ICELANDAIR review : 2 July 2008 : by F Perry

Customer Rating : 1/5

GLA-KEF delayed by 7.5hours due to technical fault. KEF-GLA delayed by 6.5hours due to technical fault, although message left on 27th about flight claimed flight was being rescheduled due to air traffic control strikes - which never materialised. Both aircraft were as old as the Magna Carta. Air stewardesses and crew were obviously used to the continual complaints by passengers as they remained jovial to one another and had faces like bulldogs when confronted by disgruntled passengers. Altogether an exceptionally poor display from the flag carrier of one of the most spectacular nations I have visited and one that needs to be improved upon.

ICELANDAIR review : 10 June 2008 : by J Aberg

Customer Rating : 2/5

CPH-KEF-YYZ return. Transfering in Reykjavik is very uncomplicated. As for the list of things to improve, I have never experienced such an austere approach to customer service with any airline on any continent. I have never seen so many rude and grumpy staff members in one place! When it comes to food and drinks, any change would be an improvement, because you cannot go wrong from where you are currently. May I suggest that you are bold enough to serve more than one different meal across your network. Yes, I agree pasta rolls are good, but not everyday! Finally, the planes look like something from the 1980's. I got a good fare for this trip, but looking at the what you get for your money, I do not think I got good value for my money by any stretch of the imagination. I would strongly suggest anybody considering this airline to really consider that you do not get much at all for your money, rather than being attracted by a low fare.

ICELANDAIR review : 4 June 2008 : by S Walford

Customer Rating : 4/5

YYZ-KEF-AMS return. Nothing fancy, but this is an airline competent in the fundamentals of safety, service, on time departures and arrivals, food, comfort and price - all of which should keep their planes full. KEF hub and spoke system results in numerous arrivals and departures around the same time which turns the airport into a crowded operation. As well, it adds an hour or two onto a North America/Europe flight because of the required connection. I enjoyed the chance to break the trip and stretch my legs. The generous baggage allowance makes it preferable to a charter. I would definitely use them again with price being the major consideration.  

ICELANDAIR review : 16 May 2008 : by Friðrik Haraldsson

Customer Rating : 1/5

Coming back from Minniapolis was just horrible, the space between the seats was so tight, I had to take the safety brochures out of the pockets so my feet could fit. Eating was hardly possible with the front seat leaning in my lap. Service from flight attendant was excellent.

Icelandair review by Matt Richards

4 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

HR-KEF-LHR. Very good, both flights departed and arrived slightly ahead of schedule in both Heathrow and Keflavik. Aircraft were clean and comfortable and the lights were kept nice and dim on the night flight outbound. Polite and efficient cabin crews. All round a very positive experience.

Icelandair review by T van der Velden

16 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Amsterdam-Reykjavik and back early March. Planes fairly full but luckily I found a row with no neighbours next to me. They provide entertainment but very bad sound quality, impossible to follow the movies or music channels so take your own CD-player. One way I got earphones which keep falling out. On the way back I had a small headphone. Mediocre meals. I would never fly this airline transatlantic in these narrow-body planes (all Boeing 757's). Nice was that I could check in and get my boarding pass and labels in my hotel in Reykjavik, the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica, the first hotel that has that possibility, not that you can get any idea of how full the plane will be, but at least I could select an aisle seat the night before the return flight. Good transport to airport for 1300 ISK.

Icelandair review by David Hoppin

4 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

BWI-KEF-BOS in Saga Business Class. Seats are identical to domestic first class within the U.S., so it's more a premium economy product than business class - but virtually all Icelandair flights are under 6 hours so it's OK. Food and wine satisfactory but not great. Crews in both directions were friendly and efficient. Overall a decent experience.

Icelandair review by J Turner

23 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-KEF return Economy. A great flight both ways. The aircraft was very comfortable and clean. The crew were polite. The food was OK, more a snack than anything. Nice they provided entertainment for the short flight. Check in at LHR a bit disorganised, but at KEF very efficient and only waited in the queue a minute or so before being checked in. Will go Icelandair again when I go to Iceland again. Makes a change to the normal giants.

Icelandair review by Arun Kandasamy

26 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

BWI-KEF-AMS return on Icelandair Saga Business class. It is not your typical transatlantic business class. The seats are old-style, but comfortable enough, in-flight entertainment is a personal-dvd player and this could probably be improved -trying to fit your meal tray and the dvd player is challenging, and food is nothing more than spruced-up economy class meal. The ticket price is about half of what you would pay for BA or equivalent. The crew is friendly and always had a smile. I recommend and would fly Icelandair Saga class again.

Icelandair review by L Preo

5 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating : n/a

LHR-KEF-ARN Saga Class - reserved , polite not quite business class. We'd just flown in from Sydney and had a 5 hr lay over before the flight. Luckily we had access to an arrivals lounge as the Saga lounge (Servisair), did not open until 3 hrs before departure. Whilst nothing to write home about the departure lounge is at least a respite from the hordes at Heathrow. Take reading matter on board as there is no AV. Okay for a short (3hr) flight but not acceptable these days on longer flights.

Icelandair review by Gerald Klingler

25 July 2007

MUC-KEF-BWI return. We travelled with 15 months old twins and were happy with the service we received. Cabin presence could be a bit better but okay overall. Changing planes in KEF is no problem and the new terminal building is very nice. Inflight entertainment is old and headsets do not work sometimes but they announced a new system by the end of the year. Flying into BWI was the big plus for us because we try avoid IAD. We will fly them again.

Icelandair review by A Hickin

26 February 2007

London Heathrow - Keflavik return for a long weekend break. We found the airline extremely good value, with fares working out cheaper than IcelandExpress or BA. Service on the ground at Heathrow was mixed, with check-in efficient, gate staff disorganised and offered no information whatsoever on our 1 hour delay. Inflight service was very efficient. The crew worked really hard. Service was a bit 'cold' and lacked anything in the way of a smile. Food adequate for a 3 hour flight; not fantastic, but bearing in mind our recent experience with airlines like Iberia that no longer provide any complimentary food or drink, it was decent enough. Entertainment is quite limited (audio plus video on drop down screens every 3 rows) but adequate for the 3 hours. Other plus points were a very clean and seemingly well maintained aircraft, and more than adequate legroom. Departure gate procedure at Keflavik is a joke. Despite everyone having seat reservations, there is a total scrum for the aircraft, with no control whatsoever over boarding by row etc. The end result is chaos in the cabin, and delayed departures. Strange that the Icelandic people seem so well organised and civilised about most things, but turn into complete lunatics when it comes to getting on a plane - perhaps it's the desire to escape Icelands sky high prices for a few days? Overall we enjoyed the flights, and would be happy to use Icelandair again. If they need to improve anything, it's the boarding process and gate staff. It's also well worth taking any flight to Iceland - it's fantastic.

Icelandair review by Barry Woodrow

29 January 2007

I'm British and have lived in Iceland almost continuously since 1984. I travel regularly, worldwide, mainly in economy, on average six or seven multi-leg long haul flights per year. On most occasions I use Icelandair for my flights from/to Iceland. On some routes, particularly North America, I currently have no alternative. In my opinion, Icelandair ranks as a good 3-star carrier. In economy, 757 seating configuration is standard full-cost carrier, 3x3 with 31 inch pitch. - as for aisles being crowded I don't see any difference to other airlines. Food, I agree, has reached the point of miniscule portions, but mostly it is edible. I've never had any problem getting the attention of a flight attendant - call buttons generally answered quickly. I do have an issue with what I consider to be the now exhorbitant prices charged for alcohol (e.g. €4 for wine, €5 for Campari), but that's perhaps subjective. In general, I find Icelandair standards considerably superior to those of any US carrier I have flown in recent years. I take exception to the statement about fares - simply not true unless you buy your ticket at the last moment. I flew Iceland Express a few times during their first year of operation, when their fares were really low. Over the past two years, their fares have generally been quite a bit higher than Icelandair, so even if they were to fly across the Pond, I don't foresee any sudden drop in prices.

Icelandair review by Jen Dinoia

26 January 2007

Icelandair is possibly the worst airline I have ever flown. We are currently living in Iceland and sadly, Icelandair is the only way to get home to the States. Yes, they offer cheap prices to tourists. Those of us who live here are scammed out of our hard-earned dollars every time we try to leave the country. A return KEF-BOS will cost twice the return from BOS-KEF. Flight attendants - I am barely able to get their attention. However, when it was time to land, they had no trouble glaring at me because my daughter's head was resting on my arm "Make her sit up!". These are the same people who won't let her use an FAA- approved car seat, as it is safer to have her bang her head on the ceiling during turbulence than to be properly strapped in. The food is aAwful, and frankly, nothing would be better. The seats are tiny, aisles crowded. If you have a child don't gate-check your stroller in the hopes that they will let you have it when you land - they won't. You will have to claim from the oversize luggage area after you carry your children through passport control and customs unnecessarily. I could go on, but think you get the point. The people who need them the most do not get the cheap fares and those who do are, of course, more likely to see the 'bright' side, if you will. I sincerely hope that Iceland Express or BA comes out with a flight to the States soon. It will be the only saving grace.

Icelandair review by Jay Slater

21 November 2006

Glasgow - Keflavik return. No complaints at all, the staff were relaxed, attentive and courteous. Both flights left a little late, and on both occasions, the captain made sure we were kept informed. I don't mind overhead screens on such a short flight, and it's a novelty nowadays to get a meal on any short-haul flight, even if the quality of Icelandair's could be improved upon. From GLA, we had a cold cheese and ham croissant which wasn't nice, nd on the return an omelette, potato rosti on top with a slice of boiled ham hidden from view at the bottom - it's not difficult to make airline food appetising, a little bit more attention to detail would be of benefit to Icelandair.

Icelandair review by Roy Stilling

18 November 2006

LHR-KEF-BOS, with a two night stayover in Iceland and then back in early November. Our outbound flight from Heathrow was delayed by over four hours but Icelandair did give us meal vouchers and complimentary drinks to make up for the delay. Our onward leg to Boston and the return flights were all on time. Although we'd intended to stop over in Iceland anyway, Icelandair were cheaper than any direct flights we could find for our dates. The aircraft (Boeing 757-200 on all four legs) were clean and the economy class seats quite comfortable (better than Virgin but not as good as BA). Food was good, memorably so on the leg from KEF-BOS (fish, which you'd expect the Icelanders to do well). IFE is just overhead screens - on the KEF-BOS leg the wrong sort of headset was supplied for my seat but I was able to grab the correct sort from the empty neighbouring seat. My wife is a very nervous flyer, and had a particularly bad time on the BOS-KEF leg. The FAs noticed her unhappiness and kept a special eye on her and were kind and supportive. All the Icelandair crew we dealt with were friendly and helpful. One oddness about KEF is the boarding arrangements. For the leg to BOS we were sat next to the entrance to the gate and there was simply an announcement to go to the gate. It took us a few minutes to realise this meant that they were processing passengers' boarding passes at the entrance and that there were more seats beyond. We all sat there for a while and suddenly with no announcement everybody started up the stairs to the jet bridge to board. Similarly on the way back to LHR but there wasn't even an announcement - just a queue formed at the gate desk and they started processing people through. None of that boarding by seat rows malarkey at KEF! We'd fly Icelandair again, even without an intention to stop over, if the price is right. Breaking the transatlantic journey into two legs made it much easier to cope with.

Icelandair review by William Henderson

17 November 2006

Heathrow-JFK return via Reykjavik, November 06. Was in Saga Class, and I think calling it "Business Class" is stretching it - really it's only equivalent to Virgin's Premium Economy. Seat - very old, not great recline, foot rest from the chair in front. Food? Fairly standard. IFE - portable DVD player with an old choice of movies. Going via Reykjavik made the journey feel much longer. For transfer in Iceland was looking forward to using the business class lounge but (unless I got my info muddled) it's landside, so if just transiting from international flight to international flight, you have to go through passport control. My flights were delayed so I had no time to do so. (Used the British Midland lounge at Heathrow - not very impressive, but used the BA lounge at JFK which was good). Inflight, I found all the crew very, very cold on all 4 flights, although chummy and chatty with all the Icelandic speakers. It's a small place, maybe they all knew each other? In any language a smile goes a long way, but few to be found. Anyway, next time rather than spend 1300 pounds to go "business class" on Icelandair, I would spend 900 pounds and go Premium Economy on Virgin and get there in half the time. Icelandair weren't bad, they just weren't anything out of the ordinary.

Icelandair review by Ruth Hopkins

27 October 2006

I flew Icelandair on 3/10 and 7/10 and it was such a pleasant change by comparison with charter flights. Real food and plenty of water was available. Both flights arrived on time, even a little early.

Icelandair review by Rajan Parrikar

10 October 2006

Anyone who has spent time in Iceland knows that prices there are very high, but the quality of both the service and product offered is outstanding. In contrast, the prices on the country's flagship airline Icelandair are cheap and the overall product mediocre. We flew SFO-KEF roundtrip economy in June 2006. The Boeing 767 seat configuration was the worst imaginable. Saga class, which is Icelandair's version of Business Class, would be the equivalent of Economy Plus on most airlines these days, and is therefore not worth the extra expense. The cabin staff was competent and courteous. The interior of the cabin was very clean. All said and done, one travels on this airline because of the convenience of getting to Iceland.

Icelandair review by Scott Smith

5 October 2006

Glasgow-San Francisco Return. My wife and I travelled via Keflavik to San Francisco by Saga Class. We enjoyed the experience both in the short flight from Glasgow and the long haul. Seats were comfortable although not the same as the big guys. Slept no problem on way back, overnight. Food was good and generous. Wife is veggie and all meals were covered and tasty. Entertainment was fine although difficult to balance player if having food or drink on table. Staff pleasant and not ungenerous with refreshments. We travelled Saga Class because my wife suffers from restless leg syndrome and the extra leg room and ability to lie back further definitely helped and was worth the money. If I have a complaint it was that as we had a day stopover we had to fund our own visit to Blue Lagoon even although we were Saga.

Icelandair review by Alan Mitchell

2 October 2006

Recently flew Saga Class Glasgow to Baltimore return. Excellent in flight service, though trying to balance the handheld DVD on your tray table while eating dinner is somewhat challenging. Seats very comfortable, but limited recline makes it nigh impossible to sleep on the overnight flight. Saga lounge in Keflavik even offers complimentary champagne, which not many other business lounges do these days. Baltimore for us was a hassle free airport with quick clearance of immigration and customs, and on the return flight check in was a breeze. If Icelandair had near lie flat seats they could certainly compete with the big boys, but at less than half the cost of BA for a flexible business class return, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

Icelandair review by Chris Pye

23 August 2006

MAN-KEF at the peak of the heightened security. Our flight was 2 hours late but obviously beyond the airline's control. The flight was full (mostly with youngsters returning from football schools) but the friendly crew came around with the drinks trolley shortly after take off advising they wouldn't come again so purchase all drinks now. The food comprised a cheese & ham croissant (which we thought should have been warmed), biscuits etc. which was OK for the two hour flight. Our return on 14 August left KEF on time and arrived MAN 20 minutes early, less full and with a good chicken salad meal. Again - a friendly & helpful crew. The B757s were comfortable, clean and there was enough room in Economy. Inflight entertainment is from overhead screens (but hardly needed on a relatively short flight). We thought the Inflight magazine was very good. Although drinks were only served once more water was available with the meal and on request. Overall, can't help thinking there's an excellent airline in here somewhere. For instance, it seems penny pinching to charge for drinks, so therefore not a BA nor Far Eastern airline but a long way from Easyjet and on a different planet to Ryanair! Would we fly with them again? Without hesitation.

Icelandair review by C Pugh

22 August 2006

I flew Icelandair for the first time on August 10, 2006 (SFB-KEF), only hours after an elevated National Threat Advisory. Although Orlando Sanford International Airport was brimming with hundreds of stranded passengers from other airlines’ delayed or cancelled flights, the nonstop Icelandair flight was the only flight with on-time departure — we even arrived in Keflavik early. Flying Saga class to Iceland was comfortable with attentive service and excellent food and beverage choices, and none of the pretensions of first-class or business-class sections of other larger international carriers. The Saga Business Class lounge in Keflavik airport is minimalist design at its best with honed black granite floors, and metal and glass walls, set with café tables near a fully stocked refreshment counter, and comfortable club chairs and recliners behind a wood partition for quiet conversation and easy internet access (your laptop or their counter of keyboards and flat screens). I returned in the economy section where leg room is decent, but, not surprisingly, you cannot easily read or use your tray table if the passenger ahead of you has the seat reclined. On-time arrivals, convenience of nonstop service to Iceland, and overall favorable experience mean that I would without hesitation choose Icelandair again.

Icelandair review by R Britten

3 August 2006

Expected to fly from BWI to Iceland on June 7. There was no plane available for the flight. After hours of false promises, we were taken to hotels. Communications from Icelandair regarding time of pickup from hotel were nonexistent. Over a month after writing to Icelandair's Maryland customer service address for the refund we were promised for pre-paid hotel and tour in Iceland which we missed have received no communication. Flight attendants were not pleasant or particularly interested in being helpful. Only fly Icelandair if you have extremely low expectations.

Icelandair review by Nicholas Gorton

3 August 2006

GLA - BOS in Saga Business Class. I found the crew friendly and polite, the food was excellent - not the standard of BA Business however it is about half the price. We were late leaving Glasgow and an hour late arriving in Boston however the return journey was perfect timing. I would certainly recommend Icelandair as an alternative airline to the big boys.

Icelandair review by Douglas Hauser

3 June 2006

Heathrow - Keflavik return end of May. Lucky enough to get emergency exit both directions. Service from cabin crew was rather cold and disinterested, even when I smiled at them they just looked away! Gave the feeling that morale was pretty low at Icelandair. The blanket I was given was horrible - it was covered in hair! Food was OK, at least it was hot, but all very mushy and not fresh. IFE was average. A sitcom I'd never heard of, and Joey, then kiddy stuff. And the lady in the welcome video was rather scary looking! All in all, it wasn't a very good first and last impression of Iceland.

Icelandair review by Chad Thomas

22 April 2006

MSP-OSL on a regular basis - I fly via Icelandair on a regular basis from MSP to Oslo and have always have wonderful service. Compared to the alternative airlines, IA offers the shortest travel option to Europe from MSP. Food service is delicious and service is great.

Icelandair review by Benjamin Tocchi

9 November 2005

Icelandair roundtrip from BOS to GLA in September. The legroom is on the smaller side, but being 6'2" I was able to fit comfortably in my seat. Flight Attendants professional, not as bubbly as on US carriers, but they were pleasant and made sure everyone was fine. On the REK to BOS flight, I was seated in the last row and the FA's gave my row extra attention making sure we were all happy since we were at the very back of the plane. Inflight entertainment, though consisting of cabin monitors, was a nice mix of current and not so current television shows and movies. The food was very good for economy class. One of the nice touches of the food service, is how the FA's let you pick your dinner roll out of a basket. Another great improvement over the last time I travelled Icelandair is that they no longer charge for soft drinks. They still charge for alcoholic beverages in economy, but the selection was wide and prices were on par with US carriers. All the flights were extremely full, and three out of the four segments left and arrived on time. BOS to REK flight operates a 757-300 which I found to be newer and have nicer seats than the 757-200's. Icelandair is not British Airways, nor do they attempt to be, but for a pleasant and very inexpensive trip to Europe check them out.

Icelandair review by Barbara Pappy

12 October 2005

Bos-Rek. We were first in line at check-in and given "excellent" seats, 7e and 7d right behind business. Wrong! Business seats reclined so far back, we were unable to use our tray tables until the FA asked the person in front to please sit up. He then moved to another seat! The seats were very narrow. One of our bags arrived ten days later having gone on to Rome. No check yet for the $100 for emergency replacement for which we spent $300 and only necessities! This airline needs competition badly.