds first city in Midwest

WOW Air, the Icelandic discounter known for its $99 one-way fares to Europe, announced Chicago as its latest U.S. destination.

WOW is set to begin flying from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on July 13. The airline will fly four weekly flights – one round trip each Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday – to its hub near Reykjavik. Connections will be available via Reykjavik to 23 European destinations, including Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Frankfurt and Paris. WOW will fly Airbus A321 narrowbody jets on the route.

“The addition of Chicago to WOW Air’s growing list of destinations is part of our ongoing strategy to deliver even greater flexibility and convenience to our passengers, with more connections from North America to Europe via our Iceland hub,” Skúli Mogensen, WOW’s founder and CEO, said in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with O’Hare International Airport, the third busiest airport in the United States, to bring our promise of affordable transatlantic travel to the Midwest.”

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As it typically does when announcing new cities, WOW rolled out sale fares of $99 one-way to Iceland ($169 and up on the return) and $149 to connecting ($189 and up return) destinations elsewhere in Europe. A quick search of the carrier's website on Monday morning showed some $99 fares were available, though the availability of those fares was somewhat limited.

While WOW's base fares are often sold at rock-bottom prices, customers should know they'll pay a fee for nearly everything beyond a guaranteed seat somewhere on the plane. Part of a new breed of "ultra low cost carriers" that are expanding both in the USA and around the world, WOW charges a fee for everything from seat assignments to carry-on bags.

The announcement highlights WOW’s continued rapid expansion in North America. Chicago will become WOW’s eighth destination in the United States. WOW launched in 2012 and began flying to the United States in 2015.

WOW’s other U.S. destinations are Boston, Baltimore/Washington, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark and San Francisco. Flights to Miami begin next month while Pittsburgh flights launch in June. WOW Air also flies to two Canadian cities, flying to Reykjavik from both Toronto and Montreal.

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