Is the lower airfare for Iceland Air worth it?

Well, if you do partake of the stay over, any savings will evaporate right there because Iceland is very expensive. But if you wanted to go to Iceland anyway, then it's a plus. I loved Iceland and it was actually the best part of my original trip (which was to Germany).

Iceland Air is a budget carrier so adjust your expectations and you'll be fine. I don't find any airline to be particularly comfortable so Iceland Air doesn't stand out one way or another (you do have to bring your own food though). I flew Iceland Air twice and the price was a good value to me. I really enjoyed the stay over as well (but of course it added a lot of cost to the whole trip).

Any money saved would be spent in about two hours in Iceland. Fly direct if possible have a sleep arrive nice and fresh. Unless of course you want to stay in Iceland then go for it just be prepared to pay about $10 for a beer

Nothing wrong with Iceland Air, especially if you want to see Iceland. They did screw up my luggage, but that's happened before on other airlines. And I consider this a bonus: "you do have to bring your own food though" Especially since we always do that anyway.

Wife and I have flown Boston-Europe for last 4 years (leaving May, back in June). We have some reservations, particularly the rushed connection in Keflavik Airport, but overall are happy with the airline. Main reasons, besides cost, are: Decent comfort (I'm 6 feet), more or less guaranteed connection in Keflavik (they will hold the plane if necessary, though this has not been necessary for any of our connections), and--a big one--reliable scheduling; so far we have not had a flight cancelled or time changed, etc.

Oh, one more thing--we were going to fly IA from Fort Lauderdale to somewhere in Europe, and they had us flying into one Washington DC airport and flying out of another 3 hours later, with us having to make the transfer at rush hour (the result of an odd sense of humor?). In the event we took a another carrier into the airport from which the international flight began. So be careful if you need to transfer IA flights in the USA.

We came back with Icelandair from Frankfurt with a 3 day stop in Iceland. No problem with the flights. The standard seats were fine - I am larger than most. It was nice to break up the flight into two parts and the fact that it flys direct to Denver was a plus. Iceland is expensive, but that’s o.k. We are doing it again in a couple of months ( and if my wife has her way, it will be our standard way to return )

"Is the lower airfare for Iceland Air worth it?"

Oddly enough, I was asking myself the same question back in 2017 while my wife and I were sprinting through AMS trying to make the last plane to Seattle that day because our flight from AMS to KEV on Iceland Air was delayed by six hours for unexplained reasons. Now, to their credit, Iceland Air -did- send out a text announcing the flight had been delayed, not that it made any difference since I had no cell service in Amsterdam.

When I got to the airport, myself and about 200 other Iceland Air passengers were herded into line by class, with the gifted Saga members going to the head of the line and we steerage scum being directed to the other end. Then the waiting began. Hours passed and no information was forthcoming. All we knew -- Saga and scum alike -- is that our plane would be six hours late and our connection in Iceland would not be held for obvious reasons.

After about 2.5 hours of waiting, an Iceland Air representative said we'd be put on other planes and to go to a totally different counter to find out which ones. This set off a stampede to the other counter and all semblance of order broke down and it turned into first come, first served. Were you in the front of the other line? Tough cheese, you're at the end of this one. It took another hour for my wife and I to get to the counter, by which time all direct flights to Seattle were airborne, save one: there was a Delta flight leaving in 45 minutes. Good luck!

What followed was something like a scene in a movie where we literally sprinted through the airport, only to encounter new lines of security checks. 45 minutes became 20 minutes and then became 10 minutes and we still seemed no closer to the gate. Finally, panting and sweating, we reach our gate at the very end of the airport just as the last passengers were boarding. Had we been delayed by even another five minutes, I doubt we would have caught the flight at all.

Again, to their credit, IA did try to inform us the flight was delayed (which, while nice, would have accomplished nothing even if we had received the message), and did actually get us on another flight. However, the way it was done was so slap-dash, so chaotic, it was a miracle we weren't stuck in Amsterdam until the next day.

So was the stress and strain worth the $150 I saved over flying direct on Delta? In my case, I'd rather have spent the money and avoided the whole fiasco and the extra three hours of travel time. Sure, it makes for a great story, and your experience hopefully be nothing like the one we went through, but next time I fly to Europe, it's going to be non-stop on Delta.

-- Mike Beebe

I fly Iceland Air all the time when going from Frankfurt to Sacramento via Seattle or Portland and back to Frankfurt. Have never had any kind of problems at all, other than a delayed flight into Iceland from Frankfurt last time. They held the connecting plane for us, and had people stationed through the airport pointing us in the right direction.

The seating is more comfortable than on other aircraft and because there is just one aisle, you deplane faster. Bring your own food and earplugs.

If you check the times, connecting in KEF for Scotland is much faster than London or Amsterdam. It’s so much shorter.

It depends of course how much you are saving. Last year we planned to go to Florence. To fly there from Seattle with one stop was 800 dollars more per person than fly with Iceland air with change in Keflavik and landing in Zurich. We saved so much (4 people) that we had enough for train to Luzern, two nights there, train to Florence, nice hotel there and then some. So in our case flying with Icelandair was certainly worth it. And it was pleasant to get a break from long flight in Keflavik. I don't think that Icelandair is any better or worse than other airlines. Be prepared to pay for your food or take your sandwiches with you.

Thank you everyone for sharing you experiences (some good, some not so great but relayed with wonderful humor). We have decided to give Iceland Air a try. Your feedback was very helpful to us as we made our decision.

As you see, it's a short second flight.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ICE430/history/20180326/0735Z/BIKF/EGPF

Although for summer travel, it looks like Westjet right from Ottawa to GLA via Halifax is cheapest/fastest.

We are flying Iceland Air from Anchorage to Oslo, Norway this summer. Its our first time on this airline, but we loved that for us, we don’t have to fly down to Seattle, which is usually the case for so many of our flights! We are not doing a stop over in Iceland this time, but merely connecting to our flight to Oslo.
I am glad that I booked this flight so early though, as we paid $1,200 for our open jaw flights and when I checked the other day, the same flights were now $1,800!!!!!
I do keep my expectations low these days for all airlines. We flew Emirates two summers ago and while their in flight entertainment was very good, everything else just ordinary. However, first class did look very nice, we were in coach:(

I have a different take on the poster's question ... as a traveler who lives in Charlotte, NC, I wish I had the opportunity to ask such a question ... but we have no discount carriers, only American and a few Lufthansa for direct flights to Europe. The majority of the year tickets (and these prices are often for one stop) on American are $1400-$1600 RT. I can't imagine having the luxury to choose from such comparatively affordable flights ... sigh.

Shelly,
Unfortunately that's what happens when one carrier has such a monopoly like American Airlines does in Charlotte. That same kind of issue was prevalent in Pittsburgh when US Air totally dominated that airport. When airports allow budget carriers in, the prices drop dramatically. It won't happen soon in Charlotte - the AA monopoly is their current business model and they accept the tradeoffs (frequent business flights) to keep American Airlines there at the expense of more price-conscious leisure passengers.

Yep, you're exactly right, Agnes. I've had to get creative and be willing to take risks so I can afford European trips -- I've started booking RT flights to New York on one ticket and a NY airport to London or Paris, etc. on a 2nd ticket. I always allow 4-6 hours on each end for connections. I understand the risk I'm taking but for me it's worth it as I save $700-$900 each trip on airfare.

Agnes and Shelly: there’s also the absence in Charlotte of an American airline without its own transatlantic flights willing to take onward transatlantic passengers to other US markets, for example in Seattle and Portland both Icelandair and Condor (and I believe now Thomas Cooke Airlines for Seattle) codeshare with Alaska Airlines for onward passengers, for Minneapolis it’s Sun Country Airlines for onward passengers for the same 2 discount European airlines.

Norwegian and Wow seem to only serve the largest US markets/destinations so aren’t interested in codesharing.

I agree with many of the posted comments. I have flown Icelandair several times over the past decade and have never had a problem. I thought this year would be the exception as I got caught in the middle of a mechanics strike in December. However, Icelandair did a great job of messaging and providing me with updates.....while several flights were cancelled they managed to get my flight off the ground with minimal delay. Seats are comfortable, inflight entertainment is adequate and fairly modern. Most of the time, I have utilized the stopover (usually for just one night) as I thoroughly enjoy Reykjavik and getting a nice break before heading home. I usually use the stopover on the way back to the US because it gives you ample time to do a few things before flying home the following evening. I found the stopover on the way to Europe not as refreshing. You arrive very early in the morning and if you just stay one night, you have to get up very early the next day (with a couple exceptions like a later London flight etc.) to continue on to Europe. Loved Reykjavik this past Christmas...it was beautiful....only bummer was that they moved the hot dog stand downtown a few feet because of construction....still one heck of a hotdog.