Review: WOW Air

On a recent trip from London Gatwick to Newark International Airport, I experienced my first WOW Air flight, via a layover in Iceland. Being a budget-friendly airline, I expected tighter conditions than the first leg of my trip on United Airlines, but being such a short flight I wasn’t too worried about my comfort level.

Upon boarding, we were held up in line “waiting for clearance” to continue boarding the flight. This took about 20 minutes until we were able to enter the plane and find our seats. After the delay, my sister and I promptly prepared ourselves for take-off as we were already behind schedule.

We sat on the runway for about an hour waiting for direction and any information as to why we were being further delayed. The wait went on another 30 minutes before a flight attendant came around to check our seatbelts. We eventually took off, without explanation for the delay, and were on our way to our connecting flight in Iceland.

The affordable airline is easier on the wallet than its competitors, but certainly lacks in on-board menu items. Drinks are not included on WOW Air and menu offerings are expensive. Travelers should pack a drink and a snack for longer flights.

The actual flight was smooth and relatively quick, but the nearly two hours in delays caused us to miss our connecting flight.

Overall, the affordability of WOW Air outweighed the stress of running to our connecting flight as it boarded, but this low-cost airline offers minimal effort. I would recommend pre-loading devices with entertainment and avoid connecting flights with a short layover.