Keflavik Airport

✅ Verified Review | I was truly shocked to see how poorly designed this airport is and unable to handle transit passengers - which, as far as I can understand, is the modus operandi for Icelandair. Since the connection times are relavitely tight, I was expecting to see information on connecting flights right at the arrival gate. There was none, nor did the pilot gave any information before the landing as is the case for many other airlines (we were traveling from Europe to US). The passport control was poorly organized, as the lines were interwining. There is very limited seating available in the terminal (it would be terrible to wait ther for any delays). The prices at the airport were, not surprisingly though, pretty crazy (note that one has to buy food on Icelandair even for intercontinental flights). The departure gates are very close to each other so that people lining up to wait for their flights were completely confused which lines goes where. No staff was available to help. Once the gates were open, we had to waith for another 15 minutes to get boarded onto the buses (the first time I saw buses to get onto intercontinental flights). Once on a bus and at the airport, another 10 minutes went for waiting till the doors were opened. This all is happening before getiing onto a fairly long and tiresome flight and I felt truly sorry for people traveling with kids. Overall, I will think now twice before falling for Icelandair relatively cheaper prices.

✅ Verified Review | Toronto to Keflavik return July 2017 (about the third time I've used this airport). I can see the bases for critical reviews but I think some are overstated. There are airports in the world where one worries about safety and is hassled by aggressive peddlers as soon as one clears security; those deserve 1 out of 10, and Keflavik is nothing like that. There is free wifi, the airport is clean; there is a frequent bus service into Reykjavik and almost no car traffic whatsoever; there are multiple bathrooms, not just one set; and there are places after security to fill water bottles for free (but they can be hard to find, so ask). Immigration and security were fast for us. Very limited gate seating, however, is a significant problem, and it is common to see many people standing in line, sometimes to the point of confusion and clogged hallways. This is partly indeed because connections to other parts of Europe are effectively scheduled so that there are not long layovers. It did seem boarding was done without enough concern for passenger comfort (e.g. many people on our flight stuck standing on a stairway for 15 minutes). The car rental return (unlike pick-up), while no problem for me, is a moderate a walk from the terminal. Avis, at least, didn’t indicate that there was any shuttle from that particular location; in terrible weather, or for a person with limited mobility, this would be a problem.

✅ Verified Review | YYZ-KEF return July 2017 (about the third time I've used this airport). I can see the bases for critical reviews but I think some are overstated. There are airports in the world where one worries about safety and is hassled by aggressive peddlers as soon as one clears security, those deserve 1 out of 10, and Keflavik is nothing like that. There is free wifi, the airport is clean, there is a frequent bus service into Reykjavik and almost no car traffic whatsoever, there are multiple bathrooms, not just one set, and there are places after security to fill water bottles for free (but they can be hard to find—ask). Immigration and security were fast for us. Very limited gate seating, however, is a significant problem, and it is common to see many people standing in line, sometimes to the point of confusion and clogged hallways. This is partly indeed because connections to other parts of Europe are effectively scheduled so that there are not long layovers. It did seem boarding was done without enough concern for passenger comfort (e.g., many people on our flight stuck standing on a stairway for 15 minutes). The car rental return (unlike pick-up), while no problems for me, is a moderate a walk from the terminal. Avis, at least, didn’t indicate that there was any shuttle from that particular location, in terrible weather, or for a person with limited mobility, this would be a problem.

✅ Verified Review | Total disregard for passenger convenience caused by having incoming and outgoing flights arrive and depart within a short window of time. As a result, huge overcrowding, long lines, poor signage, stressful transfers. Will avoid Icelandair again unless dollar discount is huge.

✅ Verified Review | This has got to be one of the worst airports I have been to in my life! Seriously Iceland if you want to be a destination and stop over do something! Where do I start? Ok, how about restrooms, one centrally located restroom when you have thousands of travelers really does not cut it! How about the gates? No areas to sit and wait for your flight oh that's right there are seats 8, yes 8 at the gate I was waiting at. No water Fountian's to refill water bottles instead you would rather have people just purchase plastic bottles? Yup that's what we need in our landfills. And that seating bench going down the main hall to the gates just makes navigating your way all the more difficult. If I never have to return to this airport again it would be to soon.

✅ Verified Review | I had read horror stories about Keflavik on this web site and others. I was prepared for the worst. But in fact, the experience was the most pleasant or our recent trip to the UK & Iceland- despite the fact that we were there on a afternoon when multiple flights from WOW and other airlines were all departing within the same 45 minute window. WOW Airlines' automated check-in and baggage check was quick and easy. When we had a question, there were several WOW staff wearing bright vests for easy ID nearby who were pleasant and helpful. The security line and process took a total of 6 minutes. It was very organized and again, adequately staffed with pleasant and helpful people. The duty free shop was huge and spotless. It lead to a large modern seating area with many available bench seats. The seats had free power and USB outlets for phone charging or other electronic needs. There was a flight status board easily visible from the seats and you could hear announcements clearly. The seating area was surrounded by clean, new, delightful stores and food providers. There were huge, clean restrooms and a water fountain- all free. There was free good WiFi throughout the terminal with simple, non-pass-worded connection. Sinage was clear and visible. There was an information desk available. The place was calm, clean and though busy, very well managed. We relaxed, shopped, picked-up a few things and about one half hour before our flight was to depart, we headed to the gate. The gate area was a bit crowded, but the line moved steadily and the check-in was simple and reasonably staffed. Unlike arriving at Keflavik on WOW, where a bus was required to get from the plane to the terminal, we boarded via a standard jet-bridge onto WOW's beautiful new AirBus 320. The plane actually boarded ahead of schedule. The efficient WOW staff verified that everyone was on board and we departed early. This was easily the best airport experience that I have had. I recognize that Keflavik has recently struggled under the crush of visitors and flights, but they have worked diligently to improve the airport (and there is evidence of a huge new Arrivals complex coming soon). I recognize that not long ago, none of this was true about Keflavik, but they have gotten their act together recently, and once the new Arrivals operation is in place, it will be a world-class Airport.

✅ Verified Review | Transferred flights in Keflavik coming and going from US to Europe. Was not prepared for shuttle bus from plane to terminal and from terminal to plane. I was dressed for warm weather and it was very cold in Iceland. This may seem like a little inconvenience, but with two doors to shuttle you into terminal (and if lucky, two doors on to your plane) things bottleneck at the doors and the few moments you are exposed to the cold weather seems longer. I'm pretty sure it was in the high 40s, maybe low 50's while we were there (Fahrenheit) it could have been the wind chill, too. Chaos reigns once inside. The customs line weaved itself through the terminal as there were multiple flights arriving and departing within a few minutes of each other (others who have traveled through this airport confirmed this is common). The departure board for our connecting flight read "now boarding" when we arrived and found ourselves in this long line at customs which took approximately an hour to work our way through. The departure board changed to "final call" and we still had another 30 minutes to get through customs. No employees were available to provide updates nor were announcements made over the PA. Granted half of the passengers were still in this line, which is probably why the plane didn't leave without us and was delayed. This, by the way, was in stark contrast to our arrival from US transfer 2 weeks earlier where there were no lines. We had time to wait at our "gate" which was a hallway with no seating. By the way, don't expect to sit and wait for your flight. I didn't see any gates. Just hallways lined with people waiting for a shuttle to take you to your plane. You will find this "gate" after weaving through food courts. If there are seats, I might have missed them in our made dash to not miss our flight. No matter how much money we might save flying through Reykjavik, we will not be using this airport again.

❎ Unverified | I read the reviews to confirm the horrendous experience I had leaving the airport last Sunday 18th June. Thank heavens it wasn't just me! I'm an older traveller, was on my own and thought maybe I was at fault. Couldn't find signs that made sense, the crowds were so great that reasons for queues weren't clear and I was in the wrong lines twice. So much wasted time I got nervous about missing the flight. Other travellers gave me info that wasn't always right and the staff were a bit, go round the corner and join the line there. Impossible to then see what line was meant. Hope never to go back. Still disturbed by the experience!

❎ Unverified | In my opinion one of the worst airports in Europe in terms of organisation. Long lines and groups of people just hanging around, only one staff member was found. Bags took forever (to the point people actually clapped when they came out!). Absolute shambles and obviously cannot handle the increase in tourism in the country. Ensure you come with a great deal of patience and do not plan anything within 3 hours of your expected arrival time.

✅ Verified Review | Keflavik is handling far too many people for its size. There is no place to queue in an orderly manner for passport control or boarding, so there are large hordes of people milling around, making it difficult to get anywhere. 20 minutes to our flight there was still no gate posted on the signs, and there was almost chaos with people trying to find out where to go. The airport itself is nice and very clean, but our afternoon transit was a mess and our departure delayed almost an hour. I understand it's gotten better recently, but they are just not ready for this amount of travelers. Bring plenty of patience if going through Keflavik, and expect delays.