Trip report: Iceland Air
We flew Iceland Air to Europe. Because we were flying into Paris and out of Barcelona, we used a hodgepodge of carriers on the way back (more on them later).
Iceland Air is, without a doubt, the best airline to fly to Europe. No, seriously. I would happily pay an extra few hundred dollars per ticket to fly Iceland Air the next time I go to Europe. No question. Why? Flight time. Usually, when you go to Europe, you are stuck on a plane for over 8 hours crossing the Atlantic Ocean. However, with Iceland Air, you fly to Reykjavik first. From Minnesota, that’s a mere 5.5 hours. 6 from New York City. Easy as pie. From Reykjavik, Paris is a mere 3.3 hours further along!
That means your total travel time will be at least an hour less, on average. But more significant is the fact that you never have to spend an 8-hour stretch on one plane. Instead, you get two smaller chunks. If you have never been to Europe, this may not sound like a big deal, but 8 hours in a cramped seat, sweaty and suffocated, even on a nice airline, is torture. I am not claustrophobic nor afraid to fly, but halfway through the regular transatlantic flight back, I seriously considered killing my wife just to get some extra elbow room.
Oh yeah, the staff and airline were great, generally. The planes were nice and comfortable, and Reykjavik airport is small, efficient, and full of cool stores. I have no complaints at all about Iceland Air’s service. But really, it’s all about the flying time, and I will go out of my way to fly with Iceland Air to Europe in the future.
