Iceland’s PLAY Airlines has launched its first flight to the United States, becoming the latest long-haul low-cost carrier to enter the transatlantic market.
PLAY’s Airbus A321neo aircraft, registered as TF-AEW, took off from Keflavík International Airport (KEF) and touched down at Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) on April 20, 2022.
It’s a celebration! Today we celebrated our first ever flight to the USA with our inaugural flight to Baltimore/Washington DC and this spectacular queen of a cake @ Keflavik International Airport https://t.co/XycRIoXCz1
— PLAY (@PLAYairlines) April 20, 2022
Beginning April 20, 2022, the start-up airline will operate daily flights between Reykjavik and Baltimore. In May and June 2022, PLAY will expand its network by adding routes to Boston and New York.
“The transatlantic flights will be the main focus in PLAY´s operations and it was a huge project to establish a connection in a new continent. But now we see the fruits of our labor, a well-made, reliable and ambitious flight plan,” said Birgir Jónsson, CEO of PLAY.
The airline currently has a total of five aircraft in its fleet, including three Airbus A321neos and Airbus A320s. PLAY plans to have a total of 15 aircraft by 2025.
PLAY is the latest carrier to join the competition in the transatlantic market. The start-up airline will compete with well-established airlines, such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, as well as the new transatlantic entrants like JetBlue (JBLU).
During summer 2021, JetBlue (JBLU) started its transatlantic operations between London Heathrow (LHR) and New York JFK airport.
Norse Atlantic Airways, a new Norwegian carrier, which capitalized on the transatlantic low-cost gap left by Norwegian Air Shuttle, is expected to commence transatlantic flights between Europe and the US during the second quarter of 2022.