ICELAND: WOW To Commence Flights To Orlando On Dec. 18th

As the busy summer season for transatlantic airlines comes to a close, Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW air announced on Wednesday its newest U.S. destination, Orlando, Fla.

The Central Floridian city will be served from the airline’s main hub at Keflavik International Airport, 40 minutes from Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik, on a seasonal basis, and is the first city in Florida to be served by WOW.

The inaugural flight is scheduled for Dec. 18, with the service operating three times weekly during its operational period of December until the end of April.

The route is currently slated to be operated by the airline’s Airbus A321 aircraft and will mark the 14th destination to be served by WOW in the United States.

The outbound to Orlando, WW187, will depart Reykjavik/Keflavik at 4:40 p.m. and is scheduled to arrive into Orlando International Airport at 8:05 p.m operating on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during most weeks.

The return to Iceland, WW188, departs Orlando at 4:20 p.m and arrives in Iceland at 4:45 a.m. the following morning on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays during most weeks.

The aircraft will stay overnight in Florida in order to facilitate onward transfers. According to the airline’s website, some weeks will see some variation in days of operation.

The arrival of the flight into Keflavik will be one of the first of the morning from the United States.

This early arrival will more easily allow passengers to process through what can be an extremely busy international arrivals facility.

As well as give them more time or explore Iceland or Keflavik Airport if they are simply passing through onward to mainland Europe or India once WOW starts flights to New Dehli in December.

Milan, Berlin, Edinburgh, and New Delhi, these are just some of the exciting new destinations that are just one-stop away from Orlando with the arrival of WOW Airlines, said Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.

WOW’s ability as an international low-cost carrier helps open doors for more business and leisure travel between Orlando and the world.

WOW Air will face direct competition from Icelandair who operates its fleet of Boeing 757 on the route.

The Icelandic flag carrier offers the same connection and stopover model as WOW but will be operating daily flights on the route starting Oct. 3.

The two airlines have been embroiled in an expansion war that has seen unprecedented service from Iceland to the U.S. in the past year alone at a lower cost than ever.


Tourism Observer

ST THOMAS: Spirit To Start Flights From Orlando To St Thomas

On the heels of the launch of new service between Fort Lauderdale and St Croix, Spirit Airlines has announced even more flights to the US Virgin Islands from the Sunshine State.

The Department of Tourism announced that Spirit Airlines will inaugurate service between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Cyril E. King Airport on St Thomas (STT) with three flights a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, beginning November 8, 2018.

The service augments existing daily flights between Fort Lauderdale and St Thomas.

These new flights represent the fruit of the hard work of our administration to add new service and increase flights to our destination, said US Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth Mapp.

New flights increase affordable opportunities for Virgin Islanders to travel to and from the mainland, while helping our bread and butter tourism industry recover, he added.

Working alongside our colleagues at the Virgin Islands Port Authority, we continue to invest heavily in our airlift development strategy and value our partnership with Spirit as they continue to prioritize travel to and from our territory, said Beverly Nicholson-Doty, Commissioner of Tourism for the US Virgin Islands.

As part of a wider announcement, Spirit will begin offering international service from Orlando International Airport to 11 new destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as three more domestic routes rolling out through the fall.

The announcement marks one of the largest expansions in the airline’s history and includes service to the US territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

We have been proud to serve Orlando for 25 years, and after more than doubling service last year, we are so proud to be expanding there yet again, said Bob Fornaro, Spirit’s chief executive officer.

Orlando is now one of our largest markets, and we have no plans on stopping our growth. The region is not only a wonderful, family-friendly destination, but it is well-positioned to now serve as a gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America.

With Spirit’s expanding network, the airline continues to improve its on-time performance and guest satisfaction, while building upon its larger commitment to invest in the guest experience.

The airline recently announced that state-of-the-art, high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity will be installed on its entire fleet by summer of 2019.


Tourism Observer

USA: Spirit Airlines Begins Major International Expansion

Effective Oct. 4, Spirit Airlines will begin offering international service from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to 11 new destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as three more domestic routes rolling out through the fall.

The announcement marks one of the largest expansions in the airline’s history and includes service to the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

With this announcement, Spirit will now provide additional service from Orlando to eight countries and two U.S. territories.

It comes just days after the airline announced new routes from Orlando to Asheville and Greensboro, North Carolina, as well as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Spirit will now provide the Orlando region with nonstop service to and from 38 destinations, with up to 49 daily flights across the U.S., the Caribbean, and Latin America.

We have been proud to serve Orlando for 25 years, and after more than doubling service last year, we are so proud to be expanding there yet again, said Bob Fornaro, Spirit’s chief executive officer.

Orlando is now one of our largest markets, and we have no plans on stopping our growth.

The region is not only a wonderful, family-friendly destination, but it is well-positioned to now serve as a gateway to the Carribean and Latin America.

Spirit Airlines has a long history here at Orlando International Airport, and today’s announced plans for more investment into this market are a direct reflection of that long-time business partnership, said Stan Thornton, chief operating officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.


Tourism Observer

USA: Spirit Airlines To Start Piedmont Triad Flights To Fort Lauderdale,Orlando And Tampa International Airports

Spirit Airlines will Beginning Sept. 6, operate service from Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Orlando International Airport (MCO), and Tampa International Airport (TPA).

The Piedmont Triad will mark Spirit’s 66th service station in its growing network. Service to and from Orlando will run 3 times weekly, while service to and from Fort Lauderdale and Tampa will each operate 2 times weekly, starting this September.

Service will increase to 4 times weekly to Orlando and 3 times weekly to Fort Lauderdale and Tampa starting November 8, 2018.

Spirit is excited to offer the Piedmont Triad ultra-low fares to warm, family-friendly destinations just in time for a winter getaway, said Mark Kopczak, Spirit Airlines’ vice president of network planning.

Our Guests will be able to make the most out of their vacations by choosing the options they want and saving money in the process. We pride ourselves on providing more opportunities for everyone to travel.

The airport authority is very excited to welcome Spirit to PTI, said Stephen D. Showfety, chairman of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority.

Spirit is an ultra-low cost carrier that is building a sterling reputation for reliable, on-time service to key markets.

Spirit service at PTI is a great win for the airport and a great win for the community and the state.


Tourism Observer