Icelandair

I am sorry to hear that this put a damper own your trip. We have been there many times and have been fortunate to not have any issues with checking in. Yes, the check in desks at not operating until a few hours before each flight. Often times you can use the kiosks and do self check in and self bag tag, although those are not always operational.

I recently flew out of Keflavík airport using Icelandair (on July 19) and we didn’t have any trouble. We got there and there was a line to self check our bags, but it moved very quickly. Security was also very easy and quick. We made it to our gate in no time at all.

Let me add that once the counter did open things started to move. No sense in arriving before 1300 for the afternoon Icelandair departures. There were at least three cruise ships in port today so the airport was full of cruise ship passengers headed home. Airport is very busy. Passport control was 20+ minutes.

We just got back, and things went fast enough upon departure. The check in counter was really busy, but if you do self check-in, it's literally just pressing buttons in the comfort of your own space (we checked in 24 hours before the flight when it opened), so I do recommend that for folks. I personally do not see the benefit of Saga Premium for getting on the plane as those folks got to go first, but then just sat on the bus to the plane as the rest of us went through and actually ended up in the "back" at that point. I'm sure there are other benefits, but that did not seem one of them.

I saw the same thing. The saga passengers got to board the bus first and us peons last. But, last in, first out so the peons got off the bus and boarded the plane first.

Last time we flew through Iceland, I said "never again". Maybe things have improved since then, but our experience was that they were loading two flights from each gate, one to go to the jetway and one to the bus to load on the tarmac. Hundreds of people were crammed into very little space and when my husband started feeling faint there was nowhere for him to sit. The gate people wouldn't let him through to some chairs because they weren't open yet. We were all crammed in so tight that we figured if he passed out he couldn't fall down. :-(

I saw the same thing. The saga passengers got to board the bus first and us peons last. But, last in, first out so the peons got off the bus and boarded the plane first.

This is true. But why do people want to board first? To get that coveted overhead space. But in Saga class, since there are less seats, and more room between rows, there is plenty of overhead space.

Also bigger seats, no middle seats, free food and booze, and a generally more enjoyable flight.

Frank II, those other benefits sound good. I generally as a rule love to be on the plane first for the overhead bin space (my biggest nightmare is someone forcing me to check my luggage), and on Icelandair, that was not an issue at all. The overhead bin space was very generous (it seemed like the bags had more space than we did). I was once on a United flight to Dublin, and I could barely get my little day bag into the overhead space they provided, so that was stressful. Family boarding was such a benefit when my kids were little not because I needed the extra time to get them on, but rather getting on the plane early for that overhead space.

KEF used to be a very easy connection between US and Europe, but we've had bad times there twice in two years -- chaotic connection process when we flew through on one trip, then no check-in availability till afternoon when we flew out of there after time in Iceland on another trip. Hundreds of people looking for very few available seats before check-in, no staff at the counters. And this isn't an airline with a small footprint and just a few flights, this is the airline that dominates that airport.

Like other airports, KEF saves most of its amenities and spending opportunities for airside, so making everybody wait for hours on landside just deprives Icelandic businesses of shoppers. I guess the important thing is that all the Icelandair employees get their lunch break at the same time.