Newcomer low-cost airline, PLAY, has announced 150 new job openings for the spring and summer next year, MBL reports. Of the newly listed positions, the airline is seeking to recruit 50 pilots and 100 flight attendants on both a long-term and summer job basis. This is the airline’s largest recruitment push to date.
PLAY is an Icelandic airline formed in part by former executives of WOW Air which ceased operations without warning in March 2019–stranding nearly 4,000 passengers. Initially slated to begin operations in the summer of 2020, the airline finally got up and running in June 2021–first connecting Keflavík Airport with London Stansted, with many routes following shortly thereafter.
In August 2021 PLAY applied for authorisation to begin transatlantic routes, with the aim of beginning ticket sales this year for travel next summer. While expected routes have not been released, there is speculation that New York and Boston are likely to be on the list. Birgir Jónsson, CEO of Play, told RÚV in August, “[We are considering] main cities on the east coast. We are not looking at flights to the west coast.”
At present, only flights from Iceland to cities in mainland Europe such as Copenhagen, Alicante, Berlin and Paris are offered. Just last week, PLAY announced a new route from Reykjavík to Amsterdam on their Facebook page, stating, “Now you can book a flight to Amsterdam, one of Europe’s most comfortable cities.” A search of their website shows that flights will commence in December 2021 and are already able to be booked.
During a time of unprecedented turmoil in the tourism industry, it is yet to be ascertained how consumers will respond to the new airline. One thing is certain, however, PLAY is attempting to fill a void in low-cost airfare connecting Iceland to its Atlantic neighbours.
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