Low-budget carrier WOW air seemed too good to be true with its “cheap flights” for international destinations. But on Thursday morning, the Icelandic airline abruptly shut down, leaving its customers stranded. While passengers were waiting for their flights and continuing to book future trips, the airline sent out a travel alert on Wednesday that “all flights have been postponed” due to the finalizing of equity raise with investors. Shortly after, however, the little hope that passengers across two continents had left dissolved with the company’s final announcement that it has “ceased operations, telling customers that “all flights have been canceled.” Now, passengers in both North American and European cities have found themselves stranded with little guidance from WOW Air on how to move forward. And naturally, they’re airing their grievances on Twitter. @wowairsupport flight WW104 from #EWR was cancelled after a 4 hour delay and they gave us a $12 voucher 👎🏼 Pandemonium at the gate. I need a refund + new earliest flight ASAP. @EWRairport pic.twitter.com/4No3qzidAg — Crypto Gumb 🇺🇸 (@derekGUMB) March 28, 2019 20 min to board, @wowairsupport cancels the flight. But then sends an email that it’s just delayed until 9pm. Oh but the crew left because it was cancelled. Updates coming from the guy in the middle of this crowd. pic.twitter.com/bRmnQUXvz4 — Mike Wendling (@WendlingMike) March 27, 2019 @wow_air cancels flight to Dublin from Detroit at the last minute, looks like the company has gone bust. Any chance you can accommodate a family of four on @AerLingus out of Chicago or Tornado tomorrow the 28th. You would make this little girl Maeve very happy to see her cousins pic.twitter.com/jMnmWSh6zI — Barrai Omuireagain (@BOmuireagain) March 28, 2019 @wow_air @wowairsupport Why won't you give some clear answers? You are grounding flights left right and centre and keeping our flight as "delayed"? For 13 hours and 15 minutes?? Chances of it actually taking off at midnight? #wowair pic.twitter.com/R8k65h3f7C — Aisling O'Sullivan (@Shaisling) March 25, 2019 Wow airline is going under OMG pic.twitter.com/5GBiKcFCov — moyez kamani (@mkamani) March 27, 2019 i had a flight scheduled later tonight to iceland with wow. i woke up to a notification at 5am from reddit that all operations had ceased. didn’t even get a notice from wow directly, now my group and i are stranded, having already booked a lot of things in iceland… — Jonathan B. Koo (@jonathanbkoo) March 28, 2019 Complaints included the lack of communication, which left passengers to learn about the airline’s abrupt shutdown via social media instead of from the airline themselves. Others have also pointed out that the airline continues to advertise their flights online through different booking sites. Story continues Despite #wowair cancelling all flights today, with an announcement on its future due at 9am. Incredibly it’s still selling tickets on some routes, and appears on flight booking sites. If it can’t currently afford to fly its planes it shouldn’t be flogging tickets to passengers. pic.twitter.com/I3d5k8GgQJ — Rory Boland (@roryboland) March 28, 2019 A family of four travelling over the bank holiday could have paid #wowair over a thousand pounds this morning to book flights the airline knew would never take off (or refund). It went out of business just two hours later. Complete and utter irresponsibility. pic.twitter.com/koDaCXEZNJ — Rory Boland (@roryboland) March 28, 2019 As of now, the airline is encouraging passengers to contact their credit card companies for status updates on refunds and to check available flights with other airlines. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: • Cops: Drunk passenger urinated on woman’s luggage during American Airlines flight • A 24-year-old woman assaulted a flight attendant and now she could go to jail for 21 years • Jet Blue pilots accused of drugging and raping female crew members in new lawsuit Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.<doc-sep>Katie Johnson was excited to fly home to Baltimore for a friend’s wedding and her mom’s retirement party. Now, thanks to WOW Air, she’s left hoping for a miracle. Johnson, a global health program management professional who lives in the Netherlands, had booked her flight to the U.S. with WOW Air in part because of the low-cost tickets, but also out of convenience: WOW Air flew into Baltimore-Washington International Airport, just a 20-minute drive from her sister’s house. Her round-trip ticket cost $587. Also see:The U.S. grounds the Boeing 737 Max aircraft — what that means for air travelers But now Johnson, 31, isn’t even sure that she’ll be able to make the trip. She is one of thousands of air travelers left in a bind after Iceland-based budget carrier announced Thursday it was going out of business, effective immediately. In a notice on its website, WOW Air said it had ceased operation and all flights have been cancelled. The airline, which launched in 2012, specialized in cheap flights between North America and Europe, but had begun experiencing financial troubles in recent years. “ ‘Air travelers should expect higher fares, now that WOW is out of the way.’ ” — —Christopher Elliott, travel writer and consumer advocate Prior to its collapse, the carrier had spent months attempting to negotiate a sale to its rival Icelandair ICEAIR, -0.60% and to U.S.-based Indigo Partners, which has a controlling interest in multiple low-cost air carriers including Frontier Airlines US:FRNT and Wizz Air WIZZ, +0.71% . Like many would-be passengers, Johnson found out the airline was kaput from news reports. She said the airline never contacted her directly to notify her of the situation. “I immediately looked up new flights, which are double what we paid on WOW Air,” Johnson said. “I’m worried about not only spending a lot more money on a last minute ticket, but also that we won’t ever get back what we spent on the WOW Air tickets,” she said. “Why would an airline that has run out of money repay us?” Katie Johnson and her husband, Ted Hunink, were excited to visit Johnson’s hometown of Baltimore for a friend’s wedding. Now, their entire trip is in jeopardy thanks to the collapse of WOW Air. Courtesy of Katie Johnson Johnson and her husband spent more $1,100 for their round-trip tickets, but round-trip airfare on WOW Air between Amsterdam and Baltimore could as little as $200 per traveler depending on when you traveled. Here’s what travelers need to know: Stranded passengers can contact other airlines for reduced airfare In the wake of WOW Air’s collapse, Icelandair is offering discounted economy fares to those who are stranded. Between North America and Iceland, the seats costs $100, while the tickets will cost $160 for those traveling from elsewhere in Europe to North America. But these discounted rates are not limited to Icelandair. Other airlines offering so-called “rescue” fares include easyJet ESYJY, -0.07% , Norwegian Airlines NWARF, +8.66% , Wizz Air and Aer Lingus. “ ‘If you’re booking direct, you should mention the fact that you were on a WOW flight.’ ” “If you’re booking direct, you should mention the fact that you were on a WOW flight,” said Christopher Elliott, a consumer advocate. “Sometimes airlines will offer a special rate for displaced passengers.” If you booked your trip with a travel agent, you’ll need to work with them to re-book your flight or get a refund, Elliott added. As WOW Air noted in its announcement, passengers who purchased their ticket from a European travel agent as part of a package are protected by the European Union’s Package Travel Directive and should be able to rearrange their bookings or get a refund through their travel agent. Read more: After Marriott’s massive data breach, here’s how to protect your personal data when traveling Travelers should reach out to their credit-card companies for refunds Act fast, said Tracy Stewart, content editor at travel website Airfarewatchdog TRIP, +1.67% . “Contact your credit-card provider immediately,” Stewart said. “Most major credit-card providers offer some degree of built-in travel insurance for purchases made on the card and, in most cases, you should be entitled to a full refund.” “ ‘Most major credit-card providers offer some degree of built-in travel insurance for purchases made on the card.’ ” — —Tracy Stewart, content editor at travel website Airfarewatchdog These claims generally need to be filed within 60 days of the incident, said Arielle O’Shea, personal-finance expert at NerdWallet. Consumers should be prepared to present all relevant documentation, including receipts. Consumers may also be entitled to compensation from WOW Air based on European regulations, the company said. These claims, however, must be made with whomever is acting as the administrator or liquidator in charge of the bankruptcy. Travel insurance may cover other expenses Most travel insurance policies will cover extra expenses that consumers incur as a result of the WOW Air situation, such as hotel stays and meals, Stewart said. Travelers will need to refer to their specific policy and insurance provider to determine how to go about requesting reimbursement. Consumers should also check with their credit-card company to see if they are entitled to travel insurance coverage. Many credit cards offer this as a perk and may be able to provide additional assistance in this situation. Airfare prices could go up in the future For passengers, the loss of WOW Air may spell the end for dirt-cheap transatlantic flights. “Air travelers should expect higher fares, now that WOW is out of the way,” Elliott said. “ ‘It makes me wonder if we all should be a bit wary of booking on these ultra low-cost carriers.’ ” — —Katie Johnson, who booked a WOW Air flight from the Netherlands to the U.S. As a result, WOW Air’s woes could be a boon to other budget airlines — including Icelandair, Ryanair RYAAY, -0.25% and Norwegian Airlines. But it also could be a sign of more bankruptcies to come. “Perhaps the market will continue to flush out marginal players, and supply and demand will rationalize, which is particularly necessary given the state of the EU economy,” Adam Hackel, vice president and airlines industry analyst at investment bank Imperial Capital, said in an email to MarketWatch. Johnson’s experience with the WOW Air bankruptcy has changed how she plans to approach booking flights in the future. “It makes me wonder if we all should be a bit wary of booking on these ultra low-cost carriers,” she said. “I’ll definitely think twice before booking on one again, or at least, will do my homework.”<doc-sep>Iceland-based budget airline WOW Air abruptly ceased all operations overnight, canceled all flights and advised booked passengers to seek seats on other airlines, according to an announcement posted on the company’s website Thursday morning. “Some airlines may offer flights at a reduced rate, so-called rescue fares, in light of the circumstances. Information on those airlines will be published, when it becomes available,” the airline said in its closure announcement. WOW Air destinations in the United States included Newark Liberty International Airport, which had one arrival from Reykjavik scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by a departure to Reykjavik at 7:05 p.m. Those without travel insurance may be able to seek reimbursement, though the announcement on WOW Air’s page included the possibility of a bankruptcy filing. “Passengers may also be entitled to compensation from WOW AIR, including in accordance with European regulation on Air Passenger Rights,” the announcement said. “In case of a bankruptcy, claims should be filed to the administrator / liquidator.” Other U.S. destinations included Boston, Detroit and Washington, D.C. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.<doc-sep>
Nothing ruins a trip quite like a canceled flight, but how about a canceled airline? Wow Air, the iconic purple-pink Icelandic carrier known for eye-poppingly cheap flights to and around Europe, folded on Thursday, leaving ticket-holding customers stranded at their gates without refunds or, well, flights. "Just found out about this news," tweeted one such passenger-to-be, who was stuck at Newark Liberty Airport. "They didn't even notify any of us directly, had to find out from Twitter and Reddit." At the top of the Wow Air website on Thursday, users could find a banner announcing "WOW AIR has ceased operation. All WOW AIR flights have been canceled." Stranded passengers were advised to look for flights on other airlines: "Some airlines may offer flights at a reduced rate, so-called rescue fares, in light of the circumstances," Wow went on. But at the gates, passengers described scenes of chaos and confusion. One traveler looking to hop from Toronto to Reykjavik on Wow Air told CNN Business, "This really scared everyone, at that point we were finally given back our bags and no money as of now has been issued back to me." Accommodations and refunds were not offered. Wowair just canceled our flight 20 min before it was to leave! Yyz-kef. #wowair — travelgirlto (@travelgirlto) March 27, 2019 Plot twist @wow_air went bankrupt and all of my flights are cancelled — Casey (@_cbudd) March 28, 2019 @wowairsupport flight WW104 from #EWR was cancelled after a 4 hour delay and they gave us a $12 voucher Pandemonium at the gate. I need a refund + new earliest flight ASAP. @EWRairport pic.twitter.com/4No3qzidAg — Crypto Gumb (@derekGUMB) March 28, 2019 Wow first took off in 2012, and hosted some 3.5 million passengers in 2018. Some 1,100 people were directly employed by the company, which struggled in recent months with financial woes and unsuccessful attempts at a sale.