London To Boston or Washington DC From $153 (£99/€136) One-Way

Wow Air

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WOW Air is one of the airlines I’ve promised myself that I’ll try out within the next year. It’s one of the new breed of low cost carriers (LCCs) that’s spread its wings further than its surrounding regions and offers travelers a true alternative for fights across the Atlantic. Norweigan is another such LCC and another of the airlines I fully indend to try out.

One of the main reasons I want to try out these LCCs is because, every now and again, they offer some amazingly good fares that simply can’t be matched by the traditional airlines and I’d love to know just how good (or terrible!) the service is on those flights.

WOW Air Sale to Boston

Right now WOW air has brought back a fare it first published in October last year which allows travelers to book one-way flights from London Gatwick to Boston and Washington DC (via Reykjavik)  for as little as $153 (£99/€136) one-way + taxes.

Travel dates for the offer: 1 October – 15 December 2015 & 10 January – 10 March 2016

The offer went live at 10am this morning (UK time) and the deals are being snapped up pretty rapidly but there’s still availability out there for a few select dates.

Flights to Washington DC

Here are some example dates in 2015 (more dates available at Wowair)

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Flights to Boston

Here are some example dates in 2016 (more dates available at Wowair)

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The prices for the return flights aren’t quite so generous and, while the taxes do also add to the overall cost, the prices are still pretty impressive:

London Gatwick to Boston (Return) 13 – 18 January 2016

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London Gatwick to Washington DC (Return) 8 – 12 November 2015

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Additional Fees

If you’re considering booking any of these flights you need to remember that this is a LCC that you’re dealing with….and that means you’re going to get charged for just about everything – so only take with you what you truly need.

You’re allowed one piece of hand baggage of up to 5kg:

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An additional weight allowance of 7kg can be purchased for the not-inexpensive price of $43 (£28/€38) each-way.

Unsurprisingly there’s a charge for checking a bag into the hold of the plane (never usually an economically sound idea on an LCC) and that comes at an extra charge of $60 (£39/€54) per bag each-way.

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Put simply, these fares are a great deal if you can travel super-light.

If you’d like a little bit more comfort on your trip you can pay extra (naturally!) for seats with a bit more legroom….and there’s a wide selection from which you can choose (prices shown are one-way):

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By Wow Air’s own admission these flights don’t offer the most efficient way to get to the East Coast from Europe:

“The stop-over in Reykjavik makes the flights to Boston 3 hours longer than a direct flight and 5 and a half hours longer when heading back and the flights to Washington 2 hours longer for the go and 4 hours for the return trip.”

But there’s always going to be a trade-off in these circumstances – you either get a cheep flight which takes longer or you pay more to get there quicker.

If you’re flying as a family, restricted by school term dates and have a need to check in luggage then you’re probably better served by one of the traditional airlines.

If, however, you have a bit of flexibility and don’t feel the need to take your entire wardrobe with you these fares can be an exceptional deal – and it’s one I’m looking into for myself right now!