Wow and Icelandair airlines- any comments?

We took Icelandair in 2001 and loved it. Great food and service.

I have flown with Iceland Air 4 times now, going round-trip to Sacramento from Frankfurt. I really like them. Good entertainment, quick easy layover, comfy seats and you bring your own food and earplugs. Otherwise you have to pay for them.

Icelandair is my wife's and my standard for to/from Europe. Comfortable (for an airplane), on time, no problems at all.

I haven't flown either of these airlines. But reading people's reviews, I can say that those who know what they are getting in to are pleased, and those who don't are upset.

In other words, read ALL the fine print, and understand that these are budget airlines. This means that things that are standard or included on other airlines are not included on these; you have to pay for meals, drinks, checking bags, seat selection, etc. Often, you pay less if you do it in advance online, as opposed to waiting until you get to the airport. And there may be even less legroom than coach class on other airlines; some people don't like the standard coach, but do fine in the more premium coach class.

As long as one understands these things, people seem to have good experiences.

Both airlines are fine. Just note, in particular the baggage allowances. On Wow, you only get a free hand luggage allowance of 42x32x25 cms, otherwise you have to pay for the usual hand luggage size of 56x45x25.

Icelandair allow 55x40x20 free and have a very low 10kg weight limit. This is low, as Easyjet have no weight limit and allow 56x45x25 free.

In the early 2000's, we flew Iceland Air several times, before their economic crash. Towards the end of flying with them we started having planes that rattled and bumped all the way to the US (didn't seem like weather) as if they would fall apart any minute. Obviously, that was superficial as I am unaware of any IA planes falling from the sky, but it was enough for this, not so found of flying person, to switch airlines. Also, we had one delay in Iceland, and we felt like the cashiers were doing what ever they could to rip people off who were buying food, drinks, etc. So that left a bad taste in our mouths. That being said, most people did not have the money of Iceland with them (too lazy to look it up) so they were exposing themselves to the 'whatever' rate of exchange. My cousins flew on WOW last year and they had no complaints---she is extremely frugal, but this year they flew BA so...? That being said if I were just going from Boston to Reykjavik, I'd lean toward IA, as they do have more of a record showing no issues, don't they?

I flew WOW in September (2016) and have a ticket to fly with them again in May.

WOW is a no frills airline. If you want a meal, drinks, large carry-on, etc. you purchase it a la carte. The price gets you a seat and you pay extra (though less than most airlines) to reserve your seat ahead of time.

The planes are modern, pretty much the same layout as an SAS plane.

All their flights go to Keflavic, where you connect with other flights. I found the connection didn't take any longer than any other single connection option.

On the way home, our flight missed our connection. The runway was closed for crosswinds. By the time we landed, our connections had left. WOW had an efficient, if impersonal, way of handling our missed connection. We were sent to a bus outside the airport that shuttled us to a hotel. At the hotel they gave us a room and told us when to be down for dinner. Some of the 60 or so passengers who stayed at the hotel were upset that there wasn't more communication. I felt like they gave us a room, shuttled us back and forth to the airport, fed us three meals and got everyone to their destination the next day - all without having to armwrestle with anyone at the customer service desk. What more could I ask for?

The delay wasn't their fault, it was weather. When we landed in Iceland on the way home the runway may have been open but the crosswinds were still massive, maybe the hairiest landing in my life (and I used to fly B-52s).

Hi JS,

I flew good ol' Icelandair back in 2015. Because it was my first international flight, I opted to upbid my seat and my bid was accepted (probably with great guffawing from their sales department). For my upbid, my wife and I were placed in the emergency exit row at the front of the cheap seats. Lots of legroom. Also, right next to the loo, so the door slamming all night long meant no sleep.

When I boarded the flight, I was handed a bottle of gen-u-ine Icelandic water and that was the last water I saw all flight long. Your milage may vary, but I found the flight crew to be like a frostier version of the French -- however, they were friendly enough when I bought the yummy ham-and-cheese thing on the way back to the US.

The airport in Iceland is interesting: the loos are downstairs and since a bazillion flights all arrive at once and all of them have about a 45 minute layover, the stampede to pee is truly one of the great natural sights in this world. Also, beware of purchases, as everything is priced in Isk, which might not even be a real currency. All I know is the exchange rate from Isk to Euro to Dollar isn't published anywhere I could see, so you're on your own once the clerk starts joyfully ringing up your purchases. "Oh, you want to pay for that in US dollars? MWAH-HAH-HAH!"

The cafeteria in Iceland has many interesting foods you can buy and try on a dare. I bought a salami sammich thing ($7) and it was passable. Also, the cafeteria is the only thing open at the hour when most flights arrive (6:00am local time) and there's exactly four seats for 600 arriving passengers -- and the Brits tend to take over those while they regale each other with stories of interesting things they've seen Italians do lately.

Finally, there's the mad scrum to board the plane to your final destination, usually proceeded by some demur annoucement made in Icelandic. Saga Class, which is Icelandair's first class, boards first before the peons in the back of the plane trample each other trying to get to their assigned seats en mass.

All this said, I love Icelandair: they're cheap, they fly interesting places, and they are generally cannibalism-free.

Brad:

maybe the hairiest landing in my life (and I used to fly B-52s).

I would -so- read blog by you called "A B-52 Pilot (former) Rates International Airlines" since your former job wasn't that different from flying heavies full of passengers. Only your passengers were rated in megatons.

Mike, really enjoyed your post. Love your humor. You mention the airport and cafeteria in Iceland... you're talking about Reykjavik, I assume? We're flying WOW in 2 wks and Brad, post above, says they land in Keflavic (I didn't book the flight so didn't pay attention to where we change planes). I'm just trying to understand... our airport won't be the same one as the one your talking about, right?

Brad, now I'm going to be very nervous landing and taking off in Keflavic hearing about the common cross winds. I have a phobia of flying and cross winds won't help 😩😩😩

Keflavik is the name of the Rekjavik airport.

Oh! Thanks acraven!

Susan,

I didn't even know the airport HAD a name beyond "That damned airport in Iceland". I obviously exagerate things for the sake of humor, but according to when your flight arrives, it can be a mad scrum for the bathroom and the cafeteria. I'm not sure at other hours (beyond 6:00am) if there's other things open. Also, I'm only half-joking about the lack of seats, both in the cafeteria and the waiting lounge. However, that said, the lounge is pretty fun since people from all over Europe are gathered there. A boisterous group of young men were waiting for the same flight to London as us, and as they chatted away, my wife asked me, "What language are they speaking?"

"Arabic," I said, apparently not knowing the difference between Arabic and Greek.

I didn't encounter any cross-winds, but on our trip back through Iceland, the pilot announced we'd be sitting on the tarmac for 45 minutes because ground control parked another flight at our gate. The pilot specifically mentioned that it was a WOW flight, and he was plenty irked about it. So we sat and we sat and we sat and the plane inched forward by about three feet and then stopped and we sat and sat and sat s'more. Finally, we arrived at the gate with 30 minutes to clear customs and get on our Seattle-bound flight. That meant a mad dash to the loo and then to the cafeteria. Had I more time, I would have liked to have hit the Duty Free just to see what they had. But noooo . . .

You'll enjoy your flight on Icelandair. As you're winging over the frozen North Atlantic, just think how warm and comfortable you are compared to those poor bastards who were on the Titanic: that puts EVERYTHING in perspective!

Mike, thanks for more great humor!! I'm flying WOW so maybe we'll be first at the gate again! Yeah, as long as the plane I'm on isn't the Titanic II ... 😂

The duty-free shop used to have some nice (but extremely heavy) Icelandic wool sweaters, coats, hats and gloves. I'm going back to the 1980s or early 1990s, I guess. Back when they flew out of BWI, had a good connection into Luxembourg and were substantially cheaper than all the IATA carriers (basically all the other airlines), I often flew Icelandair. There was even a special deal on train service onward to several German cities or any point in Switzerland for a really good price. The good old days.

My recommendation is to always use the WC on the plane shortly before landing so you don't have to worry about finding them in the airport.

Iceland Air lets you pick your seats for free and check luggage for free. Have never had a problem getting additional water, tea or coffee and we pack enough snacks that we don't have to purchase over-priced airport items. That is in any airport in the world, not just Iceland.

They were doing construction in the airport in March, so perhaps the crowding will ease up soon.

A point to note - there are actually two airports serving Reykavik. The big international one is in Keflavik and is 45 minutes from town. There is a small airport right in Reykavik that is about 7 minutes from downtown. This airport, RKV, serves Greenland and the Faroe Islands. I flew on Atlantic Airways out of this small airport last summer to Vagar in the Faroes.

The terminal construction was still going on in early November. Ten years ago ago, Icelandair was your only choice. Now, so many
European airlines fly to Iceland that the airport can hardly handle the amount.

Reykjavik City Airport services domestic fights, Air Iceland flights to Greenland and Atlantic Airways flights only in the summer. In winter, the flights are moved to Keflavik.

I flew Icelandair last Oct. Regular seat, not upgraded at all. I am a big guy and did not feel cramped at all.

Tom, WOW allows free carry-on as well.
R/T San Francisco-Paris on WOW w/o seat selection (low/reasonable cost imo) or checked bag is $550. Really good I thought.

Iceland air is decent, my biggest gripe is the 3x3 seating, it feels like flying in a 737 domestic... entertainment system is comparable to everyone else. Yes, you pay for meals which is what people usually whine about... but c'mon, you seriously wanted airplane food? (read: bring your own).

You get a free checked bag on international flights, but don't check bags :0

And the layover is easy at Keflavik, if not a bit rushed, and windy.

Regarding WOW's free carry on. I bought my ticket probably in April last year and the free carry on was the normal size limit but only 17 lbs. weight limit (not unlike Lufthansa and SAS). As an option, for a price, you could bump up the weight limit. When I checked in with WOW, the first thing they did was weigh my bag - so you need to make sure you are within weight as well as size limits.

In June or July last year they reduced the size and weight of your allowed free carry-on. It's now essentially what you can take on a Ryan Air flight. Tiny if you aren't used to packing very light. I was grandfathered because I purchased my ticket earlier but now you can pay for either a larger carry-on or a checked bag. If you pay for a carry-on, you don't get to take your free one as well, only one carry-on per passenger (size and weight strictly enforced).

Last trip I only packed large daypack because part of my trip involved biking and I wanted to be able to carry my load when needed. It would have been too big for the new requirements.

I've purchased a small shoulder bag that fits the new requirements and took it on a long weekend trip to Miami. I'm pretty sure I can live with it for a trip to Europe and I'm also pretty sure 90+ percent of American travelers would view it as impossible. You probably need to plan on buying the larger carry-on at least.

Regarding landings,

I joke about always being able to tell if the pilot was trained by the Air Force or Navy.

Air Force pilots practice throttle management. As you approach the runway, you periodically pull the throttle back maybe 1/4 - 1/2 knob at a time - almost imperceptible to the passengers. The idea is to get to your flare and land as smoothly as possible (B-52s were supposed to land hard to set the landing gear).

Navy, probably because a big part of their job is carrier landings, seem to favor higher throttle in case they have to go around. I always notice their major up and down shifts in throttle and say to myself, "Must be a Navy pilot." ;-)

I flew IA in September and find Mike's humorous depiction to be spot on. Great job Mike!

I like the 3 X 3 seating with just one aisle. You board and deplane a lot quicker. The aisles aren't clogged up for an hour with meal service carts, drink carts and gift carts. It all goes faster.

I give Icelandair a thumbs up and I enjoyed Mike's description :-)

We have flown on them for 4 trips and no longer scramble to get to the departure gate, it is a 2 minute walk from the food and duty free shops. Two free checked bags, including a ski bag, makes them even more affordable and is a better deal than free food. The boarding seems to be chaos since no one tells you when to get on, no zones or instructions, the line just starts moving.

Sunrise in Iceland is nice and a great way to start the first day of the trip. Then a short flight with free coffee (no need to scramble to get a cup in Iceland :-) ) and you are in Europe before noon.

I will be flying Icelandair again in March (for only $550!) and plan to pack my own dinner and breakfast. I sometimes pack a tiny alcohol, they fit in a 3-1-1 bag, and get free tonic water. I am getting excited for the trip and may start packing today!

I will be flying Icelandair for the first time in May, going on to Europe for the first time as well. I am a little concerned about the brief 45-minute layover between flights not being long enough.

Does anyone know if we will be let off at our arriving gate and then just have a short walk to our departure gate, or will we be required to go through customs/security checks before boarding our London flight?

Ledere3 said,

"I will be flying Icelandair for the first time in May, going on to Europe for the first time as well. I am a little concerned about the brief 45-minute layover between flights not being long enough."

-- More than. It's a teeny-tiny airport. I found 45 minutes to be more than enough, provided one doesn't dilly-dally at the concessions. Also, congratulations on your first trip!

"Does anyone know if we will be let off at our arriving gate and then just have a short walk to our departure gate, or will we be required to go through customs/security checks before boarding our London flight?"

If you're heading for London, you just walk to your other gate. On-board the plane, once you're near landing, you'll be asked to fill out a small novella entitled "Where I'm Staying In Blighty And When I Plan To Sod Off Home Again", so have a pen at the ready and make sure you have your hotel address close at hand. Oh, and your ticket and flight number as well. Fill any of this out wrong and you WILL have a conversation with the nice people manning border control at LHR. I watched no small number of people irk the border control agents because they'd forgotten to fill in some bit of information or another, so do be careful.

Flew WOW last month (Feb 2017) R/T SFO-CDG and liked it. There is no fee to carry on a 21" bag up to 22lbs, and a personal item. They were not super strict on weight. Lots of people had a carryon bag and 3 personal items and no one said a word.

I don't think you can beat the price of WOW. We were very pleased with the planes, the seats, the food and the flight attendants were very good. Customer service is not great though, which I've heard about Norwegian Air as well. There's no screen/entertainment at each seat.

We did pay for the best seats ($40 SFO-Keflavik, $30 Keflavik-CDG). But that is up to you. It was still a good price with that added.

We really liked Keflavik airport. Super nice, clean and small. People working there were very nice. The food was amazing. Fresh and high quality, although expensive.

Keflavik can have weather problems so keep that in mind. Our flight leaving CDG was delayed 4 hrs due to weather at Keflavik. Our connecting plane to SFO waited for us. WOW goes to great lengths not to have you miss your connecting flight and incurring expense to put however many people up at a hotel.