TORONTO — PLAY is sticking to the low-cost carrier playbook – and that means no commission for travel agents.

Travelweek contacted PLAY after the LCC announced it was launching service to Europe this summer out of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM).

We wanted to know, was PLAY planning on paying travel agent commission, or working with travel agents in any way?

“We’re a low cost carrier. We offer net rates and our partnership with travel agencies is in form of selling flight seats,” Birgir Jónsson, CEO of PLAY, told Travelweek.

Well, that answers that question.

Bookings for PLAY’s Europe flights out of YHM opened Jan. 10. The first departures are scheduled to start June 22, 2023. From Hamilton and via Reykjavik, where PLAY is based, passengers can connect to 26 European destinations including London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin and more.

Jonsson was deputy CEO at WOW Air, another Reykjavik-based LCC, which stranded passengers on both sides of the Atlantic when it ceased operations in 2019.

PLAY’s no-frills service comes with no WiFi or entertainment, allowing passengers to allocate their budget elsewhere, says the airline. One personal item is included for the flight. In keeping with the LCC business model, passengers can choose which upgrades they need for their trip, such as an in-flight meal, carry-on, checked bag, special bags for items like skis, strollers and golf sets, seats with extra legroom, cancellation protection and more.

In 2022 PLAY flew 800,000 passengers across Europe and North America, with an on-time arrival rate of over 96%.