Iceland Air question

[C & C Love to Cruise]

We have a Europe cruised planned and on Princess EZ Air I have 2 options.  One is Delta and the other is Iceland Air. Big difference in price between the two.  One has a layover in Iceland the other a layover in Amsterdam.  Since I never flew Iceland air I was wondering about pros and cons for those who have.  Thank you for your time.

[riffatsea]

I haven't flown them but I'd take a layover in Iceland and spend a few days there

BTW you may get more air info on the airline forum of trip Adviser

[Rick&Jeannie]

10 minutes ago, C & C Love to Cruise said:

We have a Europe cruised planned and on Princess EZ Air I have 2 options.  One is Delta and the other is Iceland Air. Big difference in price between the two.  One has a layover in Iceland the other a layover in Amsterdam.  Since I never flew Iceland air I was wondering about pros and cons for those who have.  Thank you for your time.

I cannot comment on Iceland Air...also have never been to Iceland (but this will be remedied in May!) however, since I have status on Delta I would automatically choose Delta over any other airline.  I see those very tempting fares through EZAir...but after a very disappointing experience will never go that route again.  Most people have no trouble at all going with EZAir.  Hope you have a GREAT cruise!

[Colorado Coasty]

It has been a few years since we have flown Iceland Air but would do it again without hesitation. At the time, you could purchase the middle seat in coach for just a nominal fee. They also gave us a free upgrade to first class. Their airport lounge is the best we have ever experienced.

We also did a three day layover in Iceland. It was wonderful and would do it again.

I don't think you will be disappointed with Iceland Air.

[C & C Love to Cruise]

Thank you,  I did check the forum for Air travel and nothing really came up on the question I asked.  I would love to stay a day or two in Iceland, but we are staying 3 days in Amsterdam before the cruise, 3 days in Barcelona after the cruise and another 2 days in Paris.  Might have to change my plans to fit in Iceland.  

[skynight]

We flew Icelandic Air a number of years ago, pre-covid in route to Copenhagen. The layover was just a few hours in Iceland in the middle of the night. We changed planes and were processed through immigration in Iceland. When we reached Copenhagen there were no formalities. We booked direct with Icelandic Air, not via EZ Air. There was an option to stay a few days in Iceland before flying on to Europe. Nice way to experience a little of Iceland. We did not take advantage and were sorry afterwards. 

[LibertyBella]

I have been to Iceland several times and I just flew there for Thanksgiving for a visit.  Icelandair is a nice, efficient mid-range airline, but since I do not fly on them that often, I would always choose the airline with whom I have a frequent flyer program. However, if the price difference is extremely significant, I can see why you might want a different option.

 

Icelandair charges for all meals (they do offer Icelandic food like reindeer), and the gates waiting areas are very tiny and without many seats.  The Keflavik airport has some nice shops with souvenirs and a small food court, but you really have to leave the airport to see the country. You can spend a few nights to see some of the highlights in nearby Reykjavik, but I agree that your itinerary is already a bit busy.  I have also changed planes in Amsterdam--the airport is bigger and busier than Iceland, and they even sell diamonds in some of the stores! 

 

Layovers do not usually allow you to leave the airport. Once I had to layover in Tokyo airport for six hours and sadly, saw nothing of the country on that trip.  That is the way airplane flights work.  Have a great cruise!

 

 

[SeaCBear]

We spent 10 days in Iceland last May (absolutely incredible - my profile picture was taken there) and we flew Icelandair to Reykavik, from Vancouver.  Both flights were absolutely fine - comfortable clean airplanes, and good service. We wouldn't hesitate to fly with Icelandair again.  

[alolewis]

if you are flying business class Iceland Air does not have lie flat seats, more like domestic first class.

[jeromep]

I've only heard good things about Iceland Air, however, unless they have made huge changes in their fleet, they fly mostly, if not exclusively 757s.  They have long enough legs to fly from North America, with the layover in Iceland and then on to Europe.  If you haven't spent much time in 757s, they are like an overgrown 737, single aisle, 3-aisle-3 seating in coach, and they take a while to load and unload due to their length.  I don't really like flying on 757s, and one of the reasons I don't fly Delta much domestically.  They are fine aircraft, and considered by pilots to be a real sports car, very fast compared to the sister wide body 767, and have more overall performance than 737s.  It's just that for the length of the flight, the onboard experience is not nearly as comfortable as a wide body.  If you aren't worried about how you get there or your comfort while getting there, Iceland Air will be just fine.

[alyssamma]

8 hours ago, C & C Love to Cruise said:

We have a Europe cruised planned and on Princess EZ Air I have 2 options.  One is Delta and the other is Iceland Air. Big difference in price between the two.  One has a layover in Iceland the other a layover in Amsterdam.  Since I never flew Iceland air I was wondering about pros and cons for those who have.  Thank you for your time.

Others have given you great info. I would just add/clarify a few things...

 

1) Iceland air typically allows layovers for 1-3 days if this is something you would be interested in.

 

2) Iceland air flights are shorter than direct to Europe flights. If you can sleep on a plane, this might matter to you. You'll be doing 2 segments of 4-6 hours instead of an 8+ hour segment when you cross the ocean.

 

3) This of course depends on the plane, but typically US carriers are more comfortable than Iceland Air. This is definitely true in business where US carriers will have true lie flat seats, but is also true - in general - for economy.

 

3a) Delta in particular flies several planes that are 2-2 in economy instead of 3-3. This means if it is just you and your sig other traveling, you have the row to yourselves.

 

4) In general, if there is a problem with your flight, a US carrier will have a better chance of rebooking you.

 

All of that being said, if the price is significantly cheaper, go Iceland Air.

[seeyouinthesun]

20 hours ago, C & C Love to Cruise said:

We have a Europe cruised planned and on Princess EZ Air I have 2 options.  One is Delta and the other is Iceland Air. Big difference in price between the two.  One has a layover in Iceland the other a layover in Amsterdam.  Since I never flew Iceland air I was wondering about pros and cons for those who have.  Thank you for your time.

I have flown IcelandAir many times. It’s a great airline and great price. 

[dreaminofcruisin]

If price is your priority, it will be fine.

If you are flying Business class and expect the Delta experience....nope. It's much more like Domestic First Class...if that. We had a return flight last summer on Icelandair Business class from LHR. The oddest thing to me was that the flight atttendents served the meal and then hid behind the curtain in the galley for the rest of the flight. It was unpleasant because you had to open the curtain and go back there to use the restroom. Never quite sure if we were 'allowed' with the curtains closed. Not really sure what the deal was, but seemed like the policy as it happened both from LHR to Iceland and from Iceland to MSP. Very weird.

[Ragdollbd]

Bring snacks.  They charge for everything on the plane.  Iceland is very nice.  Wish I spent more time there

[Sarnia 432]

We found the airport in Iceland a nightmare.  Lots of North American flights arriving within minutes of each other, then waiting for connections to Europe leaving from the same gate (you get on a bus to the plane).  The airport was too small for the number of passengers, you had to push (literally) to get anywhere and we swore we would never fly with them again.  Mind you, this was back in 2015, hopefully they have improved since then.