I flew WOW Airlines last month home from a 3 week trip to Europe. When I was looking for a flight from Copenhagen back to San Francisco, WOW consistently showed up as the cheapest option, PLUS it had a free layover in Iceland. Overall, when I book long trips, I’m always looking for long layovers. Last year, Eric and I managed to get a day layover in Singapore, and the year before that I snagged a trip with two free layovers, one in Bogota and one in El Salvador.

Unfortunately, I didn’t plan out the Iceland trip as well as I should have and didn’t have much time to explore. If you are planning a layover, make sure you count in possible flight delays, an hour bus ride from the airport into town, and make sure to find a hotel that is close to the city center if you’re planning on exploring Reykjavik. I ended up not making it to my hotel until about 10 pm, and while it’s light until close to midnight this time of year, I was too tired to really get out and explore.

If you do plan to take advantage of the layover, make sure to buy your bus ticket in advance. I used Reykjavic Excursions to purchase my ticket both to my hotel and back to the airport. Make sure you’re standing outside 30 minutes before your pickup time (I missed my bus by a few minutes and had to taxi into the bus terminal). The buses are super large with usb ports and wifi, and even when completely full, still comfortable. Make sure to book your hotel early as well – there aren’t a lot to choose from, most are independent, and they’re all pretty pricey. I used Hotel Tonight to try to find a good price.

First off, food on WOW Airlines is terrible. I’d recommend starting by eating a big meal at whichever airport you’re starting out at. In the airport at Reykjavik, there are a ton of great options, including Nord, which had the delicious open-face Salmon sandwich above (I almost ordered 2, and I wish I had so I could have brought the extra on the plane). Make sure to have your boarding pass handy at all times, as you need it in order to order any food or buy any items in the airport. They use that as a way to discourage people from hanging out as they get off of their flight, and only allow folks heading out on an upcoming flight to use the services.

Make sure to stock up on sandwiches, juices, waters, snacks, etc while you’re at the airport. If you purchased a Premium ticket, you do get one free sandwich and a drink, but the sandwiches are pretty gross (see dry sandwich on the left and delicious sandwich from the airport on the right). If you didn’t buy a Premium ticket, you’ll have to pay for all food and drink, and the airline is a bit more expensive than what you’ll find in the airport.

I always tend to get sick at the end of my trips, so I stocked up on all of the amazing fresh juices I could find in Reykjavik. On the plane they’ll have water, and the bai antioxidant drinks, but other than that, not many healthy options.

There aren’t TV’s on the WOW planes, so make sure to hit up a bookstore or stock your device full of downloaded movies and shows. I took WOW on my flight back to the US, so I wanted to stay awake the entire flight to avoid jet lag, so I grabbed three books before heading off.

The Premium seat is essentially about the same as a first class seat on most domestic flights, maybe a bit slimmer. If you book the first row (which has no extra cost), you’ll get even more legroom. I could extend my legs entirely out, and I’m 5’9, so it should be comfortable for almost anyone. The downside of the front row, is that you have to put all of your stuff up in the bins for takeoff and landing, but it honestly doesn’t make a difference, as you can take it back down for the entire rest of the trip.

The seat reclines a bit further than a normal seat would, and the entire seat slides forward to make it even more comfortable. There is also a food rest that comes up, so that you can really curl up and relax.

I flew on a Thursday, and the entire plane was barely a third of the way full. Most of the Premium section was empty, and there was no one sitting anywhere near me. In the regular seats in the back, most people had a full row to themselves to spread out. Be warned though, even if the seats are empty, they won’t let you sit in a seat that is higher than the level you paid for. One woman got yelled at multiple times for trying to sit in exit rows, big seats, etc. Each seat that is an upgrade will have a separate cover over the headrest showing the type of seat it is. The Premium section was considered a “Big” seat, the largest WOW offers.

Overall, WOW was a great deal, especially if you’re trying to stay up for the entire time like I was. If you’re trying to sleep for the majority of the time, it isn’t going to be quite as comfortable as a true lay down seat (I recommend Condor Business Class as the cheapest option for a lay down – I’ll be flying this in a few months for my honeymoon so keep an eye out for a review in a few months). In summary, get the front row, and bring lots of food, drinks, and books/shows to keep you occupied. And make sure to spend an extended time in Iceland if you can! I enjoyed the flight overall, and especially enjoyed the beautiful views of SF I had as I was landing.

Flying WOW and have some questions? Or have other suggestions of great budget airlines? Let me know in the comments!