Maybe you made a resolution to travel more in 2016. Maybe you could use a cheap vacation. Or maybe you need a contingency plan for when Donald Trump wins the general election. Regardless, you should jump at the chance to hop on a cheap flight courtesy of Wow Air. The relatively new airline announced one-way flights to Iceland as low as $99, and $199 if you're continuing on to one of their 21 European destinations, including London, Paris and Berlin.
Seats are selling out fast, so if you're interested, make your reservation as soon as possible. Service will operate four days a week out of LAX starting June 15. It will also run five days a week out of SFO starting June 9. Wow Air launched the same $99 deal on the East Coast, from Boston and Baltimore, back in March, so at least we know they've had some practice.
Despite the extremely low ticket price, you should expect to encounter some hidden fees. A small carry-on bag that weighs up to 11 pounds is free, but a larger carry-on bag is $48. Your first checked bag is $67, and seat reservations go for $10 or $12. But if you're used to flying Spirit or any other budget airline, you know how these companies operate—what's most important is that you get from point A to point B.
For its natural beauty, and escapist appeal, Iceland is one of the trendiest places to visit right now—it saw a 30 percent increase in tourism during 2015, and a whopping 59 percent increase from the United States, according to the Iceland Monitor. The paper attributes the bump to more US airlines adding Iceland to their list of destinations.
Iceland has also taken a more prominent role in popular culture in recent years, including its leading role in the 2013 Ben Stiller rom-com, adventure movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It has also served as a filming location for Thor and Interstellar, as well as Game of Thrones.