International Tourism Will Also See a Boost from New Flights
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WOW air, Iceland’s low-cost transatlantic airline, will begin international service in 2018 from St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) to Europe via new non-stop service to Keflavik International Airport (KEF) in Iceland.
WOW air will begin four-days-per-week service from STL beginning May 17. Tickets are now available for sale at www.wowair.us with introductory fares to KEF from $99.99 one-way including taxes. Introductory fares to WOW air’s additional locations from STL, such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dublin, Copenhagen and more, start at $149.99. WOW air will operate Airbus A321 aircraft with a seating capacity of approximately 220 passengers and will operate out of Terminal 2’s E Gates.
“WOW air is very excited to bring our flight services to St. Louis,” WOW air CEO and Founder Skúli Mogensen said. “We are proud of our growth in the Midwest and are honored to partner with St. Louis Lambert International Airport to offer low cost fares to Europe.”
“We know how important international, transatlantic service is for St. Louis,” St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said. “With this announcement by WOW air, St. Louis and the entire region benefit for leisure and business connections and St. Louis becomes a bigger destination for international tourists.”
Over the last several months, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership has worked closely with the airport to land international service. The Partnership has committed to a marketing support plan for WOW air to promote the new service to an international audience.
“It is a pleasure to welcome WOW to the St. Louis region,” St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger said. “This is a great addition for our residents seeking global leisure travel and for the ever-growing number of local businesspeople who are expanding their operations internationally. We made a smart investment through the St. Louis County Port Authority to provide the key incentives to secure these flights.”
Thanks to @ksdknews for this video stream of today's @wow_air press conference. #STLGrown #FlySTL
WATCH: https://t.co/T5ooGiHZRL pic.twitter.com/FC9y8T9Rpj
— STLPartnership (@STLPartnership) August 23, 2017
With the introduction of WOW’s new service, the international segment of the St. Louis tourism market is well-positioned for growth, according to Explore St. Louis.
“Europe is one of the largest feeder markets for in-bound international tourists to St. Louis, especially travelers from England, France and Germany,” Explore St. Louis President Kitty Ratcliffe said. “These visitors regularly travel to St. Louis to experience the sites along historic Route 66, our world-famous barbecue scene, the National Blues Museum and our live music offerings, Cardinals baseball and of course the iconic Gateway Arch.”
The weekly WOW flights will operate Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with departures set for 9:55 p.m. CT from St. Louis. The in-bound flights will arrive between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. CT, depending on daylight savings time schedule.
“We are very excited about this announcement,” St. Louis Economic Development Partnership CEO Sheila Sweeney said. “Connectivity is exactly what we need to grow business in St. Louis. Our multi-national companies must be able to move their people efficiently to Europe in order to prosper and grow.”
St. Louis Lambert International Airport is experiencing its busiest summer in nearly a decade with total passenger traffic expected to exceed 14 million by the end of 2017. STL airlines are operating 261 daily departures during this peak summer travel period, which is seven more daily flights than the summer of 2016. STL’s airlines are flying to 69 non-stop destinations this summer. In November, Southwest Airlines will add international service to Cancun. In December, Alaska Airlines will add a second daily flight to San Diego (SAN).
STL also works with other regional partners, especially the Regional Business Council (RBC) and Civic Progress (CP), both of which have been instrumental in supporting the Airport’s air service development program.
About WOW air
WOW currently offers services to 32 destinations across Europe and North America including Dublin, London, Paris, Berlin and Copenhagen.
Established in November 2011 by Icelandic entrepreneur Skúli Mogensen, the purple airline flies with Airbus A320, Airbus A321 and Airbus A330 models. WOW air boasts one of the world’s youngest fleet, with an average aircraft age of just two years.
