WOW Air Goes Bust, Stranding Passengers In U.S. And Europe

Icelandic budget airline WOW Air ceased operations on Thursday, stranding passengers across two continents. In a statement on its website the airline, which had earlier suspended all its flights, told passengers there would be no further flights and advis

Thursday, March 28th 2019, 10:31 am

By: News 9

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WOW Air Goes Bust, Stranding Passengers In U.S. And Europe

WOW grounded at least six planes in North America that were set to leave late Wednesday from Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Detroit, New York and Baltimore. In Europe, Reykjavik-bound planes from seven cities – Amsterdam, Dublin, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Frankfurt and Copenhagen – did not take off Thursday morning.

CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave said thousands of passengers would be stuck on Thursday looking for a back home, or a way to get where they were going. He said the best option for stranded passengers was to try and get help through their credit card companies, if they booked their tickets that way.

Otherwise Van Cleave noted that other airlines sometimes offer "rescue fares" for passengers stranded in such circumstances. If tickets were booked as part of a vacation package deal, the company that offered the package will often help passengers continue their travel.

The airline, founded by entrepreneur Skuli Mogensen, began operations in 2012 and specialized in ultra-cheap flights between North America and Europe, with flights to airports in cities including Washington, D.C, New York, Paris, London and its Reykjavik hub.

Its bankruptcy comes after six months of turbulent negotiations to sell the low-cost carrier, first to its main rival and flag-ship carrier Icelandair and later to Indigo Partners, an American company operating the airline Wizz.

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