Icelandair
What an American traveler needs to know before booking.
Icelandair
Economy · Boeing 757
Icelandair is the Alaska Airlines of the North Atlantic — competent, occasionally charming, but don't expect it to feel like a legacy carrier once you're in the cheap seats.
The real deal
The booking page sells you Iceland as a feature; what you're actually buying is a transatlantic crossing on a narrow-body-heavy operation where economy hasn't been the priority investment — the romance of Reykjavík is real, the seat you'll spend six to eight hours in is not.
Seat
Narrow-body transatlantic seating is the original sin here — functional for a short hop, genuinely wearing on a six-plus-hour crossing.
Lounge
Economy gets no lounge access at KEF — you're in the terminal with everyone else, and the terminal is not a place you want extra time in.
Food
Catering is serviceable but not a reason to choose this airline — portions are modest, quality is unmemorable, and depending on your fare class you may be buying rather than receiving it.
Screen
Entertainment is present but not a strong suit — library is limited and the experience is inconsistent across the fleet rather than a polished product.
BagsThe allowance is fare-dependent and catches people off guard — cheaper fares can leave you with carry-on only, which is a real problem if you're heading somewhere cold and packed accordingly.
GotchaKEF is a small, punishing connection hub — when weather or delays stack up, the airport offers very little buffer in terms of gates, food options, or places to wait comfortably, and a missed connection here means you're stranded somewhere that is not a major city.
vs US EconomyEconomy here is roughly equivalent to what United or American puts on a mid-tier domestic long-haul — not stripped to the bone, but not the international product the price tag might make you expect.
Secretly goodThe stopover model is genuinely useful if you build it into your itinerary deliberately — breaking up a long transatlantic haul in Reykjavík without paying a separate fare premium is a real structural advantage almost no other carrier on this routing offers.
Watch outIf your itinerary uses the 757 for a transatlantic leg, you're on a narrow-body for a journey that deserves better — know this before you book, not after you board.
Watch outIcelandair is not in a major alliance, so your existing airline miles and status are functionally worthless here — you're starting from zero on points and benefits.
Watch outEconomy meals are a paid or minimal afterthought on many fares; budget travelers who don't read the fare conditions carefully often board hungry and surprised.
as of 2026-06-17