Service from Toronto starts May 11th
MONTREAL, May 4, 2016 /CNW/ - WOW air, Iceland's ultra low-cost airline, received a warm Canadian welcome earlier today as one of its bright purple planes touched down on Canadian soil for the very first time. As passengers on the inaugural flight arrived at the gate, they were greeted by a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, making it a true Canadian welcome.
"I'm thrilled to be aboard the first WOW air flight to Canada, and to start connecting Canadians with Europe at super low fares," said Skúli Mogensen, sole owner and CEO of WOW air. "The fact that the first plane is touching down in Montreal—a city I lived in for nearly a decade—makes this extra special, as Montreal means a lot to me and my family."
"Aéroports de Montréal is extremely pleased to welcome WOW air," said James Cherry, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aéroports de Montréal. "With its very attractive fares for flights to Iceland and Europe, WOW air represents an interesting option for our passengers. Today, the airline officially becomes the first ultra low-cost carrier flying out internationally from Montreal-Trudeau."
WOW air announced its entry into the Canadian market in October 2015, at the same time tickets went on sale. "We've been so pleased with the demand that we made the decision to increase capacity on both of our Canadian routes," said Mogensen. "We are excited about the response to our super-low fares that start at $99 CDN, and will continue adding even more interesting destinations across Europe at great prices for Canadian travellers, which already includes cities such as Paris, Lyon, London and Frankfurt, to name a few."
There are now five flights per week servicing Montreal and six each week servicing Toronto.
Originally launched in November 2011, flights to Iceland and other European destinations will depart Toronto's Pearson (YYZ) and Montréal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau (YUL) via Reykjavik, offering travellers the cheapest connection between Europe and Canada. They will be operated using WOW air's fleet of new Airbus A321 Extended Range aircraft. The airline's Airbus A320 and Airbus A321 family of aircraft will carry passengers between Reykjavik and other European destinations.
Tickets for the Canada flights are on sale at www.wowair.ca.
About WOW air
WOW air offers the lowest fares, a modern fleet with the lowest emissions and the biggest smile; this is the WOW air promise to its valuable customers.
As of Summer 2016, the airline services 28 destinations across Europe and North America including London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston, Montreal and Toronto.
Created in November 2011 by Icelandic serial entrepreneur Skúli Mogensen, the purple airline flies Airbus A320 aircraft across Europe and Airbus A321 aircraft that service its transatlantic routes.
WOW air was ranked as the 7th best low-cost airline in Europe at the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Skytrax World Airline Awards and was the youngest airline in the top ten.
Notes to editors:
Skúli Mogensen is available for a limited number of in-person interviews in Montreal on May 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Mogensen is the founder, CEO and sole-owner of WOW air and spent 20 years as an entrepreneur before setting up the airline in 2011. This included setting up OZ Communications in Montréal, then sold onto Nokia in a multi-million dollar deal. This success, combined with initiatives such as the WOW Cyclothon have led to Mogensen being likened to the Icelandic Richard Branson.
SOURCE WOW air
Image with caption: "Ultra low-cost Icelandic airline WOW air landed in Canada for the first time on May 4. Passengers arriving in Montreal received a warm and true Canadian welcome. (CNW Group/WOW air)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160504_C6479_PHOTO_EN_683112.jpg
for more photos of the inaugural flight's arrival earlier this evening, please contact: Dana Frank, 514 447 3938, [email protected]
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