WowAir is a new airline to DFW. They traditionally offer super cheap flights to Europe, but you have to stop in Iceland. You do not have to stay in Iceland though. My layover going to London was suppose to be 1 hour and 45 minutes, but due to a flight delay, it was zero minutes basically (they held our connecting plane for us and I ran like there was a frog chasing me. If you know me, you know that means I've kicked into a superhero warp speed that you can't believe exists in me). My flight from Amsterdam to DFW was suppose to be about 5 hours, but due to a delay was just over 6. But you can also arrange to spend a little time in Iceland if you want. It's up to you.
I decided I wanted to spend more time in Iceland than I could wrap into this trip, so it's a future trip for sure. This was taken from the airport. These pretty purple flowers were everywhere.
Now here is all the scoop that you need to know about booking and flying on WowAir:
These are the cities from which WowAir currently operates in the United States...
These are the cities to which you can fly...
(I see you Copenhagen & Stockholm. I've got my eye on you)
They have a spot on their website where you can get an idea of the best fares over the next 3 months. You can search by your departure city. Here are some of the examples of that...
Now here is where you need to pay attention when booking: Dates & Price.
DATES: Notice they don't fly every route every day. Initially I was trying to go to Amsterdam and then London, but the flight schedule meant I either had to stay longer than I wanted, or cut my trip short. Finally when I looked at doing the trip in reverse, it worked out perfectly.
PRICE: So the cheap price you see there, isn't going to include anything. But you can pay a little more to get a little more. Additionally, see that MyWOW price? That option is sold out in the basic and plus, but see how it's cheaper to book that than the Wow comfy? Do it! It doesn't cost anything to join the MyWow. It's just an email sign up.
So let's break this down a little more. What exactly is the difference? Well luggage for starters.
On the Wow basic (the cheap eye-catching price), you get to bring yourself and a purse or small backpack, and you don't get to pick your seat. So no checked luggage. No carry-on. Wow Plus lets you have a checked bag, a carry-on, and a personal item, and select your seat. Wow Comfy lets you get all of the perks of Plus, with "more leg room" XL or XXL seat. Wow Premium is more like first class. It's seats are bigger, you get 2 checked bags, plus an in flight meal.
But keep in mind, you can do add-ons. So if you book basic, you can pay for luggage extra (though I think it's usually cheaper just to book a plus ticket). But with a plus ticket, you can upgrade to an XL or XXL seat when choosing your seat. That *might* be cheaper than buying the comfy seat. You just have to play around with it. Another thing to consider, is that I generally found the flights to Europe were much cheaper than the flights home. So make sure you can afford to get home before you book your flight there!
Other things you need to know:
Food-You pay for everything on the plane. Everything. You want water? You pay. You want soda? You pay. You want food? You pay. Shockingly, the use of the bathrooms are free! People in the know seemed to travel with a large water bottle that they could fill up in the airport (and at the airport in Iceland its glacier water!). Also note, they only accept credit cards as payment on the plane, but that's pretty standard for all airlines' in flight purchases these days.
Entertainment- There is none. No tv. No map showing where your plane is currently located. Nada. But they do have a plug near each section of seats. People in the know brought extension cords and power strips to maximize the one plug for multiple family members and devices.
Pillows & Blankets- None of these either. I brought my travel pillow and also invested in a Vera Bradley travel blanket. I forgot my sleeping mask, but that was needed too, as they didn't seem to dim the lights very quickly on the night flight over.
My overall thoughts about WowAir:
I saved a few hundred dollars by flying Wow. I have flown to Europe cheaper on other airline deals, but for a summer (high season) flight, it was a pretty good deal.
Would I fly them again? Absolutely.
Would I prefer to fly on American, Delta, British Air, etc. for the free drinks, food, and extra comforts? Absolutely
What was the worst thing about WowAir? The dang seats! The plane flying to Iceland (the 7.5 hour portion of the flight) seemed new, but it lacked comfy seats and no individual A/C blowers. The seats were just hard and thin. Not great for a long flight. The flight over also got super hot. I don't know if the A/C on the plane quit? I thought I was going to melt and not having an individual air blower sucked.
Interestingly, the planes flying from Iceland to Europe and vice versa had very comfy seats and individual A/C blowers.
So that's a little bit of info on my Wow experience. They certainly didn't sponsor this post (I wish! Hit me up WowAir!), but with them being new to the DFW area, I know lots of people aren't in the know about them yet. There are quirks to flying them, but if saving some money on flights means I can travel more, then I am all in.
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