Play Airlines has ceased operations: What to do with your tickets and How to get to Iceland

For many travellers, Icelandic airline Play was the obvious choice for an affordable adventure. However, that option ended on Monday 29 September 2025 when the company unexpectedly ceased operations. The collapse affected around 80,000 passengers with tickets already purchased, complicating the plans of thousands of people.

Play: A Practical Choice We’ll Miss

Since its launch in 2019, Play has established itself as a reliable low-cost airline. Its demise is a big loss, and there are concrete reasons for it. According to the company’s management, soaring costs, particularly fuel and emissions allowance prices, combined with a failure to secure further funding, were behind the collapse. “This is an extremely sad day for all of us,” said CEO Birgir Jónsson. “Despite the tireless efforts of our team, we have reached a situation where continued operations are impossible.” The end of the airline also means job losses for more than 400 employees.

Have Tickets with Play? Here’s What to Do

If you are one of the affected passengers, you need to act quickly. Here are the basic steps:

• Requesting a chargeback from your bank: if you paid for your tickets with a credit card, contact your bank immediately to request a chargeback for the service you did not receive.
• Check your travel insurance: read the policy conditions. Some types of insurance may cover situations related to the bankruptcy of the carrier.
• Icelandic government’s position: the Icelandic government is trying to help stranded travellers get home. However, it is not expected to provide direct financial compensation for cancelled tickets.

Alternative routes to Iceland and emergency fares

The end of the Play doesn’t mean you can’t get to Iceland. Moreover, competing carriers are expected to offer a helping hand:

• So-called Rescue Fares: Keep an eye out for offers from companies like Icelandair or Wizz Air. It is common practice for airlines to offer special, discounted tickets to affected passengers to get them to their destinations in the event of a competitor’s collapse.
• Icelandair: Iceland’s main carrier is the most direct alternative. It also flies from Prague and offers full service.
• Connecting flights: another way is to fly with low-cost airlines with a connection in Vienna, Krakow or Berlin, for example.

Save time when planning your trip

Planning a trip around Iceland on your own is a great adventure, but it also requires hours of research. If you want to make the process easier and get verified information, take a look at our ready-made itineraries. These aren’t organized tours, but detailed handouts full of practical tips, a plan for each day with an interactive map that you can use as a solid foundation for your trip or just pick and choose what interests you. Each of our itineraries also includes many tips on accommodation in Iceland. We’ve also partnered with Blue Car Rental to give you a 5% discount on your entire car rental.

• Ring Road Roadtrip – Detailed plan for driving around the whole island.
• Winter expedition – Special itinerary focused on the Northern Lights and ice caves.