My parents are flying Iceland Air from Seattle to Frankfurt in the spring, and I am contemplating taking them my next trip. I like that it appears I can fly open jaw for the same price as round trip.
Anyone any experience flying with them? What is their service like? Their planes? I know they fly 757's. I have only flown in '57's short haul not internationally. Any feedback is appreciated.
This summer will be the third time we have flown with them.
Their planes are the smaller, single aisle, 3+3 style, but I don't see how that makes any difference. It was clean and modern. Coach is coach. 2008 had seat-back tv shows & meals. 2009 had movies and no meals (cost cutting). The layover in Iceland is painless - an hour or less in a small, pleasant terminal with shops. Basically, you switch planes, get up and stretch your legs, pee, glance at the terrain of Iceland near the airport (interesting) and move on.
If you have an interest in seeing Iceland and/or Reykjavik, you can arrange a painless layover for no added cost. We did a 24-hour layover in 2008 and wished it were longer, but we were glad we did.
Flying open-jaw in Europe is simple and economical. Depending on the combination of cities, you can even wind up saving a little compared to a round-trip ticket. Use their web site and search multi-city for different options. Here's a hint; do some RT flight searches first. These display a 2-week window of fares and sometimes show days that flights are cheaper for one leg of the trip. Do this with multiple cities and keep track of those sale legs. Then put together a multi-city search using dates that were on sale both directions and you can sometimes find some good deals if your schedule is flexible.
Another asset for parents with children under 12 is that they offer small discounts for children (about 15%) while most airlines don't.
A few of their Europe destinations are summer only and not every day. Others have 1-2 flights per day.
They service most common destinations in northern Europe, but not the south or east. For Prague, Vienna, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon, etc. you will have to fly some other airline.
But I have nothing but good things to say about them.
Randy has given you some excellent details. I'll simply add my personal experience. In 2005 my wife and I and our adult daughter flew Minneapolis-London and Paris-Minneapolis. The fare was good, the service was fine, and we had no complaints. I'd certainly fly Icelandair again.
We flew Iceland Air from Sanford (Orlando) to Reykjavik in September 2007. Very comfortable, nice crew, standard airplane food. Overall, I liked it very much and would recommend it. Even if you only have one day to spare for Iceland, do it! It is so different, and hardly costs any money to get there if you are going on a stopover like you are planning.
I flew them from Boston to KEF last February and thought it was a really good airline. PTVs with video on-demand. No food though, but our flight left around 930pm from Boston, so we didn't really have to rely on their food service. If you can swing a layover for a couple hours or more to visit the Blue Lagoon, it is definitely worth it!
Cheers,
Evan
Do they only fly the 757? I know this is silly, but the 3 by 3 seating would be a dealbreaker for us. We prefer 2 seats, window and aisle, to cut down on people having to move or us having to move to use the head or to walk around. Just us!
cheryl,
Yes, 3x3 on every flight I've ever been.
I can't imagine trying to organize a complex trip to Europe on a budget with "dealbreakers" like that.
Much has been shared already, so I’ll just add that the on-board staff is quite attentive and professional. Also noteworthy are the short flight legs…connecting in Reykjavik makes your journey seem shorter, and you’ll have a refreshing opportunity to get out of an airplane and move around after just 5 hours or so on your flight over. Plus, Keflavik is a very small and efficient airport, so connections are a breeze. As for staying a couple of days in Iceland…it’s a must-do if you have the time. Iceland can be expensive, but the scenery is spectacular and free. Also, you can walk around the resort and right up to the water at the Blue Lagoon for free…no need to pay unless you’re going in the water or using the spa. You don’t have to go far from the city to see some of the most amazing natural landscapes on Earth. Where else can you literally straddle the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates (just south and maybe a bit east of the city)? I really like Icelandair and always include them in my short list of carriers I research when looking at fares.
I know you're going in the Spring, but keep in mind that starting next summer Iceland Express, Iceland's other airline, will start flying to NYC and offer stopover deals in Iceland before continuing on to other parts of Europe.
