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Budget airline given water salute as flights to Iceland get underway at Cardiff Airport

By Emily Price
Play's first flight from Cardiff to Iceland received a water salute

Iceland’s budget airline was given a water salute by firefighters as low-cost seasonal flights to Reykjavík launched at Cardiff Airport today.

Customers on board the first Play Airlines flight from Wales were treated to an
Icelandic sweet treat of chocolate liquorice, candy stripes  and Aurora Borealis cake before they departed.

Play’s inaugural seasonal flight programme at Cardiff came a day before the Wales football game in Iceland and the plane was full with 174 passengers on board.

The airline is providing direct flights from Cardiff to Reykjavík, twice a week, and is providing free stopovers in Iceland for customers on its North American connections, enabling a visit to two countries in one trip.

The journey on the 180-seat Airbus takes two hours and 40 minutes.

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Stopovers

Lee Smith, Cardiff Wales Airport’s Head of Business Development, said: "It’s a
pleasure to welcome Play Airlines to Wales today.

"This exciting service allows customers to enjoy direct flights between Wales and Iceland for the first time.

"Play’s Icelandic hub in Reykjavík also allows for people in Wales to take advantage of Play's free stopovers in Iceland, before jetting off to five key cities in North America.

"We look forward to working with the team at Play to continue growing in Wales."

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Half-term

Play will initially operate two flights per week on Mondays and Fridays for a six-weeks ending November 20.

This will coincide with Wales’ half-term school holidays from October 28 to November 1.

Flights will adjust to Thursdays and Sundays during the first week and Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the last week.

This is to accommodate two Uefa Nations League matches between Iceland and Wales.

Flights can be booked and stopover details can be found at www.flyplay.com

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11 comments

Nobby Tart

I wonder what Natasha thinks of this? She's usually pretty vocal about the airport.

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Welsh Patriot

Not sure why they got such a fuss? The airline is only going to stay use Cardiff Airport for six weeks. Anyone booking a long haul trip to the US usually needs a little more certainty.

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Mab Meirion

Ten minutes into the flight all the control systems froze and the plane plunged thirty thousand feet before it defrosted and the pilots were able to pull out of the death dive...every news story contains a novel !

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Daff

How much have they been bribed by the Welsh Assembly? The flights stop the minute the minute the bungs cease Incompetant Labour, with an incestuous corruption riddled Assembly Devolution has ruined wales and taken it back by generation. It's time to drain the swap, otherwise known as Cardiff Bay

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Rob

There is no such thing as a Welsh Assembly anymore. Labour has ruined Wales, not devolution, there is a difference. Arguably though the Tories are also at fault for refusing to devolved air passenger duty to Wales like it has been devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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Nobby Tart

Wales Online is over there.

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David

Another example of Lee Smith and his deceitful team at Cardiff airport. Look closely at their successes. Play airline , only there for 2 months ( coincided with Wales game ! ) been and soon to be gone. Sunny Belfast , been and gone. Paris with Eastern airlines ( did anyone know it existed ? ) been and gone. Promised Long haul , where is it ? Who employed this incompetent team. They are simply incapable of negotiating with the airlines that people want there ie easyJet , more Ryanair , Jet2 to name the obvious. When Paris was cancelled they said , don't worry , you can still get to Paris/France from Cardiff , via Schiphol , taking 6 hours and cheap at £250 each way. Deceitful and proof they don't live in the real world. Where are they spending the limited money available , not on airline incentives , instead on upgrading the airport facilities that nobody comes to. What brain dead idiot decided that they should change the Long Stay/ Short Stay car park signs to 1 and 2 !!! That will make it clearer for visitors ??? With people making costly unnecessary decisions like this it's time to get out the P45s. Disgraceful.

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Rob

The problem with Eastern Airways operating the Paris link was that they are a point to point airline and do not offer interline services with other airlines. Therefore only suited for passengers travelling between Cardiff and Paris. Had it been operated by Air France then it would have allowed passengers from Cardiff to connect to destinations across the world via their CDG hub.

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David

There would have been enough going to Paris just wanting to go to Paris. The point I was making was about all the false hope and promises being made by a group who are not capable of attracting new airlines or routes on a more permanent , if not seasonal, basis.

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In reply to David

Barnaby

Have you been to Orly? It's their London Southend.

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Valleys Lad

It only in Cardiff for 6 weeks, I wouldn't go over board with the welcome!

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