My Play Airlines Review – Flying From London to Toronto and Back

Have you ever booked a flight with an airline you’ve never heard of before? Guilty! Back in October, after I returned from my amazing trip to Canada, I stumbled upon a Facebook post advertising flights back to North America for £200. Return! Now, if you’ve flown to North America before, you will know that’s a proper bargain. I couldn’t help myself so I clicked on the link and ended up booking a week in Ontario, with Play, a low-cost airline from Iceland. The flight had a layover in Reykjavik, enough to change planes. I’ve read later on that you can actually break your trip in Iceland and spend a few days exploring, on the same ticket. But I wanted to get to Canada, so I booked the shortest layover. In this article, I want to write my Play Airlines review, a full-paying customer, who booked the lowest fare with only the basic service included. Aka, the flight!

Who Is Play Airlines?

Play Airlines is a relatively new Icelandic company, on the market for less than two years. I didn’t hear about them until I found that special offer, on Facebook. Their business model is to connect Europe to North America via Iceland. They have a fleet of Airbus Neo that leave several European cities in the morning, connecting in Iceland with the ones coming from North America, which left the previous evening. Practically, the chances of delays are minimal.

The Fares

Play Airlines offers four tiers of tickets:

Basic – hand luggage only

Basic Plus – hand luggage, carry-on bag, priority boarding and seat selection

Value – personal item, carry-on bag, priority boarding, seat selection and 20kg checked-in bag

Flex – personal item, carry-on bag, priority boarding, 23 kg checked-in bag, seat selection and flight flexibility.

The difference between the tiers is around +£50.

I accepted the challenge and booked the basic fare.

The Essentials

The fare I booked was basic and included only an under-the-seat piece of luggage. Going to Canada just for a week, I only packed the essentials in packing cubes with compression. I wore my warm layers on the flight and even had a bit of extra space in my backpack for a few souvenirs. The only place where the bags were checked was Iceland, on the way to Canada. On the way back I did worry a little bit, as I brought back a few souvenirs and my bag was slightly bigger than the slot, but they didn’t check again.

You can buy food and drinks on board, but I brought snacks for both flights. I found the onboard food quite expensive. But then again, the prices were the same in the airport in Keflavik, so I guess they were Iceland’s standard.

The legroom is not very generous unless you book a premium seat. The flights to and from Europe were both full. The ones to and from Canada were not, so I could move and stretch my legs. On a 6-hour flight, it’s needed.

Onboard

You can easily tell that these are new planes, by the spotless interior. I have always preferred the Airbus Neo to the Boeing 737 – not to mention the Max which I find so noisy and less comfortable. Play has a fleet of both A320Neo and A321Neo. On this trip, I flew 3 times with the A320 Neo and once with the A321 Neo which had a different configuration and was bigger.

The seats are basic, with a tray table and very little storage in the tiny back pocket. Barely big enough to hold a small water bottle.  

There is no entertainment on board, so bring a book or make sure to download your favourite movies on your phone or tablet. There is also no WiFi

I really liked that the service was quick, and not pushy at all. If people wanted something more, they would just press the call button. I don’t like the three-times service on a two-hour flight, on the usual low-cost airlines.

Play Airlines Review

London Stansted to Toronto Hamilton via Keflavik

I arrived at the airport three hours before the flight and parked myself in Café Nero. They have a lovely quiet area in the back of the café, where they play classical music. They also have loads of books to read. I thought it was a bit of a calming oasis in the chaos of Stansted Airport.

The flight was on time so, after filling my water bottle, I headed to the train that connects the main waiting area to the gates at Stansted. By the time I arrived at the gate, boarding had begun. I didn’t have to wait as there was no queue. Boarding was very efficient.

I got random seats assigned, so on my way to Keflavik, I was in row 7 in the middle seat. Before sitting down, whilst waiting to advance on the aisle, I had a little chat with the flight attendant, which led to seeing the cockpit and having a brief chat with the pilot. I love airlines that allow you to do that. This is very helpful and reassuring, especially if you have a fear of flying.

Once I sat down I realised that the seats actually recline. Not a lot, but they recline, which is something unheard of on a low-cost airline.

It didn’t take long for boarding to complete and, after a short taxi, we took off. I had a brief chat with the passenger next to me, who was going to Washington, then reclined my seat and fell asleep. I felt that we reached Iceland in no time.

The weather difference between London and Keflavik was huge. Whilst in London it was relatively sunny and warm, Keflavik welcomed us with negative degrees and snow. Walking from the plane to the terminal was a very cold affair.

Keflavik airport is extremely small and the one and a half hours layover felt like a long time. I couldn’t help buying a local Icelandic chocolate and a little puffin key chain, before filling my empty bottle with the best tasting water I’ve ever had.

Soon, it was time to board the second flight, which was with an Airbus A320 Neo as well. The security checks took a while, as the staff checked everyone’s passports, travel authorisation to Canada, and the return flights. I got a yellow sticker on my passport which I was told I can’t remove until I board the plane. Most of the people in the queue were asked to put their hand luggage in the box to see if it fit. A lot didn’t. I don’t know what happened further, as boarding started and I was first in line.

This time I had a window seat, towards the middle of the plane. As the flight wasn’t full, as soon as we reached the cruising altitude, both my neighbours moved, so I took advantage and lay down on all three seats. I couldn’t believe I had the entire row to myself for the six-hour flight, especially since I had no sleep the night before. I had to leave home at 3 am in order to reach Stansted Airport by 8:30. So I stretched on the entire row and slept for a few hours. The flight was pretty smooth, with only a few bumps over Greenland.

I woke up as we were passing over Labrador and Newfoundland. The views from the window were incredible. I’ve seen some sort of an ice vortex formed on the ocean, just off the coast. I’ve seen large icebergs flowing on the water. And the land – the land was covered in ice, shining under the rays of the sun.

Two more hours and we started our descent into Toronto Hamilton Airport. We passed over Toronto, but it was on the other side of the plane and I couldn’t see anything more than Ontario Lake. Soon we turned, passed over Toronto Pearson Airport, and then we landed. The sun was shining, the weather was beautiful, and I was happy to be back in Canada.

De-boarding was quick, even if I was in the middle of the plane. We walked to the terminal and entered the immigration area. There were 5 or 6 booths, so the queue moved very fast. Such a huge difference than in the main airport in Toronto, which is chaotic! I was asked a few questions about my trip and then welcomed to Canada. As I passed through the exit door, I found myself in this tiny room, with all the bags already delivered from the plane. That’s the entire arrivals hall. I walked out and found the local bus to Hamilton, which costs only 3 Canadian dollars.

I stayed in Hamilton overnight but if you are continuing your trip to central Toronto, you have to first take the local bus to the Go Station, and then switch the Go Bus or the Go Train. Be careful as they have different stops. There is also a Megabus that passes by twice a day.

Toronto Hamilton London Stansted via Keflavik

Toronto Hamilton is a very small airport. So small that I was alone in security, two hours before my flight. After security, there was a small shop which sold souvenirs and ice wine at a very decent price (not like in the Montreal Airport duty-free!), a Tim Horton’s, a bar and a water fountain where I filled my water. The entire airport only has 3 gates, all in the same waiting room. Easy to say that there aren’t a lot of flights departing from here on a daily basis.

Boarding was very easy and fast again. This time I had an aisle seat, just in front of the emergency exit seats, in the middle of the plane. As the flight was not fully after boarding was completed, I asked one of the flight attendants if I could move behind once we reached the cruising altitude. I really wanted a bit more space to stretch my legs. The emergency exit seats on the Airbus A321 Neo have the window seat missing – this is where usually the flight attendant sits during take-off and landing. He confirmed, so as soon as the captain turned the seat belt sign off, I claimed the two seats and tried to awkwardly lie on them. As it was an overnight flight, I was hoping to catch a little bit of sleep.

About halfway through the flight, one of the flight attendants made us aware that on the left-hand side of the plane, the northern lights were making a pretty impressive appearance. They even turned the lights off completely, so we could see them without any reflections. Due to the missing seat, I had a prime view, as they were above the plane. This was my first time seeing the northern lights properly! I’ve seen them from a plane before, but they were very faded. This time they were just gracefully dancing in the sky, extremely bright. It was magical! Almost everyone on the plane moved to the left-hand side and tried to catch a glimpse of them.

We landed in Iceland in the early hours of the morning. The sunlight coming creeping in through the clouds, illuminating smoke coming from the ground. Could this be the most recent volcano that erupted recently? Maybe. The landing was smooth and I found myself again in the tiny Keflavik airport, waiting for my connecting flight to London this time. Even if it was just before 5 am, there was one café open in the airport, selling instant coffee and weirdly, pizza slices.

The boarding for the final flight of this trip started on time, and again, it was quite quick. Compared to the previous flights, this one was full. I had a seat in the back of the plane and slept for the entire flight.  

What I Really Liked

• Chairs that recline. It’s been probably 15+ years since I have last been on a low-cost airline that had chairs that reclined. It makes a long journey so much more comfortable. 
• The cheerful flight updates and announcements about the weather at the destination and the northern lights being visible.  
• It was cheap. Very cheap! Unheard of cheap.
• No delays. All flights were on time.

What I Wasn’t Keen On

I understand that Stansted is one of the cheapest airports in London when it comes to airline fees, but it’s such a faff to get to. Due to no trains during the night, I had to leave home at 3:30 in the morning and commute via Victoria coach station – which let’s be fair, is not the most pleasant place during the night. For me, the biggest disadvantage of Play is that it only operates from Stansted Airport.

Conclusion

Play Airlines runs a reliable and very affordable service, connecting Europe to North America via Iceland. The layover is short enough for it not to be a nuisance, and it can be extended to allow visiting Reykjavik for up to 10 days at no extra cost. Next time I may just do that, as I am yet to visit Iceland.  

I had a very positive experience with Play, who turned a transatlantic flight into a breeze. Do I recommend them? Yes, if you are not bothered about basic service, strict luggage rules and food and drinks for purchase only.

For more similar articles, check out my recommendations below:

• FlightLink Airlines Review
• The cheapest way to get from Toronto Pearson airport to downtown

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