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WOW AIR’S ANNOUNCEMENT of a new transatlantic service from Dublin took many people by surprise on Thursday.
The little known low-cost carrier plans to begin its new routes from October, and is planning an introductory one-way rate of just €149, with a stopover in Reykjavik on each Boston- or Washington-bound flight.
It comes just a few weeks after the company’s announcement of its new Ireland-Iceland service, which will operate year-round from Dublin, from this June.
46-year-old Skúli Mogensen is the man at the helm of the no-frills carrier.
He has (as I’m sure we can all agree) an impressively Icelandic-sounding name.
But just who is he?
More to the point, why haven’t we heard of his airline before?
“You’re completely excused for not having heard about us,” the former tech CEO tells us, down the phone (admittedly, we hadn’t put the question to him quite that bluntly).
We are obviously relatively new, but we flew our one millionth passenger last December. Our first flight was in May 2012, between Iceland and Paris.
By this summer, the airline will be flying to 20 destinations — including its first US airports.
Many of the main European countries are already in our network too.
‘Thor’ and other stories
Mogensen describes himself as an “accidental” airline executive. Alongside his CEO role, he’s also the sole owner of the company. Before that, he spent two decades as an entrepreneur and investor, mostly in the tech, media and telecoms sectors.
He studied philosophy at the University of Iceland, and co-founded mobile software company OZ Communications while still in college. The tech firm had 200 employees and had sold over 100 million copies of its messaging software to major operators by the time Mogensen sold it to Nokia, in 2008.
In that 20-year period, Mogensen also co-founded mobile operator Islandssimi (which later became Vodafone Iceland) and animation studio CAOZ (creators of a full-length feature about Thor, amongst other projects).
Back in 2010, after the Icelandic banking collapse, he led a group of investors to resurrect the country’s ‘MP Bank’ and is still vice chairman of the lender.
Says the Icelander:
I come from that sort-of entrepreneurial, start-up environment. I’ve been associated with the technology field, and we have tried to apply that same enthusiasm and culture to ‘Wow’.”
New beginnings
His nascent airline was ranked as 7th best low-cost carrier in Europe at last year’s Skytrax World Airline Awards — and was the youngest company in the top ten.
Passengers can expect “a great, broad happy smile” each time they step on board a Wow plane, Mogenson maintains.
The company’s Facebook page is plastered with good-humoured looking staff, engaged in all manner of mid-air, customer-friendly hijinx.
Signing off
“Extreme skiing, cycling and triathalons,” are listed as Mogenson’s main hobbies on the Wow website. He also leads an annual 1,300km midnight-sun charity bike ride around the island of Iceland.
Before we let him off the phone to head back to whatever hare-brained adventure sport he’d taken a break from to talk to us, we had to ask Mogenson about the photo below — sent to us by his Irish PR firm.
The fact that he was sitting in front of a bank of photos that appeared to show people standing on sinking sports utility vehicles in various Icelandic lakes had us a bit worried. It seemed just a little but… well, odd.
Nothing to be concerned about, apparently.
“The picture you’re referring to is actually by Olafur Eliasson, who is probably the best known and most widely respected artist in Iceland. He has had shows at the Tate Modern and all over the world.”
That’s us told. (In fairness, he was laughing as he spoke.)
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I’m off to Iceland at the end of the month! Can’t wait :D
Would love to go. Bought a Nikon d810 and would love a crack at the landscapes there
Make sure you take a trip to the blue lagoon.
Will do Mike! Have my Sony Alpha something or other camera! Will be in heaven with it!
Can’t wait to visit Iceland!! America, not so much.
Iceland, cheap to get to but need a second mortgage once you get there. I’m just back myself. Was there a couple of weeks ago.
I like to see them both, I’d love to taste one of them NY hotdogs their always eating on the telly.
I couldn’t wait to sample corn dogs, revolting things but apart from that American food is great and I’d nearly pay this fair just to have another In and Out burger.
5 guys is opening here soon. It’s not much but it’ll be cheaper than flying over
I always wanted to taste meat loaf as well.
Unless your on a serious budget its not worse the hassle of flying via Iceland. Probably about three hours longer (including a CHANGE of flight – not direct) and the biggest loss is you won’t pre clear USA immigration in Dublin. That alone is worth so much in saved time that two cheap flights would never get you back in lost time.
Though visiting Iceland does sound interesting.
I think the homebound leg is worse – your overnight sleep disrupted by a layover in Iceland. Still though, anything that increases competition is great for the consumer!
I can’t sleep on a plane no matter how tired I am. It’s sh it!
@charles unless your unlucky enough to go business class or first class. Then you will sleep like a baby.
Maybe some day. For now ill battle on and let them off the plane 10 minutes ahead of me. Great meeting them at the carousel
Haha well mostly their bags are first out as well & then they are straight through express way out the door. But the fact they have a bed on the plane is the most important aspect I suppose. Guarantees a good sleep.
Charles, get an eye mask and noise reducing ear phones and try harder. It’s pretty simple.
If I was ever going to go to the USA I would use Aer Lingus. Not some unknown Airline. No Thanks
Aer Lingus flights are great but a bit more expensive then (than??) they should be.
Wow are like Ryanair. Cheap headline price. Delve deeper into there €149 offer and if u want decent baggage allowance as most of us do going to the U.S. the price comes to well over €200. That and the 2 hour stop over isn’t worth the hassle I think
They will only be able to sell a small amount of tickets at that price otherwise it won’t be sustainable as a business model.
Had a look last night at the details of the prices and only 1 of the outbound flights is at that price from launch , most are around and over €220 , which is not much better than other carriers when you count in the lack of a layover and baggage allowance with others
It must be a very slow news day. Only 6 items on the journal and they not newsy.
Just curious, but what is the economic situation in Ireland today? We don’t hear much about it!
Australia has some business for him!
http://www.irishecho.com.au/2015/01/23/mass-deportation-of-irish-nationals-from-wa/33481
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