We're thinking of travelling from the UK to Seattle in September I found an interesting routing and good price on Icelandair which allos us to do a 2-night stopover in Reykjavik. Has anyone else done this, and what was your impression of the B757 on a 7hour long haul sector, from Reykjavic to Seattle? We've travelled across the Atlantic many tims but always in a wide-bodied jet, does it make much difference to comfort?

Yes, it does make a difference. The 757 has only 1 aisle, so (in economy) it has a smaller percentage of aisle seats than do wide bodies. On a wide body 767 (7-across, 2 aisles), 57% of the seats are aisle seats. On the 757, only 33% are aisle seats. Other wide-bodies have anywhere from 40-50% aisle seats.

In general I don't like the 757 and avoid them for anything longer than a 2-3hr flight if I can. I find that they aren't as smooth flying as the big birds (767,777,747,A330, A340, A380 (which I've not yet flown)), and the smaller cabin feels more confined.

That said, I'll take flight with fewer connections any day, and a cheaper fare whenever possible, even if it means a 757.

I haven't flown this route myself but have a friend who almost always flies Icelandair from the UK to the US specifically so he can take advantage of the Reykjavik stopover. He does this several times a year and has done so for over 10 years now.

I don't care for the 757 either, for the same reasons given already, except that I prefer a window seat so the percentage of aisle seats isn't an issue for me. I'm slightly claustrophobic and get twinges of anxiety when boarding and looking down that long narrow tube, another reason for me to avoid 757s. That being said, however, after many, many 10-12-14-hour flights over the years, 7 hours doesn't present much of a challenge anymore and I find I can endure such a relatively short flight on just about any size plane. I just make sure I have a good book and my ipod and before I know it, I'm there.

Thanks for the opinions and advice so far. Anyone else?

I haven't flown Icelandair, but I flew Continental on a 757 Newark-Edinburgh and back.

I don't remember any problems.

A couple of questions:

- How much do you save?
- How badly to you want to visit Iceland?

If the answer to either is "a lot" or "a fair amount", then book away. Otherwise, I would say that the 757 is the least comfortable plane that regularly traverses the Atlantic. The seats are narrow and it has the highest concentration of middle seats. Even if you are on the aisle or window, the middle seats means reduced shoulder room for everyone on the plane. You will get there, but it will be less comfortable than other options.

Beyond that, Icelandair is okay, but certainly not a top-tier carrier. Remember that you can't earn frequent flier mileage with any major program while flying them. Also, under no circumstances should you ever pay anything approaching business class fares for Icelandair's Saga class. I would consider the Economy Comfort seats, though, but only at a very low premium to coach.