Icelandic startup PLAY launched its first flight to the United States from Keflavík (KEF) on April 20, the company’s first North American destination is Baltimore (BWI) which operates daily flights.
The airline will connect Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) to Iceland, in addition to convenient connections to 20 European destinations, offering affordable fares to travelers.
«The addition of PLAY airline to the lineup at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport shows the growing interest in international travel and Maryland’s increasing popularity as a gateway for business and leisure customers,» said Larry Hogan, governor of Maryland.
With the start of Baltimore (BWI) as the airline’s first U.S. destination, PLAY will have nonstop service to Boston (BOS) by May and New York (JFK) in June, all operating daily flights.
Flight Itinerary
- Keflavík – Baltimore Flight OG101 KEF 15:05 – BWI 17:50
- Baltimore – Keflavík Flight OG102 BWI 19:00 – KEF 05:00+1
The services will be operated on 174-passenger Airbus A320neo aircraft in single configuration.
«Transatlantic flights will be the main focus in PLAY’s operations and it was a big project to establish a connection on a new continent. But now we see the fruits of our labor, a well-done, reliable and ambitious flight plan» said Birgir Jónsson, CEO of PLAY.
In 2021 Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) handled 18.8 million passengers, 68% more than in 2020, and passenger traffic is expected to continue to increase as more domestic and international flights are added.
Currently, PLAY is the only carrier connecting Baltimore to Europe; beginning in May Icelandair, British Airways and Condor will resume operations to BWI from Keflavík (KEF), London Heathrow (LHR) and Frankfurt (FRA) respectively.
«We welcome PLAY and celebrate this new international service, which marks another important milestone as we continue to recover from the pandemic,» said Ricky Smith, chief executive officer of BWI Marshall Airport.
«The addition of PLAY enhances our international offerings and will provide more low fare options for our passengers,» added Smith.
We welcomed @PLAYairlines last evening!
Our Executive Director Ricky Smith and PLAY CEO Birgir Jónsson celebrated this new service to Reykjavik, Iceland with a ribbon cutting.
More at https://t.co/UoOGtbpJVK. #SceneAtBWI #MDOTscenes #Open4BizMD #airports @kefairport pic.twitter.com/PDb3PHv9S4
— BWI Marshall Airport (@BWI_Airport) April 21, 2022