The Current State Of Icelandic Airline PLAY’s US Network

Play Airlines is a young, Icelandic low-cost airline that operates flights in Europe and between Europe and North America. Founded in 2021, the airline has grown its network to almost 40 destinations and ten aircraft. Today, PLAY operates nearly 900 monthly flights and has the capacity to transport more than 166,000 passengers.

PLAY’s leadership team comes different backgrounds. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Einar Örn Ólafsson, came from an investment and executive background. Before becoming PLAY’s CEO, Ólafsson was the chairman of the airline’s board.

Andri Geir Eyjólfsson, PLAY’s Chief Operations Officer (COO), has more than 18 years in the aviation industry. Before taking on his role at PLAY, Eyjólfsson worked at several airlines. like WOW air, Air Atlanta, and Icelandair. Additionally, Eyjólfsson studies aircraft maintenance mechanics in Denmark.

Photo: PLAY

PLAY’s Chief Network Officer (CNO), Daníel Snæbjörnsson, has extensive experience in the aviation industry as well. Snæbjörnsson is a graduate of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and has worked for several airlines. From 2014 to 2019, Snæbjörnsson was WOW air’s Vice President of Network Planning.

Sigurður Örn Ágústsson is PLAY’s Chief Development Officer (CDO). His previous experience includes serving as the CEO and chairman of Bluebird Nordic, and on the board of Avion Express.

Sonja Arnórsdóttir is the Chief Operations Officer (COO). Arnórsdóttir brought with her 12 years of experience in revenue and sales, specifically in the aviation industry. At WOW air, she worked as a revenue specialist and led a team of ten people.

PLAY has been flying since 2021 and is one of several Icelandic carriers to have been launched in the 21st century. In 2021, PLAY started flying between Iceland and Europe, and then launched service to North America in April 2022.

Using its fleet of ten aircraft, PLAY only serves four destinations in the United States (US):

• Boston
• New York
• Baltimore
• Washington D.C.

When PLAY first launched US flights, former CEO Birgir Jónsson said,

“We have been looking forward to this day for a long time and we are just ecstatic with joy now it’s finally here. The transatlantic flights will be the main focus in PLAY´s operations and it was a huge project to establish a connection in a new continent. But now we see the fruits of our labor, a well made, reliable and ambitious flight plan. We already feel a great interest from travelers and i am really astonished to witness the resilience that my colleagues at PLAY possess. It is because of them we can celebrate this milestone in the our company´s history and we look forward to exciting times

According to data from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), since the launch of its US services in 2022 to April of this year, PLAY has carried 717,009 passengers between Iceland and the US. In total, the airline had 4,600 flights during this period, offering 868,744 seats. The average load factor for all of its routes is 82.57%.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

When flights to New York launched, the load factor was less than 60%. But by the following month, PLAY saw a massive jump to 93.18%. In February 2023, the airline experienced a sudden drop, from 93.02% to 58.37%. Since then, the load factor to Stewart has not dropped below 70%.

Boston

Service to Boston was launched in June 2022. From June 2022 to April 2024, PLAY transported 210,083 passengers between Iceland and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).

Today, the airline operates six weekly flights on the 2,413-mile route. Deploying the A320neo and A321neo, PLAY has 7,948 seats available in September.

New York

Because of its operational model, PLAY flies to smaller airports in some cities that are not as frequently used for commercial service as others. In New York, the carrier flies to New York Stewart International Airport. Service started in June 2022 and operates six times weekly.

Photo: ruimc | Shutterstock

Though PLAY serves Stewart Airport, there are three airlines flying between Reykjavik and the New York Area, but to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Both Delta Air Lines and Icelandair operate flights to JFK, both using their Boeing 767-300ERs. Additionally, Icelandair deploys both variants of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, the -8 and -9.

Between the three airlines, Icelandair has the highest market share. In September, the airline has 114 roundtrip flights and 23,016 seats, while Delta has 60 flights and 12,660 seats, while PLAY has 50 flights and 9,532 seats.

Baltimore

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is one of three major airports serving the Washington D.C. metro area. This region is where PLAY has concentrated most of its operations to the US, as it also flies to nearby Dulles International Airport (IAD).

The airline launched flights to Baltimore in June 2022 ,and since then, has transported 219,488 passengers. PLAY’s average load factor on the route, from June 2022 to April 2024 was 80.67% on the flights from Reykjavik and 83.83% returning from Boston.

Washington (Dulles)

As mentioned above, PLAY serves two Washington D.C. area airports. Dulles International Airport (IAD) is the area’s primary international airport. Located in Chantilly, Virginia, the airport welcomed more than 25 million passengers in 2023.

Photo: Steve Heap | Shutterstock

PLAY began serving IAD in April and continues to do so five/six times weekly. Deploying the A320neo, PLAY has 7,548 seats available this month. Flights operate on the following schedule: