Update: Wow Air went out of business in March 2019.
Ryan and I recently got incredibly cheap flights from Chicago to Amsterdam with Wow Air – they were only $200 round trip for each of us! And we didn’t use any credit card points or airline miles to get them at that price.
The trick to getting those cheap flights was simply being subscribed to the Wow Air email newsletter.
Wow Air was running a flash sale where all of their flights were 50% off for about 48 hours. All we had to do was apply their promotion code to their already very cheap ($400 round-trip) flights.
Full Refund Within 24 Hours
Ryan and I both work from home, so our schedule is flexible and we were able to make the decision to go pretty quickly. However, when we booked the flights we still weren’t 100% positive we were going. That’s where this bit of knowledge comes super in handy: US airlines are required by law to allow buyers to cancel flights for a full refund within 24 hours of booking. (Do look into the conditions for any particular airline’s refund policy before booking. Here’s Wow’s 24-hour cancelation policy.) Knowing we had 24 hours to cancel allowed Ryan and I to book the flights first while the sale price was still available, then fully commit to going in the day following.
What’s Included (and Not Included) in Wow Air’s Ticket Price
Wow Air is a budget airline. This means that while their prices are low, there aren’t a whole lot of perks included in the ticket price. They’ll charge you a lot for extras if you aren’t prepared. Ryan and I flew with Wow Air from Chicago to Amsterdam without paying them extra for a single thing beyond the ticket price! You just need to know what to expect.
You can choose to pay different fares for your ticket, depending on what you want to be included. On their site you can read about Wow Fares, including basic, plus, comfy, or biz, to find out what each fare includes.
We are budget travelers and have only bought Wow Air’s basic fare, since it is the least expensive option. My description in the rest of this article will be outlining what is included in Wow’s basic fare.
Baggage Policy
Personal Item
At the time of writing this, according to Wow Air’s site, included in Wow’s ticket prices is one personal item. They call personal items a “small bag/backpack, laptop, or camera bag.” The maximum dimensions for this personal item are 42x32x25cm or 17x13x10in, including handles and wheels. Their weight limit is 10kg or 22lb. Whatever type of bag it is, it must fit underneath the seat in front of you.
You might be wondering, like we were, how strict is Wow Air on personal item restrictions? In our experience, not very strict.
They asked Ryan to see his bag but didn’t even look at mine as far as I could tell (and mine was bigger). Neither of our bags were measured. Also, neither of us have seen them weigh personal items, and I really don’t think weight is something to be concerned about.
For our two week trip, Ryan and I only brought personal items so that we wouldn’t have to pay to bring a carry-on or checked bag.
That sounds crazy to a lot of people, but it’s really doable if you are intentional about it. I may do a post in the future on how to pack for a trip in just a medium sized backpack, but I will tell you that having this $20 Coreal Backpack from Amazon to pack in made it a lot easier for me this time around! Here’s an image:
This backpack is extremely lightweight, yet durable. The thing I love most about it is that it has a lot of convenient pockets! I could put my water bottle in one side pocket, my snacks in the front pocket, and my inflatable travel pillow in the other side pocket. Then it has a flap on top with an exterior zipper compartment and an interior zipper compartment. These are really handy for things I need to have easy access to, like my wallet, earbuds, and phone.
The only complaint I have about the backpack is that because it’s made to be so lightweight, its straps don’t have much padding. I had my backpack absolutely stuffed and quite heavy, so it did make my shoulders sore after a while.
Carry-On and Checked Bags
At the time of writing this, according to Wow Air’s site, carry-on bags can be a maximum of 56x45x25cm or 22x18x10in in dimensions, including handles and wheels. A carry-on is also not supposed to weigh more than 12 kg or 26 lbs. However, when I brought a carry on traveling from LA to Amsterdam, they did not weigh carry-on bags. The cost to bring a carry-on is least expensive if you pay for it when you book your flight. I think on flights from the US to Europe it usually costs $40-60 one way to bring a carry-on. The price may differ, however, depending on your flight origin and destination. You can check carry-on expenses on their site.
Since I have no experience with checking bags on Wow Air flights, I’ll direct you to their website for information on size restrictions and policies for checked baggage.
Food and Drinks
You will not get free pretzels or peanuts on Wow Air flights. You won’t even get a free cup of water. No food or drinks are free on Wow Air flights. Remember, it’s a budget airline and your ticket will be cheap because you’re not paying for these extras.
Ryan and I usually pack snacks, drink a lot of water in the airport, and refill our water bottles right before boarding. This way we don’t have to purchase any food or drinks on the plane, which can be pricey. You can check out Wow Air’s on board service menus on their website.
Seats, Entertainment, and Comfort In-Flight
At the time of writing this, unless you pay for a more expensive fare, you will not be able to choose your seat without paying for it. The standard seats on Wow’s aircraft are not overly cramped. I would say they are average. You can pay extra for “extra legroom seats” or “BigSeats” if you want to.
The seats do not recline very much at all. They only go back a couple of inches. This can make sleeping on the flight more difficult, especially if you don’t have a window seat.
There is no in-flight entertainment. There are no screens, and there is no in-flight wifi, even if you are willing to pay for it.
Again, Wow Air is a budget airline, and you’re getting what you pay for.
Where Wow Air Flies
The US cities Wow air currently flies out of are:
- Boston
- Chicago
- Cincinnati (beginning May, 2018)
- Cleveland (beginning May, 2018)
- Dallas (beginning May, 2018)
- Detroit (beginning April, 2018)
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York
- Pittsburg
- San Francisco
- St. Louis (beginning May, 2018)
- Washington DC
Wow currently flies to over 20 cities in Europe, as well as some cities in Canada, and to Tel Aviv, Israel. Wow seems to be growing rapidly and is adding cities to their list of airports they fly to very often! For specifics, view the full list of airports Wow flies to.
Optional Stopover in Iceland
As an Icelandic airline, flights between North America and Europe have layovers in Reykjavik Iceland’s airport, Keflavik. When you book your flights, you can choose between three options: round trip, one way, or stopover.
Stopover flights are where you get to basically extend your layover in Iceland to any number of days that you’d like!
It’s good to know, however, that unfortunately their promotional deals like the 50% off promo we used are often not applicable to stopover flights.
Overall, do we recommend Wow Air?
That depends on your travel style. If you’re like us, and you are willing to forgo comforts and conveniences for the sake of taking a trip that you can afford, YES we recommend Wow Air! We’ve both taken two trips we most likely would not have booked if it hadn’t been for Wow Air’s low prices.
If you prefer to spend more money to travel comfortably, Wow Air still might work for you! With their different tiers of fare options, you may be able to find one that’s right for you. I just wouldn’t recommend going with the basic fare if you’re used to comfort and fine dining on board.
