Information on Icelandair Flights

Icelandair is the national airline of Iceland with service from more than a dozen U.S. cities. The airline has become a popular option for travel to Europe with its innovative stopover program in Iceland.

I’d recommend considering booking your transatlantic flight on Icelandair even if you weren’t originally planning on a trip to Iceland. The airline has decent fares, good service, and a wide selection of destinations accessed via connections through Reykjavik to Europe.

Icelandair’s Stopover Program

Icelandair offers a hugely popular Stopover program as part of its ticketing process. Given that Icelandair’s flights between the US and Europe connect through Reykjavik, passengers can decide to split a ticket with a stop in Iceland lasting up to 3 to 7 days (depending on ticket type) at no extra charge. It’s an easy process to book a stopover when purchasing a ticket on the Icelandair website.

How popular is the Icelandair Stopover program? I think that more than half the foreigners I met in Iceland were in the country on one of these tickets – it’s a great way to get introduced to Iceland and a handy strategy to manage jetlag by splitting your journey. I’d say 3 days is a worthwhile stop, enough to do a couple of day trips and spend some time exploring Reykjavik.

Icelandair aircraft types

Currently, Icelandair flies a mixed fleet of Boeing 767, 757 and 737 aircraft for US flights, but plans to begin transitioning to Airbus aircraft beginning in 2025, eventually retiring the 757s.

On my recent flights, the Boeing aircraft were older and the interior a little worn, some lacking seatback entertainment systems and functioning Wi-Fi. It’s hit or miss on whether you’ll get a newer or older aircraft on a flight, particularly on the shorter US East Coast-to Iceland routes.

For domestic and shorter international flights to Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Icelandair uses smaller DHC-8 turboprop aircraft which are well-suited for the journey but might not be optimal for nervous fliers.

Icelandair cabins and seat classes

You’ll have flexibility in booking Icelandair tickets, as the airline operates two cabin classes, each with some service options: Saga Premium and Economy, both with Standard and Flex choices, with a discount “Light” option for Economy class.

Icelandair Saga Premium class

Icelandair’s Saga Premium class is the airline’s front-of-plane luxury product. Although it doesn’t have lie-flat seats, I think Saga Premium is usually a great value for the price for transatlantic flights relative to most airlines’ Business Class fares. I consider it comparable to a high-end US domestic business class experience, or international premium economy, but with better service and food and drink – and access to Icelandair’s excellent Saga Lounge in Reykjavik.

Seats in Saga Premium are arrayed in a 2-2 setup for 737s and 757s, and a 2-1-2 in 767s. The aisles are wide and legroom generous, so every seat is a good one, but I prefer the window seats for the views.

Meal service in Saga Premium is a trip highlight for me, starting with a pre-flight champagne and Icelandic macaroon, and a menu selection of craft Icelandic gin and tonic and other cocktail combinations along with Icelandic Viking beer and European wine selections. Meals include fresh salads, seafood items like Greenland shrimp and North Atlantic sea bass and a decent chicken curry. My US West Coast flights included two meals and generous refills on drinks.

Saga Premium class provides noise-cancelling headphones for the journey, which I thought was a nice touch. Kicking back in the comfortable seat cocooned with a blanket and a couple movies was a nice way to pass the time on my long-haul flight. The stylish Premium amenity kits come with some essentials for the flight as well.

Saga Premium class also comes with a “Flex” option for ticketing, which allows an additional carry-on bag and more flexibility for changing flights without penalty. I don’t think the extra cost for Flex is really worth it unless you think there’s a strong likelihood you’ll be changing flights.

Icelandair Economy class

I’d say Economy class seating on Icelandair is about average for international economy flights. The seat recline and pitch are better than that of cramped discount carriers, making the journey endurable for transatlantic flights.

Icelandair’s Economy class offers three main ticketing options: Flex, Standard and Light. The Flex class benefit is that it provides the flexibility to change flights without penalty, albeit with an added price that I think makes sense only if your travel plans are unsettled. Flex and Standard class both include one checked and carry-on bag as well as seat selection. The Light option requires additional a la carte pricing for checked bag and seat selection.

All Icelandair Economy Class tickets require additional payment in flight for meals, headphones, Wi-Fi and alcoholic beverages. I didn’t really think the meals to be worth the price, so I’d bring my own food and maybe only buy a beer, but I’m a cheapskate.

Booking Icelandair Light vs. Standard Economy class

If you’re just traveling with a carry-on, then I’d recommend considering Economy Light, and just paying for a seat selection to avoid getting a middle seat and saving a few extra bucks. As pricing varies widely by flight, be sure to price both options to see if your a la carte options make sense for the round-trip.

Icelandair Economy seating is in a 3-3 format for 737s and 757s, and a 2-3-2 setup for 767s. Thus, the odds are more in your favor to avoid a middle seat for the longer-haul 767 flights if you want to skip the seat reservation fee and you’re feeling lucky.

Icelandair’s “More Legroom” seating option

Icelandair offers a “More Legroom” ticketing choice which allows you to select exit row seating or a few front-of-cabin rows of seats. More Legroom choices add a few inches of recline and space between rows. For someone like myself who is more than six feet tall, these few inches can mean the difference between a bearable and unpleasant journey in Economy Class and is thus worth the price for me for a longer trip.

Icelandair Wi-Fi

Icelandair offers Wi-Fi on most flights for free in Saga Premium and for a fee in Economy Class. Neither of my recent flights had Wi-Fi available, so don’t count on it for your flight. When available, Wi-Fi can be spotty, particularly as the flight path goes far into far Arctic regions, but it does have decent coverage above populated areas.

Icelandair frequent flier program

Icelandair has its own Saga Club frequent flier program, but it doesn’t really make sense to enroll unless you know you’ll be flying on Icelandair often. Fortunately, Icelandair partners with Alaska Airlines and JetBlue in the US for mileage accumulation and redemption. I can attest the program works well, having been able to redeem Icelandair miles easily for Alaska Airlines flights.

Icelandair Saga Lounge

One of the great benefits of Saga Premium class flights on Icelandair is the use of its Saga Lounge in Reykjavik Airport. The stylish, modern lounge is expansive, with a variety of comfortable seating options for quiet work, social dining and even a kids' play area. Wi-Fi is fast, charging stations plentiful and views are scenic. Certain credit card holders also have access to the lounge, check Icelandair’s website for the latest details.

And if you like pickled herring you’re in luck! The Saga Lounge buffet offers multiple local herring and salmon dishes in addition to warm items like grilled lamb, chicken wings and mini pizza slices. It has a gin-heavy self-serve cocktail bar, coffee stations, well-stocked refrigerators with cold beverages, and salty snacks and cheese platters to accompany it all. It even has donut towers!

Keep in mind the lounge is located past security, but before passport control at Iceland’s Keflavik Airport, so don’t miss it on your way through the terminal. Also, allow extra time to get from the lounge through passport control to get to your gate (particularly if you’ve had a few gin and tonics).

Saga Premium passengers also have access to partner airline lounges in select airports worldwide, check the airline or airport websites for details.

Baggage on Icelandair

For Saga Premium class, Icelandair allows a generous, complimentary 2-bag checked allowance of up to 70 pounds per bag, so you’ll have plenty of room for souvenirs. Saga Premium also allows a 22-pound check-on bag (two pieces for Premium Flex).

Economy Standard class tickets allow one free checked bag of up to 50 pounds, and a 22-pound carry-on, in addition to a smaller personal item. Economy Light does allow a free carry-on bag, but you must pay a fee for checked luggage.

Iceland weather

Keep in mind that even in summer, Iceland's weather can be variable, with chilly days, rain and high winds. Delays are possible, so don’t try to make your connection too tight if you’re not stopping over in Iceland. And bring a jacket or sweater in your carry-on, as boarding and exiting the aircraft can take place out on the runway in Iceland, which I can attest can be a bone-chilling experience.