PLAY continues to round out its service in the United States with the inaugural flight from New York Stewart International Airport (SWF). PLAY’s arrival at SWF marks growth for both the airline and the airport as PLAY’s third site following service rollouts in Baltimore/Washington D.C. and Boston this spring. With its routes to Iceland and connecting European destinations, PLAY is reintroducing international flights at SWF, and passengers arriving will be the first to use its $37 million international arrivals and U.S. Customs expansion.
PLAY CEO Birgir Jónsson commented: “Today’s flight from New York comes less than one year after PLAY’s very first flight from Iceland in 2021. Despite a challenging travel market, PLAY has still grown and established itself in Europe and the United States. We flew more than 100,000 passengers in our first seven months of operations, and now with flights from Boston, Baltimore/Washington D.C., and New York, PLAY expects to serve more than 1 million passengers in our second year of operations. New York is an important market for both American and European travelers, and SWF airport is an exciting opportunity for us to restore international travel in the Hudson Valley area.”
The airline has been growing steadily since launching in the U.S. with routes between Iceland and Baltimore/Washington D.C. Marshall Thurgood International Airport, having increased its passenger load by 55% in April 2022. The airline’s affordable fares for flights to 22 European destinations via Iceland have a track record of over 90% on-time reliability, with no-frills service enabling passengers to build their own prices so they can maximize their budgets on experiences at their destinations.
Passengers are eager to explore and resume vacationing abroad, and the airline will tap into pent-up travel demand, with NYC & Company reporting a strong outlook for tourism from Europe in 2022 and 2023. Flights from New York Stewart International Airport are convenient for American and European travelers alike, offering hassle-free transportation to nearby destinations via taxi, bus, and train, with routes to Manhattan via the Metro North, Amtrak, or Newburgh-Beacon-Stewart Link.
The airline’s service from New York starts just in time for travelers to book summer vacations, and PLAY is offering a deal of flights starting at $99 to Iceland and $129 to Berlin, Paris, Dublin, and Copenhagen from New York Stewart International Airport between August 31 and November 16.