A Pioneer Airline Across the Atlantic

Over the last few years Iceland, a beautiful island in the Atlantic Ocean, some five and a half flight hours away from the eastern seaboard, has become a much sought after tourist destination for Americans and has been in the news with reports about their erupting volcanoes, the largest glacier in Europe with stunning sights of 3,200 square miles of ice, the spectacular views of the northern lights, the ethereal blue tint of the mineral-rich and therapeutic hot springs of the Blue Lagoon in addition to other natural wonders. It is considered the safest country in the world and was the world’s first country to have a female president who was re-elected three times.

Since 1953, its national carrier, Loftleidir Icelandic Airlines, was originally known for low-cost flights to Europe via Iceland into Luxembourg. The airline headquartered at Keflavik Airport outside the capital of the island, Reykjavik, was formed by three young ambitious Icelandic pilots who took over a company started in 1937 named Flugfelag Akureyrar. Alfred Eliasson, Kristinn Olsen, and Sigurdur Olafsson returned from flight training in Canada back in 1944. Starting with a four-seater Stinson Reliant aircraft, the company has grown into an airline operating over 50 aircraft and offering 600 flights a week connecting 45 different destinations under the name, Icelandair.

This summer, we decided to try their Saga Premium Class to fly because it was so much less expensive than American carriers. It did not start well because booking through partner airline JetBlue was apparently a mistake. My confirmation email stated that I could confirm specific seats through the Icelandair App. That didn’t work, so I called them and was bluntly told that because I booked and paid through JetBlue, seats would only be assigned at the airport. Before the return from Europe, again I received an email suggesting to book specific seating in advance, but alas, it was still not possible. And indeed, my wife and I were not assigned seats together on either transatlantic flight from and to the USA. The good news was that passengers on board were gracious enough to exchange seats without any assistance from Iceland Air.

Check-in was efficient, and priority lanes for their Saga class customers combined with lounge access made for a pleasant airport experience and on the transatlantic flights, although there was no special accommodation for business class boarding from Reykjavik to Munich in Germany or on the way back despite the substantial difference in price. The 21-hour daylight during the height of the summer in Iceland gave us the experience of flying transatlantic without a real night flight and a change of planes at Reykjavik Airport with almost a clear sky in the late evening, as well as a spectacular sunset on the way back. At Keflavik Airport we saw some of the different liveries of the Icelandair aircraft that are all named after the natural wonders of the island. The airport itself is not too difficult to manage although on our return, I did not see any signs for passport control until I stood in front of it. The officers here were as friendly as everybody else in Iceland. 

The seating on board in economy class offers wider seats and more legroom than on most carriers. Wi-Fi and entertainment are available with individual movie screens on all flights and from what I saw from the service, it seemed friendly and efficient. We flew in their Boeing 737 Max one-way transatlantic and roundtrip between Reykjavik and Munich. The configuration in their business class was two seats on each side of the aisle with only a bit of recline, much like on domestic first class with most airlines. 

The return to the United States was flown with a new Boeing 767 with a very unusual seating arrangement of two seats on one side, one seat in the middle and two seats on the other side separated by two aisles. Once again not much of a recline, but enough to be bothersome for the passenger behind when eating a meal. Obviously, a disappointment when most carriers offer the flat-bed experience in business class, but acceptable as their transatlantic flights are normally not more than five and a half hours before a change of planes in Iceland. The result is still the same, flying from eight to eleven hours depending on your final destination, but psychologically it seems easier, and in most cases, the cost of their business class is less than half than with the major airlines. The service on board far surpasses my experience in business class on American carriers. Without exception, every flight attendant on our four flights was dressed in impeccable smart uniforms, always smiling, and couldn’t do enough for their passengers. Cocktails were available from an extensive menu with an additional two whole pages of local Icelandic gins. And for those preferring non-alcoholic drinks, there were many available, including Icelandic water which is said to be the best in the world. 

The Saga Class meals served were outstanding, although on the return flight to the USA, they ran out resulting in being offered an economy class sandwich instead. However, the cheese baguette offered was surprisingly good. The airline also offers Icelandic specialties like a sweet cake called “Hjonabandssaela,” that translates as “Happy Marriage.” It is an experience to listen to this language that originated from “Old Norse,” spoken by the Norwegian Vikings in the ninth century. For example, there are fifty different words for our word “snow,” including “snjor” and “kafaldsmyglingur.” 

And due to the isolation of Iceland there has not been much change to the language only spoken by 380,000 people.

The airline keeps growing with new destinations like Detroit and Pittsburg in the United States, as well as Prague and Innsbruck in Europe. Typical of Iceland’s quest to create gender equality, the pilots are supervised by their female Chief Pilot, Linda Gunnarsdottir. And her daughter, Birna Katrín Gunnlaugsdóttir, is a Dash aircraft pilot on domestic routes in Iceland.

As mentioned, if you decide to try Icelandic, you can book them through JetBlue and their other partners, Alaska Airlines, Finnair, SAS and Turkish Airlines. But be aware that you might have the same experience I have had, especially with advance seating. 

If you are interested in Iceland as a destination, the airline offers a free stopover there on any of their airfares and assistance with suggested itineraries in this unique country. On board, they offer excellent documentary videos about the country.

Ewout Rijk de Vries and his wife, Jill, brought America Travel Arrangements to Marco Island 40 years ago. They specialize in high-end small adventure tours and small safari groups for clientele all over the world but also are experts on high-end cruises with the help of longtime assistant and friend, Michelle Wegman. In combination with his writing and photography, Ewout has visited over 100 countries. Please direct your comments or questions to ewout@coastalbreezenews.com as he likes to hear from readers.