I've just booked a 10AM flight from Reykjavik back to the US. What would be the best and most economical way to get to the airport, and what time should I leave the city to make my flight?
Thank you.
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2762 posts
The local bus is the cheapest. but most people use FlyBus. It takes about an hour from being picked up in Reykjavik to get to the airport, and you definitely need to be there 3 hours before, so plan on being picked up no later than 6am.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2799 posts
I'd allow more time if you take a local bus (very cheapest option), more like 1.5 hours to get from center city to airport. Depending on the day of the week the bus may not run early enough and it appears there are some central city construction disruptions that may add time.
Depending on your hotel location, the Flybus is probably the most convenient option if you are staying in central part of city https://www.re.is/tour/flybus/
Posted by
Lake District, England
8367 posts
The first Straeto Bus #55 (the City Bus) leaves the BSI (Bus Station) at 0625, arriving at the Airport at 0736 on Mondays to Fridays, no service from the City Centre on Saturday and Sunday- so that is not an option.
So it's the FlyBus at 0500 from any of the hotels they serve (see their booking engine) or 0530 from the BSI, arrive at the airport at 0615- the next bus is an hour later. So that 0600/0630 is also too late for a 3 hour check in.
Posted by
Freedonia
16536 posts
Will you have checked luggage?
Are you flying economy or Saga class?
Will you have your boarding pass before heading to the airport? (Will you be able to check in online?)
If no checked luggage and you have your boarding pass, you don't need to be there three hours ahead of time. I've been through this airport plenty of times and didn't see the need to arrive too early unless I was limited by the Flybus schedule.
When you arrive at the airport you'll go upstairs for security. If you need to check a bag or get a boarding pass, try one of the self service machines on the ground level. They can, however, be temperamental.
Once through security you'll walk through all the shops and head to exit immigration. (You will be exiting Schengen.) From there you will go downstair to the gates for flights outside Schengen. There are places to eat and more shops. But there can be limited seating.
Flybus is the most popular option to get to the airport. Here's how it works...a shuttle bus will pick you up near your hotel and drop you at the central bus station. There you will transfer to a larger coach that will take you to the airport. The drive from the bus station to the airport is about 45 minutes.
Going with the current Flybus schedule, I'd arrange a 6:00 hotel pickup that will get you to the airport at around 7:15. This will give you 2 hours and 45 minutes before your flight. The next bus arrives an hour later and that could make things tight.
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2762 posts
We have needed the full 3 hours several times. Baggage is easy now as they have self tagging machines, so no more waiting in lines there. Security is quick, but the issue is after that at passport control. That can be an absolute nightmare. At KEF they do not announce the gate until 45 minutes before boarding, so usually people will hang out in the area after security and before passport control until it is announced. Do NOT do that. Go straight to passport control and go through there. Then you will head downstairs where there are more shops/restaurants and the gate area. All flights to the US leave from the D gates, so you can head to that general area, and then when the gate is announced, you are not behind a hundred other people trying to go through passport control.