tourists in Canadas largest city will soon have a new low cost option when flying to Europe.
Icelandic low-cost carrier Play is expanding its footprint in North America with a new destination in Hamilton, Ontario. The city will also allow the airline to serve the greater Toronto metropolitan area when flights begin on June 22.
The addition of Hamilton to Play’s network marks its first destination in Canada. Until now, the North American startup’s network has been focused on the United States, with service connecting to many cities in Europe through its hub at nearby Keflavik International Airport (KEF) Reykjavik capital of Iceland.
Play’s current ports in the United States are Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Baltimore/Washington’s Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI), Dulles International Airport (IAD) and the New York City area through via Stewart International Airport (SWF) in Newburgh, New York.
SWF is about 70 miles north of downtown Manhattan and echoes Play’s attempt to serve Toronto through Hamilton, Canada’s ninth most populous metropolitan area.
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From Hamilton’s John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM) — about 50 miles from Toronto — passengers can connect to 15 European destinations such as Berlin, London, ParisCopenhagen and Dublin.
The airline said the decision to add services to YHM was in response to growing international travel demand and strong bookings for existing routes. Play also says it has carried more than 789,000 passengers and maintained a 95% on-time arrival rate by 2022.
“Starting in the spring, this extension of the route in Toronto serves as the next phase of our strategic development to advance our presence in North America,” said Play CEO Birgir. Johnson said.
Play has grown rapidly since it launch in 2021. Since first starting services between Reykjavik and London’s Stansted Airport (STN), the low-cost carrier has added more destinations in Europe and the US
Play’s most recent expansion in the United States was in the nation’s capital region, where airlines start working in August from Dulles.
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The carrier’s model closely mirrors the now defunct model great atmosphere, ceased operations in 2019 after months of financial difficulties. Play’s ultra-low-cost model charges less for the fare. However, passengers have to pay more for additional services such as checked baggage and seat selection.
“I was eagerly looking forward to the launch of ticketing for flights to Canada, as this will be our big market at PLAY,” said Jonsson. Our services in North America have been a huge success and I’m excited to be able to offer more people the opportunity to travel between North America, Iceland and Europe at an affordable price.”
