What to Do If You’ve Booked a (Now Canceled) WOW Air Flight
A few years ago, my boyfriend and I flew to Scotland on a WOW Airlines flight. The flight was inexpensive and included a 17 hour stopover in Iceland where we spent the day at the Blue Lagoon.
Now it looks like those cheap European flights, at least the ones operated by WOW Air, will be a thing of the past. WOW Airlines announced Thursday it will stop operating and cancel all WOW Air flights.
If you have a WOW vacation scheduled, this is a bummer and means you need to find a new way to get to your destination. If you are already on vacation, this is an even bigger problem because now you need to figure out how to get home.
What can you do?
The key is that you are mostly on your own. Since WOW is no longer an airline, you will not get any help from them in determining your travel plans.
This is one of the few times when buying travel insurance would be a great idea. If you’ve purchased a WOW Air flight and purchased travel insurance for it, check with your insurance company to see what they can do for you.
If you purchased your ticket using a credit card, you should contact your credit card company to see if you can get a refund for your ticket. In most cases, the credit card company will be able to refund your money.
On the closing announcement page, WOW notes that passengers who have purchased a ticket from a European travel agent (within the European Economic Area) as part of a package tour that includes flights, as well as things like hotels and tours, are protected by the Package Travel Directive.
However, some airlines also offer special rescue fares that can make rebooking a little less of a nightmare.
What is the service of rescue?
If you’re in the middle of your trip right now, finding a new plane ticket is likely to be your biggest hurdle. It is also likely to be a big expense.
If you’re in Europe, several different airlines offer “rescue fares” that make replacing your lost plane ticket a little cheaper. While you will still have to buy your ticket for the last-minute flight price, the BBC notes that Wizz Air, Easyjet and Norwegian are offering discounts to make the hit more bearable. Contact these airlines directly to see what they have to offer you for specific destinations. I would recommend trying the phone first rather than queuing at the airport counter.
Norwegian specifically said it will offer 25% off fares for passengers whose flights have been canceled by WOW. To receive the discount, you simply need to present a valid WOW Air booking to the airline. Discounted rates are valid until April 8th.
Icelandair also offers discounts on travel for stranded passengers. Fares are valid only for passengers who have already started their journey and have booked a return ticket between 28 March and 11 April 2019. It offers flights at a fixed price. Specifically, flights to / from Europe for $ 60, to / from North America for $ 100, and from Europe / North America / North America-Europe for $ 160. Rates also include one piece of carry-on baggage up to £ 23 and one piece of checked baggage up to £ 50. His website has more information on how to get one of these .
And, as with any airline issue, try to stay calm and be as friendly as possible with the airline representatives. This is an unusual event, and while you are stuck somewhere or when your vacation plans are canceled sucks, yelling at a stranger will not solve the problem, but can only make the situation worse.