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The Cheapest Airfare to New York From Delhi Is Via Iceland
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...is-via-iceland



The catch:

- You pay extra for luggage
- You pay extra for food & alcoholic beverages (water is not free either)
- You pay extra for in-flight entertainment (iPad for hire!)
- You pay extra if you want a blanket

Wow Airlines flight review:
https://thepointsguy.com/2017/10/wow...flight-review/

Wow Airlines video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7cf1NRKceY

As lucrative as this looks, I think it'll end up being a "penny wise, pound foolish" deal.

Who will be on a transatlantic, possibly, transpacific, flight without generous amount of baggage. So, while the ticket may be $199, with luggage, the price will balloon.

This means, bare minimum complimentary food and beverages, and entertainment; most likely none! This may entice the absolute budget-conscious backpacker but will put off the average flyer. Peanuts (pun intended) on a long-haul doesn't sound fun. :D

All this aside, I'm skeptical with Iceland as a stopover: given the weather conditions there for a large part of the year (winter), this could lead to delays and missed connections.

While this may work out for that odd backpacker who has the luxury of time but not of money, I doubt this will be as awesome as the headline makes it out to be.

Looked up Wow Airlines website - baggage charges are approx $2.5 per kg.

What complimentary? What bare minimum? You pay for water too. :D

Hah! An average flyer will at least have 23kg (the baggage allowed by almost every airline on economy). So, that's $53 right there. Add some for food and water and beverages.

I don't think this no-frills model will work on long haul flights. Works just fine within Europe but won't for what they're proposing.

Also, an important point is. When you fly most airlines today, there are part of one loyalty program or the other. Jet Airways and Indian Airlines are part of global programs. So, when you earn miles on say a Etihad/Emirates/Lufthansa flight, you can use those miles to redeem an air ticket for a domestic flight in India. A round-trip Economy ticket to the US gets you two/three flights in India. Wow Airlines doesn't have partner airlines.

I hope there are no extra charges, for using the restroom in-flight! :D

Looks like below are the charges per Sector,
Selecting a check-in Bag: $70
Selecting a Cabin Bag: $50
Selecting a Seat: $12
iPad for rent: $20 (Includes a massive collection of 11 pre-loaded movies)
Food & Beverages: ~$25 for basic sandwiches and stuff.

Unless someone is really hard pressed for cash, don't see any logic to select this over established players in Long-Haul.

But, of course, Ryan Air succeeded by using similar cheap tactics. So, who knows!

"Wow" - Taking the joy out of air travel. Whatever little that is left for an economy class flyer already.

Success, in terms of grabbing marketshare and also in terms of profitability (most airlines are loss making). Passenger load factor of Ryan Air is higher than average too.

I am guessing this model of Wow airlines will be similar to what Air Asia offers for Asian routes. If so, I am sure they will be able to corner significant chunk of travelers!

Last year when I traveled to Malaysia for a week, I had only cabin baggage weighing 6 kg in total. Since Air Asia offered cabin-baggage only fare, I was able to save significantly there. As for food and beverage, since the takeoff was at mid-night and I landed at 7 AM, I figured it is better to save some money than half-heartedly eat meals at 2 AM since I have paid for it.

Low-cost carriers are great since they give an option which did not exist earlier. In the end, it is upto the travelers to figure out how much and where they want to spend.

Sounds interesting. Carrying luggage is anyway overrated; especially by husbands. It should be cheaper just to buy new clothes when you travel. Or wear all you can when you fly. That will show us the real price of carrying pickles, papads and theplas lol:

If they offer a split flight ticket with a few days of stop over and visa in Iceland, I would not mind this option at all. That would be a fun way to have a stopover vacation during a long haul flight. This would also increase tourism to Iceland though I am not sure this is their primary target in the first place!

I have always wondered why would anyone need more than 10-12 kg luggage. I would love to carry luggage only one way if I wasn't carrying stuff for other people. Probably us Indians like to carry our whole room + kitchen with us. I am a heavy sleeper, so lack of entertainment is not a problem. I guess there are more people like me out there. Will try this out when I get a chance.

Wow. Despite the naysayers, budget airlines are definitely there to stay. The low-frills model is definitely working (e.g. RyanAir), as pointed out by Smartcat.

I think for a traveller like me, it makes perfect sense. Usually I travel light - no check-in bags. For entertainment one can carry an iPad or the phone will suffice. Only downer is the food. Even back home, I dislike the low cost carriers that carry just sandwiches, ready to eat meals and almonds as food options. Good food is a must. If they offer a pre booked meal, I won't mind paying for it separately.

It would also open up additional holiday options. e.g. a Europe trip could move the US.

I for one would love to have such a low cost option, especially when I am travelling alone for quick visits home. I recently travelled to NZ on business and was amazed at my ability to travel light. The guy at the Thai airways check in counter was so happy that there was someone travelling long haul with almost no luggage (read check-in).

Coming to WOW air, I flew them from Gatwick to Keflavik last year. No nonsense airline, charges money for pretty much everything apart from welcoming you on board, but hey, they let you know during booking itself about what is in and what is not. Cost me 27GBP one way for a 3.5 hr flight. That's damn cheap. Even if the fare were to multiple by 6-7 times considering the increased distance, I would definitely give them a go, especially for my solo trips between EST and IST and any time zone in between.

Ryanair is an interesting case story. We had it presented during a business course I took some time ago. They operate on a very different business model and different cost levels than the traditional carriers.

They will typically fly to smaller fields and set up package deals with the rental car agencies. Charge extra for everything. (Wasn’t it Ryanair that charges you Euro 35 if you forget to bring your boarding card and they have to print it for you?

Very stringent on standardisation across everything they do, fleet, maintenance, operations etc. etc

Customer service is non-existent. There is simply nobody to take your call!

Ryanair and a few other low cost carriers have been able to capture a large share of the domestic market and are running a very financially healthy business, where some of the traditional carriers struggle.

What is really different with this initiative is that the low cost carrier is now also barging in on long haul! Interesting development! Good for the consumer!

Jeroen

Good point. Ryan Air owns and operates only one type of aircraft - Boeing 737. Most airlines operate 2 to 6 types of aircraft.



Boeing 737 Max can apparently cross the Atlantic safely.
https://airlinegeeks.com/2017/09/19/...antic-flights/