Continued from page 64


headquarters of the EU agency responsible for the system, eu-LISA, in its capital Tallinn. By contrast, Germany will initially have just a single EES checkpoint – at Düsseldorf airport. The EU’s EES-Etias advisory


group reported “intensive testing” and “rehearsing scenarios” by member states through the summer and hailed a “successful large-scale rehearsal”. An EU public information


campaign, originally promised three months in advance of the launch, finally got underway last week – starting on September 29 – with leaflets, posters, videos and “other visuals” at borders, on social media and on websites. There is no charge for


registering with the system, but completion of its rollout will be followed six months later by the launch of a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) for non-EU travellers exempt from visas, for which a €20 fee is proposed – not €7 as originally planned. Travel and tourism bodies


have expressed alarm at the fee, demanding the EC publish an impact assessment with a detailed cost breakdown. Tom Jenkins, chief executive


of European travel association Etoa, said: “When the EC first proposed Etias it was supposed to be cheap. The mood music changed because it has proved much more difficult than they thought. It’s all about control of borders.” The EC first proposed a


biometric EES in April 2016 and the European Parliament and Council agreed its entry into


force from December 2017. i For more information, visit: travel-europe.europa.eu/ees


Play blames failure on demand and ‘discontent’


Ian Taylor


Icelandic low-cost carrier Play ceased operating last week, blaming “weaker-than-expected” demand following “negative media coverage”. Play had already announced plans


to drop its transatlantic flying and focus on services to and from Iceland, cutting its fleet from 10 to four aircraft and ditching its Icelandic operating certificate to register in Malta. But its board announced an end to


operations on September 29, noting: “It has become clear these changes cannot deliver the results needed to overcome the airline’s deep-seated financial troubles.” It suggested “discontent among some employees” had contributed to the decision, confirming the loss of 400 jobs. All flights were immediately


cancelled. Play advised passengers to check other airlines as “some may offer ‘rescue fares’”; to contact their card issuer if they paid with a card; and to contact their travel agent if they had bought a


Play flew from Stansted, Liverpool and Glasgow


Play launched in 2021, operating


from Iceland’s Keflavik airport, with its founders insisting they had learnt the lessons of Icelandic predecessor Wow Air’s failure. Chief executive Birgir Jonsson –


package – highlighting once more the lack of provision for refunds when an airline goes bust. The Civil Aviation Authority


described the failure as “unsettling for customers” in a statement. Play noted: “The company’s


performance has long fallen short of expectations, ticket sales have been poor following negative media coverage, and internal disagreements among some employees have further strained the situation.” It said the proposed changes had


“initially inspired optimism”, but added: “In hindsight, these measures needed to be implemented much earlier.”


former Wow deputy chief executive – told Travel Weekly in 2023 that Play would “avoid the pitfalls” of Wow, saying: “We want to emulate the part of the model that worked and stay off ‘grandiose’ plans. We’re a listed company with better access to capital and our approach is more disciplined.” However, Play struggled to turn


a profit and Jonsson stood down in April 2024 to be replaced by Play chairman and largest shareholder, Einar Orn Olafsson. Shareholders rejected a proposed management buyout in July last year. The airline flew from Stansted,


Liverpool and Glasgow, as well as from Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Stockholm. It mainly sold online but also through the trade, offering one-way fares to New York from £139.


From Wow Air to Play: how different were they?


Play was set up by two former Wow Air executives in 2019, with its launch delayed by the pandemic. It began operating between Stansted and Reykjavik in June 2021, adding flights to the US in 2022 and Canada in 2023. Wow had collapsed in March


2019, having operated between Iceland, Europe and North America, as well as to India. Launched in 2012 by Icelandic technology and telecoms


entrepreneur Skuli Mogensen, it began flying to the US in 2015 and to Canada in 2016. It carried more than 1.6 million passengers in 2017, but losses only grew with the expansion. It briefly appeared Icelandair


Group would acquire Wow in November 2019, but the former abandoned a deal the same month. Private equity investor Indigo


Partners, a major shareholder in Wizz Air, then offered to buy Wow, which slashed its workforce by


Wow Air operated from 2012-19


two-thirds. But Indigo withdrew in March 2020 as pandemic restrictions kicked in and Wow ceased flying. Ex-Wow executives announced


plans for the new airline which became Play barely four months later.


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9 OCTOBER 2025


travelweekly.co.uk


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