A popular budget airline has just announced it is ceasing operation, joining the ranks of other airlines once beloved and now just a memory: Continental, TWA, Northwest, WOW air and Pan Am, to name a few.
Reykjavik-based Play Airlines has canceled all its flights, a sad ending for an airline that just began in flying passengers in 2021. The reason given? Sustained financial losses for an extended period. Back in June, the Icelandic airline had tried to keep things going by cutting flights between the U.S. and Europe and instead focusing on flights between European cities, but it looks like that wasn’t enough to keep the planes in the air.
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Now, 400 Play employees are pounding the runway pavement for a new job, and countless passengers are left stranded with their flights canceled without warning.
The worst part? We hesitate to write it, but Play will not be issuing any refunds. Turn to your credit card for a refund if your card offers insurance protection—or... see if another airline will take pity on you. That’s actually, believe it or not, what Play is suggesting on its website.
"Fly PLAY has ceased operations, and all flights have been cancelled," the airline posted on its website on September 28. "We kindly advise you to check flights with other airlines. Some carriers may offer special 'rescue fares' considering the circumstances."
We’re not sure how that would work unless if there is a “rescue fare” category you can see online while booking tickets—which doesn’t exist. Perhaps it’s worth it to call and try to get a live representative on the phone to hear your unhappy tale of being ditched by Play.
The airline is still advertising on its home page “30% off flights to Europe” although there is a banner at the top of the page reading “Important announcement – operations alert – more information,” with a clickable link to the page announcing the end of the airline. We embarked on trying to buy a ticket just to see if it’s possible, planning to shy away when prompted to give payment information, but booking a ticket requires entering the outgoing airport—and the Play platform, thankfully, no longer recognizes any airports.
The airline does apologize for the abrupt loss to passengers, but it’s hard to be understanding when refunds aren’t forthcoming. “We are deeply sorry for the disruption this causes and thank you for your understanding,” reads the online announcement.