PLAY Airlines Pulls Out of the U.S.—What Travelers Should Know

It’s official: PLAY Airlines is ending all service to the United States by October 2025.

If you’ve taken advantage of their affordable flights to Europe over the past couple of years—especially the ones with that quick layover in Iceland—this news might come as a bit of a letdown. PLAY had positioned itself as a low-cost alternative for travelers looking to hop the Atlantic without emptying their wallets. But like many budget carriers before them, the business model just didn’t hold up.

PLAY cited restructuring and financial challenges as the reason for its exit, but the reality is: flying budget across the Atlantic has always been a tough game.

A Familiar Story: The WOW Connection

If this story sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen it before. PLAY was actually built by former executives of WOW air, another Icelandic budget airline that folded in 2019. PLAY launched shortly after under the name “WAB air” (short for “We Are Back”), and later rebranded as PLAY.

The strategy was similar: low fares, simple service, and a fleet of fuel-efficient Airbus A320s and A321s. The goal? Connect North America and Europe affordably through Reykjavik. But despite early interest and some promising routes, the airline couldn’t sustain the pressure of rising costs and tight profit margins.

So What’s Next?

PLAY isn’t shutting down completely. They’re shifting focus:

Moving operations under a new license in Malta

* Maintaining a smaller fleet of 10 aircraft

* Scaling back to focus on leisure destinations within Europe

* And stepping away from the public stock market to try to regroup financially

What This Means for Travelers

If you were planning to book with PLAY—or had a flight already scheduled—be sure to check your email and options for refunds or rebooking. For folks who loved the budget-friendly way to reach Europe, this exit means one less option and probably higher prices overall.