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BUDGET FLYER

The cheap trans-Atlantic flights battle continues – now WOW air offers fares to Chicago from £139

WOW air will run flights from London Gatwick, Bristol and Edinburgh to Chicago, but they all have a stopover in Reykjavik

Iceland’s budget airline WOW air has announced that it will be running flights from London Gatwick, Bristol and Edinburgh to Chicago from £139

FANS of deep-dish pizza and jazz rejoice, because you can now fly to Chicago for the same price as a ticket to Tenerife.

Iceland’s budget airline WOW air has announced that it will be flying travellers from London Gatwick, Bristol and Edinburgh to Chicago from £139, so long as they are happy with a stopover in Reykjavik.

Iceland’s budget airline WOW air has announced that it will be running flights from London Gatwick, Bristol and Edinburgh to Chicago from £139
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Iceland’s budget airline WOW air has announced that it will be running flights from London Gatwick, Bristol and Edinburgh to Chicago from £139Credit: Alamy

The Icelandic carrier’s new offering is the latest development in the trans-Atlantic price war between no-frills airlines, which has seen flights to America sell for as little as £56.

The inaugural service to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) will depart on 13 July 2017, with the service operating four times per week, and tickets are already on sale via the website.

Wow air already flies to Pittsburgh, New York, Washington D.C, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Miami and Californian destinations Los Angeles, San Francisco.

While Chicago is a popular holiday destination, travellers will also benefit from the fact that O’Hare airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, flying to more than 150 other places within the US.

While Chicago is a popular holiday destination, travellers will also benefit from the fact that O’Hare airport is one of the busiest airports in the world
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While Chicago is a popular holiday destination, travellers will also benefit from the fact that O’Hare airport is one of the busiest airports in the worldCredit: Getty Images

There is one drawback though – every single flight goes via Reykjavik, meaning that the total travel time is 11 hours, compared to 8h 35mins.

But flights are also a fraction of the price.

Currently, one-stop flights on July 13 through other airlines are selling for £395, while direct flights are priced from £1,248.

Of course, £139 is the base price and passengers will face paying for a number of extras that include luggage and seat selection fees.