§ Icelandic airline to operate direct service to Reykjavik Iceland from Cork Airport beginning May 2017
§ The new service to Iceland will allow Cork passengers connect to WOW air’s eight North American destinations
§ Fares to the US and Canada from Cork as low €149 one way incl. taxes and charges
§ WOW air also operate a Dublin Iceland service up to seven days per week

WOW air, Iceland’s low-cost airline, today (Wednesday) announced that the airline has added Cork Airport to its route network with flights to Iceland, the US and Canada beginning May 2017.

WOW air will operate direct scheduled flights to Reykjavik Iceland from Cork Airport four times per week – Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday – with the inaugural flight on 19 May 2017.

The new service to Iceland will allow Irish passengers connect to WOW air’s transatlantic services in Reykjavik, with flights to major US and Canadian cities of New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington DC, Montreal and Toronto.

With a short two hours stopover in Reykjavik, fares to the US and Canada from Cork are as low €149 one way incl. taxes and charges.

Flights are available for booking from today (Wednesday).

WOW air became the first airline to offer direct scheduled flights from Ireland to Iceland in 2014 and last year became the first low-cost airline to offer transatlantic services from Dublin.

Announcing the addition of Cork Airport to the airlines expanding route network today, Skúli Mogensen, founder and CEO of WOW air said:

‘We are delighted to add Cork Airport to the WOW air route network today. We’re keen to expand our services from Ireland and are delighted to offer further choice and value in travel through our expansion in Cork. As a significant business and leisure hub in Ireland, we have ambitious targets for our Cork services and we look forward to working with Niall and the team in Cork Airport to develop these exciting new routes,’ he said.

The Cork routes will be serviced by A320/A321 aircraft.

Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport said: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome WOW air to Cork as our latest airline partner. The new service is fantastic news for outbound and inbound visitors, especially as it will offer very affordable transatlantic travel here, the US and Canada.

‘Iceland itself is a stunning country that has become a hugely popular destination in recent years. It is a country, not unlike our own, that is regarded for its culture, beautiful landscapes and friendly welcomes.”

However, MacCarthy believes the real potential is the access to low cost transatlantic travel; “Since they entered the market in 2011, WOW air has been providing very affordable air fares to popular destinations across the US and Canada. With the cost of a return ticket at just over €300, it now means that US travel is even more affordable and I expect seats to be snapped up.’

The airline recently announced their expansion to Miami following the successful launch of transatlantic services from Dublin, via Reykjavik, to Boston, Washington D.C, Montréal and Toronto in 2015 and to Los Angeles and San Francisco in January 2016, with the addition of the New York service to begin next month.

‘Our Dublin service to Iceland and the US, through Reykjavik, have been very popular for the Irish, with passenger numbers growing year-on-year. We look forward to similar growth from our Cork service,’ concluded Skúli.

Founded in November 2011 by Icelandic entrepreneur Skúli Mogensen, WOW air now connects thirty-two destinations across Europe and the U.S. with the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik. WOW air’s annual passenger capacity will more than double in 2016 to over 1.8 million, up from approximately 840,000 in 2015.

For more information on flights to Iceland and North America please visit www.wowair.ie. Flights are available for booking from today, Wednesday 26 October.