WOW Air, which has been earning its name with an aggressive expansion plan and tickets as low as $99 with advance purchase, is adding nonstop flights to Iceland from four Midwestern American cities that, until now, have not enjoyed them.
This spring, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, and St. Louis get their own routes to Reykjavik. Once there, WOW also connects to Northern Europe.
WOW already flies from cities you might expect to see: New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Boston, Toronto, Miami, and San Francisco. Adding smaller American cities (Pittsburgh was already announced) will dramatically trim the cost of a flight for millions of people since it will make changing planes in those major hub airports unnecessary.
Remember that $99 fee is just a lead-in price, and it's only available on one flight per week. WOW is one of those airlines that seems cheaper than it really is because you get charged extra for everything: Checked baggage starts at $48; requesting a seat assignment is $3–$38. Small carry-ons are free, but if your bag weighs more than 11 pounds, you'll have to pay at least $29 to bring it on board. And the fare for your return flight will probably be more than $99. But even with all the fees, it's still possible to cobble together an itinerary for $400 or less.
Flights from the new destinations won't start until 2018, but tickets are on sale already at WOWair.us.
