Europe and North America using leased equipment. At the end of October 2012, following the acquisition of its operations, flights to Gatwick and Copenhagen saw frequency increases, services to Berlin, Kaunas (which was later dropped again), Salzburg and Warsaw had begun. The airline carried over 400,000 passengers in 2013 and reached its one millionth passenger in December 2014. From 2015, Wow Air started expanding into North America, serving first the U.S., then Canada starting in May 2016. Flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco began in June 2016 using two Airbus A330-300 planes leased from Air Europa. Wow Air's annual passenger capacity more than doubled in 2016 to over 1.6 million, from approximately 740,000 in 2015. Criticism of pricing claims In 2017, Wow Air was accused of spreading false claims through churnalism, after several media outlets reported its claim that it would fly passengers from London Stansted to New York for £99, which it said was below cost. A flight leg priced at £99 was only available as part of a significantly more expensive return flight. Peak, financial difficulties and takeover talks (2017–2018) Despite a 58% increase in revenue from the past year, Wow Air experienced a loss in 2017 after two profitable years. Although a contemporary analysis from the Aviation Week Network pinned the results on overexpansion, the airline didn't relent, reaching a high of 36 destinations in its network by 2018. Third quarter results that year showed a similar pattern, with increased revenues being counteracted by a larger loss margin. These issues were compounded by an increasing reputation for poor customer service. On 5 November 2018, it was announced that Icelandair Group, the holding company of rival carrier Icelandair, would acquire the entire share capital of Wow Air, subject to shareholder approval; the two airlines would continue to operate under separate names. Together, Icelandair and Wow Air have a share of around 3.8% of the transatlantic market. On 27 November 2018, Wow Air announced that it had returned four aircraft to their lessors as a sale and lease back offer fell through and the company's financial situation worsened due to stricter demands by suppliers and contractors. The four returned aircraft (two Airbus A320s and two A330s) are owned by the same company that was supposed to deliver four Airbus A330neos to Wow Air. On 29 November, Icelandair abandoned its takeover plans as the pre-conditions of the shareholders meeting