Icelandic carrier Play plans to reduce its service to North America and Northern Europe, focusing on higher-performance routes to southern Europe.
With this change, Play will also place less emphasis on connecting service between North America and Europe via Reykjavik.
Play said capacity adjustments were already underway and it would begin eliminating destinations in the United States and Northern Europe in mid-2025. He did not specify which destinations will be removed.
“Returns from hub-and-spoke operations across the Atlantic have been disappointing, particularly in 2024,” Play said in a statement. “The North American market has changed significantly recently with a general increase in supply, with a negative effect on Play's financial results.”
Play started its activities in 2021 and launch of American service in April 2022. This month, Play offers at least weekly service to 30 destinations. Play's US destinations are Baltimore, Washington Dulles, Boston and New York Stewart (about 70 miles north of Manhattan). Play is also flying to Toronto.
Play operates 86 frequencies in total from the United States this month, following a peak of 124 in mid-summer, according to data from the Cirium flight program.
