Are you searching for an affordable way to travel to Europe from North America? Then, definitely consider Play Airlines. This newcomer in the airline industry began operating routes in the United States in 2022 and offers several budget-friendly flights to amazing destinations like Lisbon, Madrid, Copenhagen, Prague, and Venice, just to name a few.
We flew with them for round-trip flights to Iceland, and we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the flights and the customer service. So, in this article, we’ll share an honest Play Airlines review of our experience flying from Washington Dulles to Reykjavik, Iceland. We’ll also cover what you can expect from this low-cost carrier including Play’s main benefits and drawbacks.
What is Play Airlines?
Play Airlines is a fairly new, low-cost airline based in Iceland, renowned for its affordable fares from North America to Europe. Interestingly, the airline was founded by the former owners of Wow Airlines, so from the start, Play has been operating with the expertise of a seasoned airline.
Where is Play Airlines Based?
Play Airlines’ main hub is located in Reykjavik, Iceland, with North American branches in Washington Dulles, New York Stewart, Boston, Baltimore, and Toronto. There are also plans to establish bases in Orlando and on the west coast of the U.S. in the near future.
Currently, this low-cost carrier flies to European destinations in Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, Austria, Poland Lithuania, and Sweden. They also have service to Marrakesh, Morocco.
Why We Chose Play Airlines
After weeks of struggling to find tickets to Iceland for less than $1200, I finally took the plunge and decided to try Play Airlines. To my surprise, they offered a roundtrip ticket from Washington Dulles to Reykjavik, Iceland for just $500. This price included one personal item and one carry-on bag which really was a steal compared to the other flights I had looked at.
Now, you may be wondering, what’s the catch? How can the price be so low? Well, here’s the deal: Play Airlines is a budget airline, which means that amenities like food, drinks, and entertainment are not included. They may even charge you extra for services like printing boarding passes, as they prefer passengers to print them at home or to use a mobile boarding pass.
However, these minor inconveniences didn’t bother my husband and me too much. It was easy to bring our own food, entertainment, and boarding passes. What truly intrigued us was whether the low ticket cost equated to low-quality service.
The Drawbacks of Flying Play Airlines
Flying with a budget airline comes with certain limitations. If you’re unprepared for these limitations, it can be a real drawback. For example, Play Airlines does not offer daily international flights meaning this budget airline may not have transatlantic flights on the specific dates that you want to travel. However, if you are flexible the cost savings can more than make up for that.
In addition, if your Play Airlines flight is delayed or canceled, the lack of daily international flight options will make it harder to get to your destination with Play Airlines. Fortunately, Play Airlines has a good reputation regarding on-time flight departures with very few cancellations.
Another drawback is that Play Airlines does not offer in-flight entertainment, so you will need to bring your own books, music, and TV shows for those long international journeys.
In addition, they do not offer pillows, blankets, or eye masks, so you will have to bring your own.
When it comes to dining and drinks onboard Play Airlines, it’s important to know that no food or drinks are included in your ticket prices. Instead, you can either dive into their pay-as-you-go menu or bring along your own snacks and drinks.
Play Airlines offers a variety of wraps and sandwiches starting at 9 euros, and if you’re feeling fancy, you can grab a beer or glass of wine starting at around 9-10 euros per drink. Just a heads-up though, consuming your own alcohol onboard is not allowed.
When it’s time to settle the tab, only credit cards are accepted for food and drink purchases during the flight. Cash is not accepted, so make sure you’ve got your card handy when hunger strikes!
Another drawback is that Play Airlines does not have any partnerships with other airlines, so you’ll need to book your connecting flights separately to one of their hub airports in New York Stewart, Washington Dulles, Baltimore, Boston, or Toronto.
Furthermore, Play Airlines doesn’t provide online flight status updates. When I arrived at Dulles a full six hours early for my flight, I couldn’t check my flight status and departure gate online. Instead, I had to wait several hours for the Play flight to appear on the departure boards to see which gate I needed to go to.
This also means that friends and family picking you up from the airport won’t be able to track your flight status while you’re in the air. While this isn’t a major issue, it does make me appreciate airlines that offer flight status updates a little bit more.
Lastly, they charge an additional fee for printing a boarding pass at the airport, so it’s best to print your boarding pass at home or have a mobile boarding pass on your phone.
The Online Booking Experience
We found that Play Airlines’s website is clean and easy to navigate. They offer 4 different flight bundles which are based on how much luggage you have and what type of seat you would like. Naturally, the more luggage you have, the more expensive the bundle you will need.
The cheapest option, Basic Bundle, only includes a personal item. While the Basic Plus package includes a carry-on bag and a personal item. If you would like to check a bag then the Value Bundle or the Flex Bundle would be best for you. Both of these packages include a checked bag, carry-on, and personal item.
We went with the Basic Plus plan with priority boarding and carry-on bags only. This worked well for us because we loved to cost savings. Plus, we still got to choose our seat assignments.
The whole booking process was straightforward and the terms and conditions were easy to understand.
Does Play Airlines Have First Class?
Play Airlines does not offer a first-class section per se. However, the airline does provide a few seats with extra leg room. The first 3 rows and the middle 2 exit rows have extra legroom room when compared to the standard seats. For example, standard seats have about 29″ to 30″ inches of legroom, while extra legroom seats have about 32″ to 35″ inches of legroom.
The Benefits of Flying Play Airlines
The primary benefit of flying with Play Airlines is undoubtedly the low cost, and I must say that the quality of their service is excellent considering the affordable prices.
We were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the plane. Unlike our experiences with other budget airlines, there were no crumbs or debris on the floors. Plus our tray tables and seat pockets appeared very clean.
Another significant benefit is that since Play is an Icelandic company, most flights will connect to the Keflavik Airport in Iceland. One perk that Play offers is that you can have a long layover in Iceland for up to 10 days at no additional cost. This is a great way to extend your trip by seeing bucket-list destinations like the Blue Lagoon and the Northern Lights before continuing on to see even more of Europe. Play Airlines makes country hopping easy!
In addition, another significant advantage is that Play Airlines has a solid track record of on-time flights with 83% of their flights departing on time. Both of our flights to and from Iceland arrived on time, which was a huge relief for us, as we had a tour scheduled that we did not want to miss.
Furthermore, the seats were as comfortable as those found on full-service airlines. We didn’t feel cramped or uncomfortable throughout our Play Airlines flights.
We were also pleasantly surprised that this low-cost carrier had a decent menu of food and beverages and the prices weren’t bad. They even tried to cater to specific dietary concerns by having a vegan wrap meal option available, which we really appreciated.
Initially, we were concerned that the clientele might be noisy, disrespectful, or otherwise bothersome, but we are happy to report that there was no drama, no crying babies, and no disruptive behavior on our flight.
Moreover, the flight attendants and check-in counter staff were all very friendly and helpful. We had a very positive experience with the staff overall.
You can see our experience flying Play Airlines here!
Our Final Thoughts on Flying Play Airlines
In conclusion, we can honestly say that we thoroughly enjoyed our round-trip flights with Play Airlines and would definitely choose them again. We appreciated the user-friendly website, the affordable ticket price, and the high-quality service provided. I confidently recommend Play Airlines as a reputable airline for your next trip. With proper preparation, you can have a comparably comfortable flight to that of a full-service airline.
Want Even More Travel Tips?
- See the Best of Reykjavik in One Day
- Explore Iceland’s Golden Circle
- Search for the cheapest flights here!
- Discover How to Afford Full-Time Travel here!
