WOW Air brings back $99 flights to Iceland

WOW Air is back at it again with their bargain basement fares to Iceland from Boston and Baltimore. One way fares to Reykjavik from either city begin at $99, and roundtrip tickets are as low as $222. Sounds like a great deal, right?

Well, it is compared with what other airlines charge between North America and Europe. (And WOW Air has a network of flights to continental Europe, too; fares from Boston to Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, London and Paris are all as low as $149, one-way.)

The nonstop flights from Boston and Baltimore (WOW says D.C., but the flights depart from BWI) to Reykjavik are in the five hour range, which isn't too long to be cramped into WOW Air's all-coach seating configuration or to entertain yourself. (There is no in-flight entertainment, "except for the thrill of sitting up high in the sky, enjoying the flight with us," WOW's website says.) WOW Air could be a great way to get to Europe at a discount, but you'll have to study the long list of fees that are imposed on tickets to determine exactly what kind of discount you're getting.

Although a carry-on bag that weighs less than 11 pounds is free, bringing anything bigger into the cabin will cost $38. Checking one bag will be an extra $48 – or $95 if you check two. Reserving a seat can cost from $6 (for the cheapest seats in the rear of the cabin) to $15 for the nothin' special seats in the middle of the plane to $67 for an "XXL" seat with between 35-40 inches of legroom.

Unless you plan to wear all of your clothing, fill your pockets with your chargers and toiletries and crumple yourself into the smallest possible seats, that $99 one-way fair can easily turn into a $200+ one-way fare. And those fees are for each leg of the flight, so double them when you're doing math in your head. (That said, it's still a cheaper flight than Icelandair, which averages between $390 – $500, one-way from Boston to Reykjavik).

While the low fares sound sexy, the fees are certainly a buzzkill. But even with those extra charges you can still score a good deal, if you can make the dates work.  But you'd better move fast: those Slightly More Than $99 fares don't last long.