Does Wow Air Have a New Financial Savior?
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Don’t count Wow Air out just yet.
[Update, 3/28/2019: WOW Air has ceased operations. Find our ongoing coverage of WOW Air’s collapse, and what affected passengers can do about it, here.]
Even though the struggling ultra-low-cost carrier has been cutting routes, selling off 20% of its fleet and attempting to negotiate a failed buyout from Icelandair, it might have found a new financial savior willing to step up in the nick of time to save the airline from a seemingly imminent demise.
Indigo Partners, the private equity firm that owns budget airline Frontier, said Thursday it plans to buy a stake in the faltering Reykjavik-based carrier. The two aviation groups said they have reached a preliminary agreement, the specific terms of which were not disclosed. But if the deal goes through after due diligence, Wow’s CEO Skuli Mogensen would remain the airline’s primary shareholder.
National flag carrier Icelandair had originally offered to buy Wow, but its preliminary purchase agreement laid out several stipulations that the purple-liveried carrier had to complete by the Icelandair shareholders’ meeting on Nov. 30 or the deal would not go through. And it seems that Wow wasn’t able to hold up its end of the bargain.
Now the question is whether the airline’s shaky balance sheets, exacerbated by the recent record-high cost of jet fuel, will pass Indigo Partners’ due diligence.
If it can manage to cement the private equity investment, Wow will be in capable hands.
Indigo Partners not only owns Frontier, but also invested in fellow ULCC Spirit Airlines when it was struggling, and is widely credited with turning around the airline’s bottom line. Spirit is now one of the most profitable airlines in the ultra-budget sector, posting a third quarter net income of $97.5 million in 2018.
“We have a strategic vision for [Wow], and look forward to working with its employees and agents to deliver that vision,” Bill Franke, managing partner of Indigo Partners, said in a statement.
The firm is also currently a lead investor in international ultra-low-cost carriers Wizz Air, Volairs and JetSMART.
Featured image courtesy of WOW Air.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 50,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants in the first three months of card membership.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.
- Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants with your card within the first 3 months of membership.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. *Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.