Icelandic budget airline Wow air has promised flights between Bristol and the US and Canada from £99 one-way as it prepares to launch services from Bristol Airport next year.
Transatlantic passengers taking advantage of its bargain basement fares – which will only be available on a selected number of flights – will have to change planes in Iceland capital Reykjavik, with a stop-over of around an hour and a half. 
But Wow said it expects its ultra low-cost offer to be a big hit with people who would otherwise be forced to head to Heathrow or Gatwick to fly to North America.
Wow, which already operates from Gatwick, will launch flights from Bristol via Reykjavik to Montreal on May 12 and Toronto on May 20. Boston and Washington DC flights will start around the same time with Los Angeles or San Francisco flights added in June.
All flights will operate three times a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Wow founder and CEO Skúli Mogensenc said: “As one of our strongest markets we are delighted to continue to grow WOW air’s presence in the UK. Bringing our ultra low-cost transatlantic model to Bristol will make flying to the US and Canada much easier for those in the South West and Wales.
“We hope our low fares will give holidaymakers in these areas the chance to travel further afield than previously planned, whilst enjoying great service, delivered with a smile.”
Bristol Airport chief executive officer Robert Sinclair added: “We are thrilled that Wow air has chosen Bristol as its first UK regional airport, providing low-cost flights to the USA and Canada via the world-class Reykjavik hub.
“Currently, over a million people a year travel between the South West and Wales and North America, including an estimated 250,000 inbound visitors. Until now, the majority have flown to and from London airports to do so, clocking up additional time and costs in the process.
“This new link will enhance both the convenience and affordability of flights to several American destinations, including Los Angeles and Washington DC, giving people more reason than ever to choose to fly local.”
There have been no direct transatlantic flights from Bristol since Continental Airlines ended its direct Bristol-New York service in 2010 after operating it for five years. Irish airline Aer Lingus operates services to US cities via its hub in Dublin where passengers arriving on Bristol flights can clear US security.
Other airlines offer transatlantic services via mainland European hub airport such as Amsterdam Schiphol, Brussels, Frankfurt or Paris Charles De Gaulle.
Wow, Iceland’s only low-cost airline, launched its Canadian and Californian routes in October and November respectively. Launched in November 2011, the airline’s annual passenger capacity will more than double next year to over 1.8m, up from approximately 840,000 in 2015. Bristol is its 25th destination.
Wow will operate A320 aircraft on the Bristol-Reykjavik flights with single-class A321 and A330-300 aircraft operating between Iceland and North America.
Wow’s Bristol-Reykjavik flights, which depart Bristol at 12noon, put it head-to-head with easyJet, which launched a twice-weekly (Thursday and Saturday) service two years ago.
Wow’s standard seat pitch is 30 inches with the option to increase this to 34 inches on the North American legs of the journey for an additional charge.
Tickets for Wow’s services launching in May are now on sale with Reykjavik-only flights starting at £39 one way and a small number flights to the US and Canada from £99 one way.
