A aviation & planes forum. AviationBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » AviationBanter forum » Aviation Images » Aviation Photos
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Wow Air ceases operations, leaving passengers stranded



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 28th 19, 10:51 PM posted to alt.binaries.pictures.aviation
Miloch
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 24,291
Default Wow Air ceases operations, leaving passengers stranded

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/28/busin...ntl/index.html

London (CNN Business) — Icelandic budget carrier Wow Air has ceased operations
and canceled its flights, leaving passengers stranded on both sides of the
Atlantic.

The airline announced the closure in a statement posted to its website on
Thursday. It advised passengers to book new flights on other airlines, and said
some may be eligible for compensation.

Wow Air CEO Skúli Mogensen told Icelandic state broadcaster RUV that
negotiations to save the airline went on until the early morning in Iceland.
(See how the story unfolded in real time here.)

"As is normal, people believed we would get the investment," Mogensen told RUV.
"We have been very transparent, but it didn't happen."

Mogensen said more than 1,000 passengers had been affected by the grounding of
aircraft. He said he didn't have an exact figure on the number of tickets that
had been sold.

"I'm very sorry about this as these are people who have supported us," said
Mogensen. "I'm disappointed not to honor our commitments."

Saurabh Aggarwal, who was due to fly from Toronto to Reykjavik on Wow Air,
described a chaotic scene at Toronto airport.

Aggarwal said customers were given conflicting information about the flight's
status before it was canceled at 10:55 p.m. on Wednesday. He said passengers
were not provided with accommodation and no refunds were issued.

"This really scared everyone, at that point we were finally given back our bags
and no money as of now has been issued back to me," Aggarwal told CNN.

It wasn't until Thursday morning that she received an email from Wow Air
informing passengers that the airline had ceased operations and all flights were
canceled.

Other affected passengers also criticized Wow Air on social media over the lack
of communication.

"Just found out about this news," tweeted Jonathan Koo, who was stuck at Newark
Liberty Airport after his flight was canceled. "They didn't even notify any of
us directly, had to find out from twitter and reddit."

A second passenger described "pandemonium at the gate" as he waited for the same
flight in Newark. Others tweeted photos of crowds as passengers tried to find
out what to do.

20 min to board, @wowairsupport cancels the flight. But then sends an email that
it's just delayed until 9pm. Oh but the crew left because it was cancelled.
Updates coming from the guy in the middle of this crowd.

— Mike Wendling (@WendlingMike) March 27, 2019

Airlines including EasyJet (ESYJY), Icelandair, Wizz Air, XL Airways and
Norwegian Air were offering reduced fares to stranded travelers because of the
difficult circumstances, according to the Icelandic Transport Authority.

The budget airline also said that passengers who bought tickets from a European
travel agent as part of a packaged tour were protected. Others with travel
insurance may also be entitled to claim compensation.

Wow Air said that it may pay compensation "in accordance with European
regulation on Air Passenger Rights." If the airline declares bankruptcy,
passengers can make a claim with the administrator or liquidator.

Alex Spence, a Wow Air passenger due to return to Toronto from Berlin on March
30, said she received no advance warning from the airline.

"Now I have to find a last-minute flight home that will likely be incredibly
expensive," said Spence. "Honestly the worst part is that Wow hasn't even
reached out to inform passengers like myself."

Founded in 2011, Wow Air was known for cheap trans-Atlantic fares on routes via
Iceland. It's part of a group of Nordic airlines that drove ticket prices down
thanks to no-frills service.

It's the latest in a string of airlines to suffer problems as the aviation
industry is buffeted by fierce competition and shifting business models.

Primera Air ceased operations in October 2018. In February, German airline
Germania filed for bankruptcy and British airline Flybmi stopped flying.




*

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Diana-2 VH-VHZ, stranded in Australia (pic links only) BlueCumulus[_2_] Soaring 40 August 4th 07 08:51 AM
TV helicopter pilot saves stranded deer Shiver Rotorcraft 0 January 18th 07 11:44 PM
Stranded WWII vet gets presidential assistance G Farris Piloting 0 June 10th 04 06:15 PM
Jon Johanson stranded in Antartica.... John Ammeter Home Built 149 December 24th 03 05:42 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 09:01 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 AviationBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.