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WOW airlines to stop operations. Wait, no. Not "to stop." I mean "stop."


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https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/28/business/wow-air-scli-intl/index.html

 

Stopped operations, immediately.,  People in airports just stranded.  Thousands of people worldwide don't have a flight, right now.  Advice from the airline:  just go book with someone else.  No refunds.  Good luck finding your bags.  Hey tho!  You can file a claim with the bankruptcy court!

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London (CNN Business)Icelandic budget carrier Wow Air has ceased operations and canceled its flights, leaving passengers stranded on both sides of the Atlantic.

The airline announced the closure in a statement posted to its website on Thursday. It advised passengers to book new flights on other airlines, and said some may be eligible for compensation.
Saurabh Aggarwal, who was due to fly from Toronto to Reykjavik on Wow Air, described a chaotic scene at Toronto airport.
Aggarwal said customers were given conflicting information about the flight's status before it was canceled at 10:55 p.m. He said passengers were not provided with accommodation and no refunds were issued.
 
 
"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," Aggarwal told CNN.
 
It wasn't until the following morning that she received an email from Wow Air informing passengers that the airline had ceased operations and all flights were canceled.
Other affected passengers also criticized Wow Air on social media over the lack of communication.
"Just found out about this news," tweeted Jonathan Koo, who was stuck at Newark Liberty Airport after his flight was canceled. "They didn't even notify any of us directly, had to find out from twitter and reddit."
 
A second passenger described "pandemonium at the gate" as he waited for the same flight in Newark. Others tweeted photos of crowds as passengers tried to find out what to do.
 

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.

 
 
 
 
Airlines including EasyJet and Norwegian Air were offering reduced fares to stranded travelers because of the difficult circumstances, according to the Icelandic Transport Authority.
The budget airline also said that passengers who bought tickets from a European travel agent as part of a packaged tour were protected. Others with travel insurance may also be entitled to claim compensation.
Wow Air said that it may pay compensation "in accordance with European regulation on Air Passenger Rights." If the airline declares bankruptcy, passengers can make a claim with the administrator or liquidator.
Alex Spence, a Wow Air passenger due to return to Toronto from Berlin on March 30, said she received no advance warning from the airline.
"Now I have to find a last-minute flight home that will likely be incredibly expensive," said Spence. "Honestly the worst part is that Wow hasn't even reached out to inform passengers like myself."
Founded in 2011, Wow Air was known for cheap trans-Atlantic fares on routes via Iceland. It's part of a group of Nordic airlines that drove ticket prices down thanks to no-frills service.
It's the latest in a string of airlines to suffer problems as the aviation industry is buffeted by fierce competition and shifting business models.
Primera Air ceased operations in October 2018. In February, German airline Germania filed for bankruptcy and British airline Flybmi stopped flying.

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CSB -

I'm working an a job in El Paso in September 1983, we finish the project mid-day Friday and stay the weekend eating/drinking in Juarez, playing golf somewhere in the area and just fuck around all weekend.
There are 4 or 5 of us who are catching a Sunday 3pm flight back to Houston, now this is before the internet and the 24/7 news channels. So when we get to the airport there is nobody at the Continental counter, just a little 5x7 card folded in half informing us that they had filed for bankruptcy on Friday. We were fucked, all the flights to Houston were fully booked until Tuesday or Wednesday, so we went to the other counters (and Continental at the time had about 1/2 of the entire terminal as their counter) to see what we could do; we were willing to fly anywhere to get a connection back to Houston. Luckily one other guy and  I were able to get a 9 pm to Dallas, which was easy to get to Houston from. If I remember correctly someone flew to Denver and at least 1 person got back via LA.

Airline bankruptcy's are a shit storm to deal with for at least a few days. Thankfully, back then, all the tickets were booked through a travel agent, and were insured (company paid) so all the other airlines just honored the tickets and collected from someone else.

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On 3/28/2019 at 9:41 AM, Wally Fairway said:

CSB -

I'm working an a job in El Paso in September 1983, we finish the project mid-day Friday and stay the weekend eating/drinking in Juarez, playing golf somewhere in the area and just fuck around all weekend.
There are 4 or 5 of us who are catching a Sunday 3pm flight back to Houston, now this is before the internet and the 24/7 news channels.

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Very little sympathy. Their imminent demise has been reported in the news for the last 6 months, especially after Iceland Air didn't buy them out. The same thing happened with Air Berlin last year, which was sad as I used them a lot for my quick Berlin fix as a Oneworld partner. I actually have 2 flights on Norwegian Air in September and November that I purchased for dirt cheap knowing that they may or may not last the year. (CDG-JFK; MAD-JFK) I have a Plan B should I need it. Never gamble what you can't afford to lose.

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On 3/28/2019 at 10:41 AM, Wally Fairway said:

CSB -

I'm working an a job in El Paso in September 1983, we finish the project mid-day Friday and stay the weekend eating/drinking in Juarez, playing golf somewhere in the area and just fuck around all weekend.
There are 4 or 5 of us who are catching a Sunday 3pm flight back to Houston, now this is before the internet and the 24/7 news channels. So when we get to the airport there is nobody at the Continental counter, just a little 5x7 card folded in half informing us that they had filed for bankruptcy on Friday. We were fucked, all the flights to Houston were fully booked until Tuesday or Wednesday, so we went to the other counters (and Continental at the time had about 1/2 of the entire terminal as their counter) to see what we could do; we were willing to fly anywhere to get a connection back to Houston. Luckily one other guy and  I were able to get a 9 pm to Dallas, which was easy to get to Houston from. If I remember correctly someone flew to Denver and at least 1 person got back via LA.

Airline bankruptcy's are a shit storm to deal with for at least a few days. Thankfully, back then, all the tickets were booked through a travel agent, and were insured (company paid) so all the other airlines just honored the tickets and collected from someone else.

I call bullshit!!!!!

 

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1980, Atlanta, GA

 

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