A nearly abandoned New York airport is getting nonstop flights to Europe for the first time since 2019 with fares starting at $109 one-way
Taylor Rains
New York Stewart International Airport is getting transatlantic service for the first time since 2019.
Icelandic carrier PLAY and Norway-based Norse Atlantic Airways are planning to begin flights to the airport this year.
PLAY will offer routes to 22 European cities via Iceland, while Norse will start with flights to Oslo.
New York Stewart International Airport is about 60 miles north of New York City and currently offers domestic service from budget carriers Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air.
The airport previously hosted European budget airline Norwegian Air Shuttle until summer 2019 when the carrier left the airport after just two years of service. The airline blamed its departure on the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX jet after two fatal crashes.
Now, after a three-year hiatus, Stewart is getting international service again from two European airlines.
On June 9, 2022, new Icelandic low-cost carrier PLAY will begin nonstop flights between the airport and Europe.
Stewart will be PLAY's third US city and tickets go on sale today. Travelers can book flights between the US and 22 European destinations, like Dublin, Paris, Copenhagen, and Brussels.
The flight will have a short layover in Iceland before continuing on to its final destination.
Introductory fares start at $109 one-way to 10 European destinations, including Reykjavik, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Brussels in Belgium, Stuttgart in Germany, Trondheim in Norway, and Gothenburg in Sweden.
The deal is only available on roundtrip tickets purchased through February 7 at midnight for flights scheduled between September and October 2022.
PLAY CEO Birgir Jónsson told Insider that Stewart is a financially advantageous airport and he is eager to enter the market.
"We want to create the most economical way to get to and from New York from Europe, so if we went to the same airports as everyone else, that isn't good business," he explained. "Stewart is a low-cost airport so we can operate in and out at a lower cost base and offer the best prices without sacrificing our profits."
Stewart will complement PLAY's new service between Europe and Baltimore and Boston, which are scheduled to start on April 20 and May 11, respectively.
A new European low-cost carrier is coming to the US with fares starting at $109 to cities across Germany, Iceland, Spain, and more — here's what passengers can expect
PLAY is a successor to WOW Air which ceased operations in 2019 due to years of financial struggles independent of the coronavirus pandemic.
While PLAY has adopted several pieces of WOW's low-cost business model, like flying a no-frills product across the Atlantic, Jónsson told Insider the airline has abandoned some aspects that caused WOW to fail.
"Our model is different because we are entering a widebody market with a narrowbody jet," he said. "These routes really aren't long-haul and because we are using the geographic location of Iceland, we don't need a widebody jet between major cities, which is the market that's failed."
Like WOW, PLAY offers a bare-bones product. Its A321neo planes that will fly the route are configured in all economy, though the seats recline and passengers can pay extra for more legroom.
Moreover, the plane will not offer many amenities, like WiFi or inflight entertainment, and luggage, seat assignments, drinks, snacks, and meals cost extra. Jónsson told Insider that the experience is intended to be as "hassle-free" as possible and travelers can expect a product similar to other budget airlines.
While PLAY has confirmed it will begin operations to Stewart, it is not the only European startup eyeing the airport.
On January 14, Norway-based Norse Atlantic Airways announced it received approval from the US Department of Transportation to fly from Norway and the European Union to the US.
"We are thrilled by the Department of Transportation's approval of our affordable transatlantic flights," Norse CEO and founder Bjørn Tore Larsen said. "This significant milestone brings Norse one step closer to launching affordable and more environmentally friendly service to customers traveling between Europe and the United States."
The airline, which plans to only operate long haul routes, will use a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in a two-class configuration, including regular economy and premium economy. The long-haul flight will not have a lie-flat business class.
Specifically, the airline's 787-9 will have 56 recliners and 282 regular economy seats, while the shorter 787-8 version will feature 32 recliners and 259 standard seats.
According to its September application to the DOT, Norse said its initial US routes will be between Oslo and Stewart, New York; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Ontario, California. The three airports will serve the greater areas of New York City, Miami and southern Florida, and Los Angeles, respectively.
Norse hoped to be in the air before the end of 2021, but the ongoing pandemic has pushed the date back to spring 2022. Maureen Halahan, president of the Orange County Partnership, said the announcement is great news for Stewart.
"It will hopefully be the beginning of opening up that European market and the UK when people catch on that it is very easy to fly into Stewart, easy access to New York City," she told the Mid Hudson News. "That is what they built the international arrivals building for."
The $37 million international arrivals building at Stewart was finished in November 2020 but has yet to be used.
Jónsson told Insider he is happy Norse is looking at Stewart because it will make people more aware of the lesser-known airport and its international service.
"I think if they do it, and I hope they do, because that means the airport will be better known and there will be more companies marketing the airport," he said.
He also explained that he does not anticipate strong competition from Norse because PLAY's business model is completely different.
"They have Dreamliner jets, so they will have to find 250 or 300 people for each flight to Stewart from a single destination," he explained to Insider. "Because we're doing a layover in Iceland, we only need to find 20 people for London, 20 people for Copenhagen, 20 people for Berlin, and so on."
According to Norse, the airline's Stewart operation will bring a myriad of jobs to American workers, including hiring hundreds of US-based flight attendants. The carrier's presence is also expected to boost the local economy.
"Our people will be our competitive advantage. We are building a high-performance culture and creating an environment where we value diversity, ensuring that all colleagues feel a sense of belonging. We look forward to start recruiting our new colleagues in the US," Larsen said.
Source: Norse Atlantic Airways
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