Icelandic airline Fly Play has ceased all operations with immediate effect.
400 employees were laid off this morning, all flights have of course been canceled, and thousands of passengers are left without solutions. It operated flights to several European countries and the USA, including France from Paris Charles de Gaulle :(
For Lufthansa, this is part of a race for profit to achieve a 10% margin. Plus, they’ve ordered at least 200 aircraft—you can’t say things are going badly for them.
Lufthansa’s monopolistic ambitions lead them to over-rationalize tasks across their different airlines.
Play is a victim of at least two things: a drop in demand for flights to the U.S. and staff dissatisfaction, with employees moving to other airlines.
Right now, the aviation industry is hiring everywhere, even poaching staff.
After WOW’s bankruptcy in spring 2019, it’s now Play’s turn—founded by former executives—going under :(
Play ceases operations and cancels all flights
Best of luck to the roughly 400 employees and passengers.
"Unlike travel agencies or tour operators, airlines aren’t required to have a financial guarantee fund in case of bankruptcy.
When a carrier stops operating, passengers usually end up without automatic refunds or coverage for their return trip.
They then have to turn to their credit card issuer to try and get a refund—or, if the trip was booked as part of a package, contact the travel agency...
The agency must find a solution, which will remain at its own expense.
This lack of a specific guarantee mechanism for airlines leaves travelers particularly vulnerable in case of failure, especially when purchasing a standalone flight."
"Si partir vivre ses rêves remplit l'âme, les partager après les avoir réalisés la grandit"
"Qui veut apprendre à se connaître commence par explorer le monde"
Yes, it's tough for employees and disorienting for those with bookings—hang in there.
Evening, that’s exactly the problem...
One (big) company laying off or cutting jobs, plus another, plus another—it just means more unemployed people in the job market. And while they’re looking for new jobs, they’re not spending money, so they’re not buying flight tickets to treat themselves to a vacation in Thailand, for example.
And since companies are forced to cut costs because they’re not competitive enough against global competition, it’s the same old vicious cycle.
It’s like the Henry Ford analogy: he paid his workers, the laborers, high wages so they could buy the cars they were producing.
We should also mention that FLY PLAY was founded on the ashes of other failed Icelandic airlines—like WOW Air, for example. So, there’s a certain vibe of picking up the scraps (on the cheap) and trying more or less the same thing again (with a bit of stubbornness)... and bankruptcy again!
Avec mon copain nous envisageons de partir en Guadeloupe avec la compagnie LEVEL, à 237€ l'AR on peut difficilement faire mieux. Qu'avez-vous pensé de cette…
Je dois partir à La Palma et c'est un vol jetair fly, j'ai lu sur leur site que on pouvais choisir nos type de siège moyennant payement et comme mon mari est…
J'aimerais avoir votre avis sur mon cas: pour un retour Ile maurice-Lyon en mars 2008, nous avons eu 26 heures de retard suite à un problème technique, une…
Hi,
Air Cairo offers good prices on domestic flights and schedules that work for us, but is this airline reliable?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
I’m planning a trip to Georgia this summer and I’ve been comparing some airlines. I’m not particularly set on flying with Pegasus (though it’s convenient with direct flights from Lyon to Tbilisi), but right off the bat, Pegasus states this:
As of January 1, 2026, all foreign nationals traveling to Georgia for tourism purposes will be required to present valid travel health insurance. Guests who fail to provide the relevant health insurance will not be accepted on our flights to Georgia.
Sincerely,
Pegasus Airlines
In other words, if you don’t show proof of travel health insurance, you’ll be denied boarding.
Personally, my credit card insurance has always been enough for me, and I’d rather not take out extra coverage...
Have any of you run into this issue before? If not, what do you think? Why is Pegasus asking for this proof? Other airlines don’t mention it at all.
I bought my flight ticket with my first (usual) first name, which appears first on my passport. However, I have two first names on my passport, and of course, it’s mentioned in the machine-readable zone at the bottom.
I booked with Turkish Airlines (through an online agency) for a trip to South Korea.
I wanted to know if it would be a problem that I only used my first first name on the ticket, while my passport has two. I had requested through the agency to add the second first name, but the airline refused because it doesn’t meet their general conditions. (They must have seen that the last name and first name were the same, and only the second first name was added.)
So, my ticket has my last name and first first name correctly spelled, and when I check in online, I’ll enter the passport details correctly.
I’ll have a layover in Istanbul on the flight.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Have a great day.
Hi there,
I traveled in June 2025 with Nouvelair Destinations to Hammamet.
I had one checked bag and one carry-on sized 40x24x30, which I usually take on low-cost flights, and I didn’t have any issues. But I just read on a website that Nouvel Air only accepts carry-ons of 40x20x15. I’m flying back to Djerba in June—what do you think? Especially since that size is impossible to find??????? Thanks
Hi, it's my first time taking a plane and I chose EasyJet for a Geneva -> Barcelona flight.
I booked my ticket.
I received my booking reference by email, but I don’t see the actual ticket (barcode or QR code?).
Then I checked in to get the boarding pass with the flight details, QR code, etc. But does this boarding pass act as the ticket?
Because I’ve seen several times online that the flight ticket and the boarding pass aren’t the same thing.
We're leaving for Albania on June 18th. When I validated the flight tickets with Wizz Air on Booking, I only put my son's first name but forgot to include his other three first names on the ticket.
On the passport: SURNAME: Dupont, FIRST NAMES: toto titi tutu tata
On the flight ticket: SURNAME: Dupont, FIRST NAME: toto
I can't seem to reach anyone at Wizz Air to get an answer.
Booking and Wizz Air's chat say I need to modify it, but ChatGPT says it should be fine.
I wanted to know if he can fly like this or if I need to change his ticket?
(It costs 140 €, I know I shouldn't have made a mistake🙁)
Basically, all airlines have been blacklisted because they don’t meet European safety standards. They’re banned from flying in Europe but continue operating in Tanzania.
The main issue is that travel agencies’ civil liability no longer applies to blacklisted airlines.
So we can’t allow clients to fly with these carriers.
Of course, there’s huge pressure from European agencies, which are forced to disrupt their plans or even cancel trips because of this.
Personally, I’ve got a trip planned for February 2026 to the southern parks in Tanzania, so I’ll be keeping an eye on how this develops.
Do any of you have updates?
Thanks!
Right now, with the war raging in Iran and affecting all the neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf, many airports are completely closed to all traffic.
Several airlines like Qatar Airways, Emirates, and others have almost completely halted their operations.
Whether in the Middle East or Africa, many travelers are stranded—maybe for a long time... A heartfelt thought for them and the struggles this will cause.
Four months ago, I was in Kenya with a flight booked through Qatar Airways... I can’t even imagine how I’d react if I were stuck there now. ??
Wishing all these travelers courage, patience, and success in making it back home.
Hello, some (potentially) good news for Brazil lovers—GOL airline is launching a route to Europe from Rio, starting in September for Lisbon, then Paris at a later date that hasn’t been announced yet.
They’ll be using their new A330-900 neo.
No prices have been announced so far, but hopefully we’ll find direct flights from GIG at a more interesting fare than AF or Latam…
I’m really surprised because in TUI’s new tour packages, the airlines they’re using are of low quality. Before, they used to prioritize major airlines, but now it’s small airlines from small countries—companies with terrible ratings and borderline safety concerns. I even just noticed this note for a Tanzania trip: "We inform you that the domestic flight segment in Tanzania included in your trip is operated by an airline listed on the European Union’s list of air carriers subject to an operating ban within the European Union. This ban only applies to European Union airspace, meaning this airline is not permitted to take off, land, or fly over European airspace. However, this airline is authorized to operate in Tanzania."
This means they’re using airlines on the blacklist!! It’s pretty worrying for safety. What do you all think?
We’re planning a cruise to the UAE/QATAR/OMAN starting from DUBAI, with flights departing from Paris CDG.
Which airlines would you recommend for round-trip flights, with or without a layover?
We need assistance for check-in and boarding/disembarking (my husband is a mobility-impaired traveler who uses a cane and/or a walker).
We’ve done a cruise return from Dubai to Paris CDG before in 2016, with a layover in Istanbul, but we booked the transfer and return flight with COSTA.
For our current plan, it would be with Celestyal, which doesn’t offer round-trip flights from Paris to Dubai.
Should we book very far in advance, or is a few months before departure enough (4/6 months)?
We’re thinking of arriving the day before the ship departs, so we’d need to stay overnight in Dubai—either on the way there or for the return flight, depending on the flight schedules. Could you recommend a hotel not too far from the airport, and how to get to the port from the airport?
Thanks so much for your advice. Have a great Sunday! Mum49
Hi,
It's all in the title—this means nothing's getting through, so no more oil.
In Europe, kerosene reserves are still good, but by the end of April, flights will have to be reduced.
European airports fear running out of kerosene if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened within three weeks
je me permets de venir demandez votre aide. Mon problème est le suivant :
J'ai fais une réservation de vol pour Berlin au départ d'Orly pour le 15 avril...c'est donc tout proche. Toutefois j'ai fais une découverte emmerdante : mon passeport est périmé depuis 2 semaines.
Alors il me semble qu'en principe je peux voyager dans l'espace schengen avec un passeport périmé depuis moins de 5 ans. Toutefois, Easyjet réclame sur son site une pièce d'identité valide (a noter que ma CNI est périmé depuis deja un certain temps).
Donc j'aimerais savoir qu'en est-il des contrôles fait par easyjet ? Font ils des contrôles de validité stricte, et refusent-ils systématiquement l'embarquement si la pièce d'identité n'est pas valide ? Ou c'est au petit bonheur la chance ?
En gros, est ce que je dois d'or et déjà tirer un trait sur mon voyage, ou est ce que je dois quand même essayer de passer au forcing, quitte a verser une petite larmichette ? Est ce que quelqu'un a déjà eu une experience similaire ? Je dois pas être le seul quand même !
J'ai réservé un vol chez RyanAir pour le mois prochain, avec l'option priorité + et deux bagages en cabine. Je peux donc prendre un bagage de 10 kg aux dimensions 55x40x20 en cabine (et un autre plus petit)
Le problème est que la valise la plus petite que j'ai (qui est censée avoir été conçue spécialement pour les normes des cabines si j'en crois la notice) a les dimensions suivantes : 55x37x21 donc il y a seulement 1 cm de trop (roues comprises) sur l'une des mesures.
Je ne m'en suis pas trop inquiété sur le coup mais j'ai lu des dizaines de témoignages racontant les mésaventures de leurs auteurs et les déconvenues qu'ils auraient pu avoir avec RyanAir.
Comme je n'ai ni envie que ma valise se retrouve en soute (cela va me faire perdre du temps pour la récupérer alors que j'arrive déjà tard et que je dois aller en centre-ville), ni envie de payer un supplément (de 50 euros apparemment) à l'aller et au retour pour 1 seul centimètre alors que j'ai pris "l'option priorité +" et que je ne roule pas sur l'or, j'aimerais savoir si on pouvait me conseiller.
Avez-vous déjà vécu une expérience identique ? J'ai lu que dans cette compagnie ils contrôleraient les valises dans des gabarits (en la mettant dans plusieurs sens) et seraient plus qu'intransigeants. J'ai essayé de joindre le service client qui comme par hasard "ne traite pas ce genre de requêtes" et contacté une conseillère qui ne m'a guère répondu.
Je sais bien qu'il s'agit d'une compagnie lowcost et je ne m'attends évidemment pas à du grand luxe ni même à de la bienveillance, mais bon, 1cm à peine, quand même, sur un vol court et avec l'option +... je suis un peu perdu avec tout ce que je lis...
Je précise que comme je pars 8 jours, je ne peux pas prendre qu'un sac pour mes affaires. Je l'ai déjà fait pour un séjour plus court, ça m'a valu quelques galères et j'ai dû acheter un sac en plus pour le retour... Heureusement la contrôleuse a été sympa...!
Merci beaucoup à vous
Je suis un jeune débutant en matière de transport aérien 🙂 j'espère que j'ai bien choisi la bonne rubrique pour ce post
When I run searches on Skyscanner, I see that only Lufthansa has flights to Seoul with just one stop. Air France doesn’t show up, even though I thought the French airline served Seoul?
I can’t even log into the Air France website—it keeps glitching.
Hi there,
I’d like to return to Uzbekistan next April for 10 days with my husband to visit our son who lives there. We went last July and I bought the flight tickets (direct flight from Paris on Uzbekistan Airways) about 2 months in advance at very reasonable prices. I’ve been checking for late April for a few weeks now, and the tickets are much more expensive and keep rising. I can’t figure out if the prices are going up because it’s still a bit too early to buy and they’ll likely drop if the planes aren’t full, or if it’s because the period is actually in high demand. For reference, last year I bought my son’s ticket on May 30th for a departure on June 3rd—just 3 days later—at a very low price that didn’t budge at all.
Just in case, does anyone know the pricing trends for this airline and can advise me? Should I wait or not?
Thanks, and feel free to ask if you need any tips about the country!
Mon épouse ayant acheté un billet avion ( Lucky Air) avec son nom de jeune fille thai et s'étant fait délivrer un visa chinois sur son nouveau passeport thai mais avec son nom français d'épouse (pour raison d'obligations administratives) s'est vu refuser par la compagnie aérienne l'embarquement à Bangkok pour Kunming ( d'où la perte des billets d'avion aller retour et des miens puisque voyageant ensemble) malgré la présentation simultanée au guichet de la compagnie des 2 passeports.
Hi there.
I’m planning a trip to Chile, and the fares from the Colombian airline Avianca are really appealing.
Way cheaper than Air France, for example.
That said, the reviews I’ve seen online aren’t great.
What do you think of this airline?
Have any of you taken long-haul flights with Avianca?
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Eric
This might be a silly question, but I’m traveling to Japan from CDG and returning via Osaka with EVA Air, and I have a pretty bulky aluminum knee brace.
It’s this model:
https://enovis-medtech.eu/fr_FR/OA-FullForce-74358.html
Has anyone had any experience with airport security checks or flying with one of these?
I can't seem to find flights between the Cape Verde islands on the airline's website. No matter the date or route, I always get the same response: "no flights on this date."
See the photo.
Would anyone have an explanation? Surely not all flights are fully booked in July?
Hi there,
I have a question...
Has anyone managed to get a refund from Oman Air?
After a delayed flight, we missed our connecting flight to get home!!
At midnight, the flight attendant booked us on a flight to Nice via Munich, even though we were in Munich and wanted to get back to Nice... Too tired from the trip, we didn’t notice the mistake!!
The next day, of course, the booking wasn’t valid!!
We had to pay again for the flight back to Nice...
I’m really struggling!! I think they’re giving me the runaround!!
I’ve sent several emails, tried Messenger and WhatsApp, but the only responses I get are: "We need to investigate!! We’ll get back to you in 15 days!!"
It’s been over a month!!
I just sent a registered letter (LRAR) to their office at Paris Charles de Gaulle, which is still open!!
Hi!
Sri Lanka has announced it could run out of fuel in the coming weeks if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked. The government has implemented a mandatory four-day workweek to save oil, and there are long lines at gas stations due to fears of an early shortage.
In Vietnam, the government has warned all airlines that flights will need to be reduced due to a lack of kerosene. The country imports two-thirds of its jet fuel from China and Thailand, but both countries have now banned exports out of fear of domestic shortages.
The state is asking airlines to plan ahead and park aircraft to drastically reduce operations, starting with domestic flights and then international ones. International carriers will also need to cut back on their rotations.
This will begin in the coming days. 🙁
Hi there,
I’ve got a long layover (about 10 hours) in Seoul on an upcoming trip.
I arrive from Phnom Penh at 7:20 AM and depart for Montreal at 6:00 PM.
First question: Will my checked baggage be transferred automatically? I have a single ticket from KTI to YUL (Air Canada ticket—KTI-ICN operated by Asiana (codeshare) and ICN-YUL by Air Canada).
Second question: I saw it’s possible to join free guided tours (Airport Transit Tour). What do you think of this kind of service? And is my "actual" layover time (accounting for security checks, check-in, etc.) enough to do one of these tours?
Thanks in advance to everyone who chimes in on this!
Hi everyone,
I'm heading to Namibia next May. I'm planning to take a first flight from Paris to Johannesburg with Air France, departing at 11:20 PM and arriving at 11:05 AM in Johannesburg. Then a second flight from Johannesburg to Windhoek at 3:25 PM with South African Airways.
Four hours between the two flights seems enough to catch my connection, but a friend told me I should maybe take the 5:30 PM flight instead because I need to go through immigration, collect my luggage, and check in again. Apparently, I have to do this because I bought the two tickets separately (it's actually much cheaper).
What do you think?
Also, in terms of South African airlines, which one do you think is the most reliable between South African Airways and Airlink?
Thanks for your advice!!
So, even before starting my explanation, I’d like to introduce myself since this is my first post on the forum :) I’m Jérôme, a huge Asia enthusiast, and I’m currently in the process of moving to Japan with my family in 2028.
Now, onto the topic :)
We’re a family of four traveling together to Seoul, with two separate bookings.
Our original itinerary was:
Madrid → Doha → Seoul (March 23–24)
The issue is that our entire outbound flight was canceled, and the airline simply rescheduled the Madrid → Doha leg.
Now we’re left with an incomplete journey, with no solution to reach our final destination (Seoul).
Since then:
- Can’t modify flights online (technical error every time)
- Can’t get help via chat or WhatsApp
- Phone support is unreachable, and the usual French number isn’t working right now
We don’t want a refund.
We just want to be rerouted to Seoul, as our original ticket promised.
We’re flexible:
- On dates (we can leave on March 21 or 22 instead of the 23rd)
- On the itinerary (different layovers if needed)
Have any of you dealt with this before?
Do you know how to unlock a booking in this case or get a rerouting? We’re considering going straight to the airport to resolve it at the Qatar Airways counter....
Hi,
We just received an email from Volotea saying our flight time has changed (by more than 2 hours).
The email states "you can request a free date change."
If I change the date, will the flight price stay the same as the original price, or will I have to pay the difference?
Specifically: Our flight on the 7th is 46.25 €, and the one on the 8th is 92.51 €. If we switch to the 8th, how much will we pay?
When I request the date change to the 8th, it says "No additional fees."
Thanks and have a great day! 🙂
Hi everyone,
We’re going on a Nile cruise.
My question:
We’re taking off from Brussels Airport to land in Cairo.
Then we have to catch a second flight to Luxor.
How does that work—do we pick up our luggage, do we have to exit and then re-enter the airport?
Thanks for your help, tips, and advice, etc.…
Since I’m not familiar with Australian airlines, I’d appreciate some advice.
I need to book a domestic flight from Adelaide to Sydney quickly, and I see Jetstar, Virgin, and Qantas as options. On paper, Qantas’s schedule and price are less appealing.
Which of the three is the most reliable (fewer flight cancellations, since this is the last flight of the day) and easiest to book on their website?
