How to fly for $99 one-way from the US to Europe?

July 17, 20150

Friday newsletters always feature luxury travel contests, tips, series, or news.

Today (July 10, 2015): Travel tip: fly $99 one-way from the US to Europe.

The battle over the skies between Europe and the USA has reached a new momentum this week with the announcement of the lowest transatlantic airfares ever offered by an airliner: $99 one-way from the US to Europe. This price may sound too good to be true, but this week it became reality (on selected routes from Boston and Baltimore to Paris and Amsterdam) thanks to a sale by a low-cost carrier that you have probably never heard of before.

WOW Air is an Icelandic low-cost carrier – based in Reykjavik – that describes itself as “the airline with the biggest smile and lowest prices”. The airline started flying in 2011 and currently serves more than 20 destinations in Europe and the USA. They have a small but young fleet of narrow body Airbus planes: one A319, three A320s, and two A321s. While not (yet) well-known to the general public, WOW air does comply with all international safety and maintenance standards, and has excellent pilot and crew training.

To celebrate the announcement of their new routes from Boston and Baltimore to Paris and Amsterdam (starting October 1^st, 2015), WOW Air is launching $99 one-way airfares. From Baltimore-Washington International Airport, WOW air will fly to Paris (Charles De Gaulle Airport) and Amsterdam (Schiphol Airport) respectively 5 and 2 days a week. From Logan Internation Airport (Boston), WOW Air will fly to Paris and Amsterdam respectively 6 and 3 days a week. Of course, flights are not direct but connect through Reykjavik International Airport in Iceland.

The $99 one-way airfares are inclusive of taxes, fees, and one carry-on bag of 5 kg (11 lbs) or less per passenger. That’s an amazing deal, unless you need to check a bag because luggage fees add up fast. In addition, WOW Air is a low-cost airliner, meaning that you will have to pay extra for anything, such as in-flight meals, seats with extra leg room, and seat assignment.

WOW Air is a no frills airlines, so all essential features have been removed to keep the price very low without compromising on safety. Seats lack on-demand entertainment and meals are not provided (unless you buy one). This may seem like a straight-from-hell scenario for a transatlantic flight, but keep in mind that with WOW Air your transatlantic journey is broken up in 2 separate legs of +/- 3 to 4 hours. Note that you will not be able to have a bite at Reykjavik International Airport in between your WOW Air flights from the USA to Europe, since the layover take place pre-dawn when the airport facilities are not yet open (this is not a problem when flying from Europe to the USA).

To book the $99 one-way airfare, visit WOW Air’s U.S. website and book as soon as possible, for travel from October through December 2015 and January through March 2016. Unfortunately for Europeans, one-way airfares from Europe to the USA start at 206.66 euro (which is more or less in line with the cheapest tickets provided by the legacy carriers).