Wow Air flew us around the world for next to nothing. Now the low-cost airline is suddenly no more, leaving thousands of passengers stranded with no way to get home.
It’s a fitting end to a company whose deals seemed too good to be true.
When I first heard of Wow Air, I thought it was a joke. My college roommate said we could go to Iceland for just over $100 and that we should plan a trip.
Looking at my nearly empty bank account, I didn’t know if I could swing it. But one night after a few beers, we bought cheap tickets to the Land of Fire and Ice.
In the middle of winter, without cash to spring for a carry-on, I packed one set of clothes and a bunch of T-shirts. We flew from the Baltimore airport, over the Atlantic Ocean, and landed at an airport retrofitted from a former U.S. military base.
We rented the cheapest possible SUV — an old Toyota RAV 4 with bald tires — and skidded around in the oppressive darkness of the Icelandic winter.
In the dark, we chased the northern lights, and during the precious few hours of daylight, we hiked to find breathtaking views of glaciers and relaxed in geothermal hot pools.
When I returned to college, I was behind on rent and couldn’t buy booze for a few weeks, but Wow had made adventure possible.
Many have the same story.
Wow Air helped Iceland vault to the top of the list of trendy vacation destinations.
Following the collapse of all Iceland’s privately owned commercial banks between 2008 and 2011, the country faced political unrest and a severe economic depression.
But in 2012, Wow Air, founded by Icelandic investor Skuli Mogensen, had its inaugural flight.
Routing all flights between the United States and Europe through Iceland at mind-blowingly low prices enabled many to come and explore the small island in the middle of the Atlantic known as the birthplace of the famous explorer Leif Erikson.
In 2015, Wow Air expanded to North America and more than doubled its number of annual passengers. The airline flew 1.6 million passengers around the world in 2016 alone. Before ceasing operations, it flew to 26 different destinations using 11 airplanes.
With Wow Air bringing a steady stream of travelers to Iceland, the tourism sector grew 400 percent and became a powerful economic force for the small country and its 350,000 residents.
But in 2018, Wow Air began to struggle financially. In January, it announced it was restricting its American destinations to just four. And after a planned acquisition by Icelandair fell through, the future didn’t look good.
But while it existed, it was a boon for the country and for tourists looking for adventure.
The airline’s flights to Europe helped young people cross the Atlantic, find culture, and take incredible photos to post on Instagram. The year after I traveled to Iceland, I crammed some clothes in a backpack and flew to Paris on Wow Air with my girlfriend. In the lounge at Keflavik Airport, I nervously checked that I hadn’t misplaced the engagement ring I brought along.
When I stepped back onto the Magenta plane parked at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, my fiancee and I began to plan our wedding. Next to a frosty window in Iceland’s airport, we called our parents to announce our engagement.
Travelers will miss the perfectly coiffed Icelandic stewardesses, the stylish magenta logos, and, of course, the rock-bottom prices. But most of all, we will miss the adventures.
Mark Naida is editorial page fellow at the Detroit News.
