WOW air, Iceland’s ultra-low-cost transatlantic airline, has named their newest aircraft TF-GAY in a show of support to the LGBT community. The brand new Airbus 330-300 will enter service on the airline’s route from Reykjavik (KEF) to San Francisco (SFO), a city synonymous with advancing LGBT rights in the US, when flights begin on 9 June.
WOW air is known for taking a humorous approach to its aircraft registrations, referring to their fleet as a family. Airline founder and CEO Skuli Mogensen says the naming of TF-GAY in support of the LGBT community is in keeping with the company’s ethos.
"WOW air is an airline for the people and one of our most important goals is to lower fares in order to enable everybody to travel the world and get to know different cultures. We wholeheartedly support queer people’s fight for rights. Just as we support equal rights for everybody, no matter their gender, religion, ethnicity or culture. When we announced we were going to start flying to San Francisco, one of our pilots approached me and suggested the TF-GAY registry. I immediately thought it was a great idea and fitted with our approach to using words relating to family members in the spirit of inclusiveness."
In that spirit of inclusiveness, TF-GAY will spread the love across many of WOW air’s routes over time. After its inaugural flight servicing San Francisco, it will likely fly between WOW air’s other destinations on both sides of the pond, including Montreal and Toronto.
"Furthermore the name fits perfectly into this concept of ours to create a modern family out of our air planes from the names we give them," he points out, referring to the company’s tradition of giving its planes names that represent family members; that is TF-MOM, TF-DAD, TF-SIS, TF-BRO, TF-SON and TF-KID. "WOW is basically MOM upside down and everybody loves their mom! Since day one, we’ve emphasized joy and friendliness in our services because we want everybody to feel welcome in the WOW family. And we think TF-GAY fits right in with our modern family concept."
Launched in November 2011, WOW air will, by July, connect 28 destinations across Europe and North America with the Icelandic capital. WOW air’s annual passenger capacity will more than double in 2016 to over 1.8 million, up from approximately 840,000 in 2015.
For more information on flights to Iceland and North America please visit http://www.wowair.ca.
About WOW air
WOW air is Iceland’s only low-cost airline and the most punctual, with 92 per cent of flights arriving on time in 2014.
WOW air offers the lowest fares, a modern fleet with the lowest emissions and the biggest smile; this is the WOW air promise to its valuable customers.
As of Summer 2016, the airline will service 28 destinations across Europe and North America, including London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Berlin, Nice, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto and Boston.
Created in November 2011 by Icelandic entrepreneur Skúli Mogensen, the purple airline flies Airbus A320 aircraft across Europe with Airbus A321 and A330 aircraft used on transatlantic services.
WOW air was ranked as the 7th best low-cost airline in Europe at the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Skytrax World Airline Awards and was the youngest airline in the top ten.
For more information: http://www.wowair.ca
