Budget Airline PLAY Cancels All USA Flights

Low-cost airline PLAY, which flies to more than two dozen European destinations, will end service all in North America in October, after more than three years.

Tickets are available for purchase only through Sept. 1, 2025, for flights through the end of September to and from the United States.

PLAY airline plane in flight_evelynkanter — Photo: PLAY

The airline had already announced plans to stop Canadian flights, The Iceland-based airline PLAY announced plans to cease operations in North America in October following a company takeover by two of its largest shareholders.

“All flights to North America cease as of October 2025,” the airline confirmed in a statement on its website.

Service has been through Reykjavik on to destinations in Europe including Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, London, and Porto.

Tickets on the route for travel on Sept. 1 are currently available for as little as €174 one-way (approximately $201).

The company plans to increase flights from Iceland to “sunny destinations,” reduce its aircraft fleet, and delist from the stock exchange while focusing more on its operations in Malta and Lithuania.

PLAY serviced smaller airports such as Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and has been one of the only commercial one of the only commercial carriers at New York Stewart International Airport, in the Hudson Valley between New York City and Albany.

PLAY also had interline agreements with Alaska Airlines and Spirit Airlines.

“With these changes, the takeover group aims to strengthen the company’s focus on profitable operations, while discontinuing the less successful parts of the business — namely, U.S. flights and connecting services,” the announcement reads.

It will lease out-of-service planes to other airlines.

Getting a Refund

The airline reportedly will contact all affected passengers for trip modification or refunds if needed.

But you don’t have to wait for PLAY to contact you.

If you have travel insurance – which you should have – you should contact your travel insurance company immediately to make a claim.

Silver Airways Shuts Down

The decision of Play Airlines to end U.S. and Canadian flights comes at a time when another shut down abruptly, stranding passengers.

Silver Airways, a regional airline that operates flights throughout the Bahamas, the Caribbean Islands, and Florida, recently shut down abruptly, stranding passengers.

Let’s hope all the stranded passengers had travel insurance.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is an award-winning journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.