Icelandair Economy Class Review: FI622 Newark Airport (EWR) to Reykjavik Keflavik Airport (KEF) (March 2023) Is an Hour Layover at KEF Long Enough?
While low cost flights to Europe are a dime a dozen, finding one that includes cabin and checked luggage in a regular fare is a tougher game to win. In comes Icelandair with a distinctive proposal: get there for less, but with an intermission in the land of the Blue Lagoon and Björk.
Flight Review: Icelandair Economy Class FI622: Newark (EWR) to Reykjavik Keflavik (KEF) (January 2023)
Highs: Tastefully decorated, clean aircraft. Friendly staff. Minimal food waste thanks to à la carte service.
Lows: Limited IFE content. USB-A (the most common) is the only power source at the seat. No free headphones.
Verdict: Missing a clear product identity, Icelandair offers a discreet experience that walks a blurry line between low-cost and fully-featured.
Is One Hour Layover at KEF Enough Time? Layover At KEF Reykjavik Keflavik Airport Going to Europe
I’ll get the elephant out of the room straight away. One of the biggest risks in booking an Icelandair flight to Europe is the relatively microscopic layover time at Iceland’s Reykjavik Keflavik Airport (KEF). This layover can be as short as one hour in duration.
I’ve traveled enough to admit that having only an hour to enter the Schengen area from the USA could be seen as a risky pursuit. The inherent risks of air travel (delays at the origin, change in connection, slow deplaning, etc.) can make an hour to transit seem downright unfeasible. That said, the Icelandair layover actually works and KEF is an extremely streamlined operation.
Iceland Reykjavik Keflavik Airport (KEF)
First of all, KEF airport itself is small. There are no separate terminals or distant hikes to contend with. Depending on your destination, you either go upstairs or downstairs. That’s it. The other aspect is the reality of where you are. Icelandair basically has a monopoly on the gates here. With a relatively light schedule and smaller, single-aisle planes, you’re not going to be finding miles of people entering the Schengen Area via Iceland.
Björk quote on a window at Iceland Reykjavik Keflavik Airport (KEF)
Unless you somehow booked separate tickets, your luggage is checked to the destination. Unless you’re flying somewhere in domestic Iceland, your flight will depart from the terminal you arrived in. There are bathrooms. There is food but you will need your boarding pass in hand to pay for many of the services.
You’re also going to have the luxury of Icelandair being able to hold flights slightly if your arrival is delayed (and you flew Icelandair). This scenario happened to me on my return flight, but the flight attendant on my first flight assured me I’d make my flight (and my luggage as well). Each way, my customs clearance took all but thirty seconds (and the staff spoke impeccable English).
So, if you have the slightest bit of self-awareness and know which gate area to go to (either in the Schengen Area or outside of the Schengen Area), an hour layover at KEF will be plenty for you. IcelandAir has a lot to lose if they mess up the art of this short layover.
Backstory: Icelandair Economy Class Review
I was due to meet my parents in Munich. That was the rendezvous point for a two-week ski holiday in the Austrian Alps. Knowing my preferred American Airlines/OneWorld didn’t offer me much in terms of direct flights, I decided to be a bit adventurous and try a different airline altogether. Icelandair consistently came in as the cheapest option from New York City to Munich and back with checked luggage included in the fare. I didn’t have any expectation (or real awareness) of this airline, and had to do a bit of research to understand the pitch.
Icelandair slots somewhere between an ultra-low-cost Transatlantic airline (think the late Norwegian Transatlantic) and a typical mainline airline (think… most airlines). Unlike a true low-cost airline, the standard economy fare for Icelandair includes a checked bag and pieces of carry-on luggage. But as with a low-cost airline, food on board and other niceties are not free.
The fare classes for Icelandair are broken into Saga Premium Flex, Saga Premium, Economy Flex, Economy Standard, and Economy Light.
Icelandair’s Saga Premium cabin serves as its business class option, but the arrangement is more like most domestic First Class in the United States. Don’t expect lie-flat seats and on-board lounges. Expect a large reclining seat and a plated meal.
Is Icelandair part of any alliance?
As of January 2023, Icelandair is not a member of any alliance. But all hope is not lost. Icelandair has partnerships with Air Baltic, Alaska Air, Finnair, JetBlue, and SAS. Since I have allegiance to American Airlines, a perk of Icelandair is that it has the partnerships with JetBlue and JetBlue has associations with American Airlines/OneWorld. So, while I couldn’t directly accrue AAdvantage Miles on my Icelandair flight, I was able to link my JetBlue account and can theoretically daisy-chain the miles to benefit a future American Airlines or JetBlue flight. The points took about 30 days to hit the account.
Ticket price: $576.00, paid with Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®.
Points accrual (JetBlue TrueBlue):
This segment: 1,301 miles
Total miles for the entire itinerary: 4,267
Total segments/boardings for the entire itinerary: 4
Good to know:
This point accrual and ticket price below are based on the entire roundtrip itinerary, EWR/New York to MUC/Munich via KEF/Reykjavik. This review is only for EWR-KEF portion of this itinerary.
Icelandair Check-in, Security, and Preflight at EWR Terminal B
I took public transit to EWR (Newark International Airport), located in New Jersey, not far from Manhattan, New York City, United States. Icelandair has a presence at both EWR and JFK, but this flight departed across the river. Getting to EWR via public transport is easy and cheap.
Airline Directory at New Jersey Newark Airport (EWR) Terminal B
From my home in Brooklyn to the Icelandair check-in desk, the elapsed time was 1 hour and 12 minutes and my spend was $17.75. This was the cost for an NYCT subway ticket and NJ Transit one-way ticket to the airport. There are ways to make this trip even cheaper, but at the mercy of your time. The alternative, an Uber or Lyft, was ~$120.00 and takes about the same amount of time.
As was the experience with my departure from this same terminal in February 2020, EWR is an easy airport to get around. The terminal remains mildly outdated, but there are plans to overhaul the place (the particulars of that still outstanding at the time of publication). Anyway, style aside, Terminal B continues to get the job done.
Check-in area for Icelandair at New Jersey Newark Airport (EWR) Terminal B
The Icelandair check-in area was not busy, even though it was prime time for departures to Europe. The Icelandair check-in desk was simple and efficient. There is no way to self-check hold luggage, so you must go to the agent. My carry-on luggage was hit with “approved luggage” tags. I had no issues with weight of the baggage (subject to overage fees). If you book Economy Light, you’re only entitled to a carry-on bag and personal item. If you need an extra checked bag, it can run from $59-95, depending on destination and when you pay for that checked bag.
Good to know:
Always be sure you confirm and double confirm your gate at EWR. Just because you clear security to one gate area, doesn’t mean you can get to other parts of the same terminal.
I cleared security in about two minutes (note that TSA PreCheck is not accepted by all airlines operating from Terminal B due to certain security requirements for some destinations). I settled into my favorite Vino Volo wine bar to enjoy a quick meal.
If you go further into the gate area (which loosely resembles a circus tent), there are a lot of new restaurants for both takeaway and sit-down meals. However, if you’re looking for reading material, small candy, last-minute neck pillows and so on, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything— there is no real store in this gate area.
Icelandair Boarding Experience at EWR Terminal B
As the time to board got closer, I finished my small meal at Vino Volo and made my way to the gatehouse. With a departure of 19:30, I was extremely surprised to find the gatehouse nearly deserted at 19:10. I was expecting crowds of people waiting to board. Instead, the gate agent told me the plane was being cleaned and boarding would start shortly. This stunned me and worried me slightly.
Strangely empty gate area for Icelandair flight from New Jersey’s Newart Aiport (EWR) Terminal B
Having not started boarding 15 minutes before departure signaled a risk of delay which I couldn’t afford due to the one-hour layover at KEF. I kept it chill and sat with some flight attendants for about 15 minutes before boarding began.
Boarding is done by seat groups, with specialties and first class (Saga Premium) boarding first, followed economy class starting at the back of the plane. Some passengers were asked to take a biometric photo as they scanned the ticket. I wasn’t sure who was eligible or not, since the mix of passports seemed varied. I awkwardly posed for the photo but it was never taken.
Upon boarding and reaching my seat, I found a pillow and a blanket, but no headphones or water (which is a nicety found on some other flag carriers).
Icelandair Economy Class Interior and Seat: Boeing 737 MAX 8
Boarding Icelandair FI622 Newark (EWR) to Reykjavik Keflavik (KEF)
A quick search of the tail number showed this 737 MAX 8 to be 4.1 years old, and had sat dormant October 2019 to February 2021, so it has flew hours. That means this aircraft is really quite new, and feels like it, too. It feels very new, with a bright, modern, and airy interior.
This Icelandair owned and operated Boeing 737 MAX 8 features no first class but sixteen business class (Saga Premium and Saga Premium Flex) seats in a 2-2 arrangement. They are not lie-flat, only reclining. There are 90 economy class seats, with a 3-3 arrangement. Overhead storage was plentiful across all classes.
Row of standard economy seats on an Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8
The interior is tastefully scaled and branded; seats are a two-toned in simple, cool colors. Each seat has a small headrest cover which has messaging for Flybus or Icelandair itself, with Icelandic greetings inviting travelers to “feel welcome”. I learned Flybus refers to the shuttle service that works with Icelandair to move passengers to downtown Reykjavik or the domestic airport.
Flybus headrest feature on an Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8
Perhaps a bit late coming to the realization, this was the first moment that I realized Icelandair’s entire branding strategy revolves around Iceland as a tourist destination. Many countries have flag carriers, but few take the celebration of its flag country to the extremes of Icelandair.
Does Icelandair have premium economy?
No. On Icelandair, there are 54 economy seats which feature more legroom, but are not marketed as a premium economy seat. The extra legroom can be purchased the time of booking during the seat selection, not during the class selection.
If you’re of average height (I am 5’ 9”), you’ll find the main cabin to be comfortable if not slightly tight. I grazed the seat in front of me with my legs crossed. I sat in 29F, a standard window seat with good views of the wing ahead. Given that the plane was not completely full, I was able to take the entire row for myself.
Economy seat on an Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8
The seats are quite narrow, but not completely uncomfortable. The seats do have an adjustable headrest (both the wings of the headrest and up/down), an IFE, a tray table, a light, and personal air controls. The overhead light is controlled by a button on the ceiling. There is no AC power to the seat, only an increasingly-outdated USB-A and 3.5mm headphone jack on the IFE. Hopefully you didn’t forget the headphones, they are expensive aboard the aircraft!
The seat included a pouch featuring the menu, a few donation forms, a sick bag, and safety guide for the aircraft.
Items in the economy class seat aboard an Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8
There were two lavatories serving this cabin, and I never waited to use any of them. They were kept clean and stocked for the duration of the flight.
Lavatory aboard Icelandair's Boeing 737 MAX 8
The cabin lighting is simple but calming, going from blue to white to completely off, then to a sunset/sunrise hue as preparations for landing took place. At no point was the light uncomfortably bright or annoyingly dark. The temperature on the aircraft was hot at first, but balanced out by cruising altitude. I was never uncomfortably warm or cold during the flight itself.
Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8 cabin with dimmed white lighting
Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8 cabin with dimmed sunset lighting
Crew Experience and Meal Service in Icelandair Economy Class
The crew seemed to be mostly Icelander, and all announcements were made in Icelandic and English, with Icelandic announcements first. The crew was friendly and engaged, but mostly concerned for your safety and mild comfort rather than satisfying to your every demand. Nonetheless, there was a kindness and warmth from everyone that was really comforting.
The safety demo was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair and almost no attention was drawn to it. If this was your first flight ever and had some jitters, the video/performance won’t do much to comfort you. The video involves safety demonstrations happening in abstract places like in a sauna and amid barren fields. Thankfully, there is a safety card that is much more practical.
The pilot was friendly and spoke (in Icelandic and English) at the beginning and end of the flight. He offered the flying time and weather update. We took off around 7:45pm from EWR and the in-flight service began around an hour into the flight (a duration of about 5 hours total airborne).
Basic drinks such as water, apple juice, tea, coffee and soft drinks are free for anyone flying Icelandair on an international route. However, alcohol and food are not free on Icelandair, unless you’re in the Saga Premium cabin. I could have preordered some food online (up to 24 hours before the flight), but I’m not that proactive. So I thought I was stuck with my Vino Volo meal until I reached Iceland.
If you do get bit hungry or crave something alcoholic, there is an onboard menu of drinks and foods to purchase at your seat. The Saga Kitchen menu (found in the seat-back pocket) doesn’t offer multi-course meals, but rather tapas and snacks; the most substantial item being a Margherita pizza. Interestingly, there is a fairly advanced array of gin onboard for sampling, earning an entire page of the menu.
A look at the Saga Menu aboard an Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8
I ordered the Margherita pizza and it was served hot and with a smile, along with a pairing of Prosecco and the complimentary sparkling water. Altogether this meal set me back $17. Not a great deal as the pizza was quite small, wasn’t flavorful, and was effectively microwaved. The Prosecco was not a split bottle, but a single serving/pour. The positive is that Icelandair’s meal offering is low on mess and low on waste, which is a mark of sustainability, at the very least.
Margherita pizza and Prosecco purchased on an Icelandair flight
Good to know:
There is no free food in Icelandair economy cabin. You must order in advance or purchase from the limited on-board selection.
At some point the crew came around to collect any refuse. Through the flight, servings of water were offered to the cabin at no charge.
Tech, WiFi AND IFE in Icelandair Economy Class
Don’t worry about bringing the multi-prong and the extension cord. Icelandair’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 doesn’t have a universal port at the seats. Instead, you’re stuck with an increasingly-outdated USB-A port, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The touchscreen IFE is very responsive, and adjustable should you prefer a different viewing angle.
IFE, USB port, and 3.5mm headphone jack aboard an Icelandair Boeing 737 Max 8
The IFE came in only English and Icelandic, but this plane flies globally. The dubbing is non-existent and very few movies have any subtitles, so accessibility isn’t great. The entertainment offering is also relatively limited, with a few recent blockbusters, but a lot of random old ones. In the TV section, it featured many single episodes of shows. The bright spot here is the vast variety of Icelandic material, particularly the variety of music and films. So if you’re really getting into the Icelander headspace, the IFE is a good start. There is no live TV offered on Icelandair.
During my flight, I got into an Icelandic short called Heartless, but I grew fairly bored of the IFE content quickly after.
IFE content on Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8
The IFE also has a flight tracker and map, and a section of random Icelandair promotional material that wasn’t well formatted (strange file names, for example).
Icelandair promotional content on Icelandair IFE
As always, crew announcements will interrupt your programming.
Seatback on an Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8
The wifi is about $21.50 (February 2023) for the duration of the flight, and free for people with status, who have paid with points, or traveling in higher classes. It worked reasonably well while still around the USA, but I stopped using it because I didn’t need it anymore.
WiFi price on Icelandair transatlantic flight (Feb 2023)
Sleep and Comfort in Icelandair Economy Class single-aisle aircraft to Europe
With an average flying time of 5 hours 30 minutes and typical evening departures, Icelandair passengers are right to expect some sleep. However, one of the realities of a single-aisle plane on a longer route is just how narrow it is and how sound insulation becomes of great concern. The flight felt quite noisy. I brought along earplugs and an eye mask to get rest, and the earplugs were soon essential to getting it. Since I had a row to myself, I was able to stretch across three seats and curl myself into sleeping, but given the seats are so narrow, I really never found a tolerable position. The blankets and pillows were plentiful.
Pillow and blanket on Icelandair FI622 Newark Airport (EWR) to Reykjavik Keflavik Airport (KEF)
Landing and Conclusion
There was absolutely no turbulence on this flight and the landing was just fine. If you had a long rest, you’re in for a bold awakening as we were put out on the chilly KEF apron at landing and walking off the plane, rather than using a jet bridge. Passengers were hauled away on buses in the early morning to the main terminal. With both the forward and aft door being used for deplaning, we were in the terminal and through customs in less than 15 minutes.
Planeside Icelandair at Iceland Reykjavik Keflavik Airport (KEF)
With a beautiful, safe aircraft, a uniquely Iceland-forward entertainment menu and a highly polished transit experience at KEF, Icelandair has the makings of a great flag carrier. But it is the many ancillary aspects of the experience that dampen the charm and remove some of the efficiencies for which the Nordics are known.
Icelandair could really build a strong brand around their reduced flying time, Icelandic-ness (as a culture), and overall ecologically-considerate approach rather than hitching all its got on the relatively fleeting allure of Icelandic tourism. I understand their dilemma: avoiding the fate of other inexpensive pond skimmers and be seen as only a Greyhound Bus in the air.
I can recommend Icelandair for a quick, inexpensive flight with checked luggage included, so long as you’re not expecting too many niceties beyond that.
Icelandair FI662 flying over New York City and New Jersey
