Game Over for WOW?

[Doors to Automatic]

Looks like they have started to cancel flights. Never a good sign...…

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/wow-air-cancelled-passengers-stranded-flights-delays-a8838481.html

[Ranger One]

They also have an A321 stuck in Montreal; repossessed due to missed lease payments. I think it is game over.

[SystemsNerd]

An Icelandic associate gives the following count:
- 11 A320/A321s in the fleet
- One reposessed in Montreal
- One repossesed in Miami
- One in Ljubljana for maintenance
- One held at Keflavik by Isavia as collateral for a debt (apparently legal, even though it's only leased by WOW)

That leaves them with seven jets, and they have eight morning flights, so cancellations are pretty much unavoidable.

[STN Ramp Rat]

or maybe its not over.....

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/wow-air-bondholders-back-restructuring-plan-456921/

i always find it sad when someone wants their 2 minutes of fame by consigning a carrier to dustbin before it happens, it happens too often anyway

[SMT Member]

or maybe its not over.....

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/wow-air-bondholders-back-restructuring-plan-456921/

i always find it sad when someone wants their 2 minutes of fame by consigning a carrier to dustbin before it happens, it happens too often anyway

With 1/4 of their fleet impounded by creditors, 3 failed take-over talks and a forced conversion of bonds into shares due missing interest payments (resulting in the hitherto owner losing control of the airline,) it is perhaps not that much out of line.

[Atlantic Explorer]

All flights currently grounded until further notice.

[Blind Squirrel]

Game over indeed. I'm currently stuck in LGW with a worthless WOW booking to BOS via KEF. People arriving at check-in are handed the following:-

End of Operation of WOW AIRInformation for WOW AIR passengersWOW AIR has ceased operation. All WOW AIR flights have been cancelled.How will I reach my destination?Passengers are advised to check available flights with other airlines.Some airlines may offer flights at a reduced rate, so-called rescue fares, in light of the circumstances. Information on those airlines will be published, when it becomes available.

This is an interesting complication to my day, I'm bound to say.

[Livesinafield]

Sad day for all involved at WOW, I hope they find something quickly

[clvf88]

Would today have been payday?

[Charley B]

Hope you manage to get a flight to Boston from somewhere soon x

[fokker1000]

Best of luck to all the Wow air staff.

FK10

[Blind Squirrel]

Hope you manage to get a flight to Boston from somewhere soon x

Kindly soul. I ought to get back the cost of the original booking from the credit card company, but the price of the replacement ticket will be eye-watering. Currently trying to arrange anything that will put me somewhere on the east coast of North America by tonight while costing me no more than my left kidney--the less pretty of the two.

[Jonty]

Kindly soul. I ought to get back the cost of the original booking from the credit card company, but the price of the replacement ticket will be eye-watering. Currently trying to arrange anything that will put me somewhere on the east coast of North America by tonight while costing me no more than my left kidney--the less pretty of the two.

heathrow might be a better option than Gatwick.

[crewmeal]

Icelandair might be an option. After all they weren't much help for WOW.

[babemagnet]

https://www.icelandair.com/nl-nl/klantenservice/contact/getmehome/

[A320baby]

Blind Squirrel Sorry to hear about your situation.

I just check our load checker at Virgin for the VS11 to Boston this afternoon and its wide open, departs at 1635. Could be an option.

I hope everyone at WOW finds employment soon

Regards

[compton3bravo]

Sorry to hear about your predicament Blind Squirrel but surely if you had any involvement with aviation you would have realised that theyhave been in dire straits for some time. Personally I would have not gone anywhere near them; next one Norwegian anybody?

[Meester proach]

I do hope not, but thanks for the kind thought.

norwegian to Boston, full tonight It seems

[Charley B]

Kindly soul. I ought to get back the cost of the original booking from the credit card company, but the price of the replacement ticket will be eye-watering. Currently trying to arrange anything that will put me somewhere on the east coast of North America by tonight while costing me no more than my left kidney--the less pretty of the two.



Good luck..I hoped maybe you could get on the Norwegian flight or maybe the BAto JFK or Norwegian to same...let us all know ,it’s a horrid situation x

[SeenItAll]

https://www.icelandair.com/nl-nl/klantenservice/contact/getmehome/

These rescue fares seem extremely reasonable -- but my guess is that space is limited and going fast.

[EIFFS]

Kindly soul. I ought to get back the cost of the original booking from the credit card company, but the price of the replacement ticket will be eye-watering. Currently trying to arrange anything that will put me somewhere on the east coast of North America by tonight while costing me no more than my left kidney--the less pretty of the two.

Maybe a cheap ticket to Dublin with FR then Dublin to SWF with Norwegian £187 tomorrow, good luck either way

[ShotOne]

“Looks like dirty pool...”. Well put. It’s worth noting for those travelling on holiday rather than business that “saving” money by booking flights-only as opposed to a package does leave you much more exposed if something like this happens.

[Hotel Tango]

ShotOne, although I do not dispute your point of view, I have to say that personally I find it far more convenient to book holiday travel directly with the airline (hotels and car rental). The vast majority of airlines that cease to trade are already showing signs of difficulties before they eventually do bite the bullet. As soon as I see any signs of trouble I stay well clear of them (even if I need to pay more). Some I never even consider using in the first place!

[fruitbat]

We have a proverb in these parts...

’Buy cheap, buy twice’

[jewitts]

​​​​​​Why so many airline failures? I have travelled a lot in the last year. Not on WOW, but some of their close competitors. Every flight almost full and prices higher than they have been for quite some time. The low prices are only for the first few seats sold and baggage fees bump the ticket prices up. Fuel not peeticularly high. So why no-one making money?

[bunk exceeder]

In the case of Boston, everybody has turned up to the party over the last couple three years. It used to be just the usual suspects. BA, LH, VS, AF, KL/NW to AMS. And Icelandair. But recently, all kinds of airlines have initiated service. Like:

Wow
Emirates
Qatar
Turkish
El Al
SAS
Hainan
JAL

And there was someone new last week. Can’t remember who. Plus Norwegian flying out of tertiary airports like PVD and MHT. In Maxes.... Um, anyway, whatever niche Wow thought they might have was rapidly swallowed up by everyone else turning up. It likely doesn’t have anything to do with other routes but in terms of BOS, IMHO... And it was TAM last week. Which might have been a TAP loaner for the Azores thing.

So what if Wow has gone the traditional LoCo route of tertiary airports? Maxes grounded, “Hey, we have Airbii! “ Might be a different story? Or maybe the Providence market wouldn’t outweigh the advantage of way better connections in giant comfy planes for an extra 30 min drive. Dunno. Discuss.

[bunk exceeder]

And it seems like TAM do direct BOS-GRU now. 4 per week.

[Maoraigh1]

From Iceland Review Online. 6/9/2019
WOW Air to Fly Again in October (https://www.icelandreview.com/news/wow-to-fly-again-in-october/)
"USAerospace Associates plans to start flying between Iceland and Dulles,"

[bafanguy]

I haven't been following the WOW saga so may have missed a critical part of their history. So, WOW has a US AOC ? Has this always been the case or is it part of their resurrection ? Or are they referring to a Part 129 operation ?

"The choice of the first route is also interesting since WOW will not be able to offer same-metal connections due to only having a U.S. AOC."

https://simpleflying.com/wow-air-october-relaunch/

[Meester proach]

Well at least it won’t have Icelandic management .

[Clipper7]

Well at least it won’t have Icelandic management .

Icelandair, Air Atlanta and Cargolux seem to do fine with Icelandic management

[Meester proach]

[QUOTE=Clipper7;10564331]

Icelandair, Air Atlanta and Cargolux seem to do fine with Icelandic management

Hooray.

[surely not]

Nearly all the major US airlines are only surviving because of chapter 11 protection at some time in their past. A tad arrogant to suggest Icelandic managers are any worse than others around the world.