Hi,

My husband and I are planning a month long trip to France in June, 2007. On Kayak.com, the cheapest and one of the fastest routes suggested is with Icelandic Airlines. The Icelandic flight is about $735. Does anyone have any experience with this airline, and is it possible to stop there in either direction to visit this increasingly popular country?

Thanks,

Margret

I've used Iceland Air the last two trips. I'm sure you can arrange for an overnight or two in Iceland before moving on, but I don't know if that would affect the rate.

It's always filled to the brim, and the food is typical, but the stop at in Iceland does add time, but breaks up the flight. Good shopping at the airport.

We usually try to fly non-stop and/or use miles, but alas, no miles for this trip, and the cost seems to be well over $1000 per person for a direct flight. Any suggestions that I'm missing?

-M

I flew Iceland Air to Reykjavik. The plane was packed and I could swear that they have the smallest and tightest seats I have ever flown!

I've flown Iceland Air and very much enjoyed the service. We didn't stop over but it was an option at the time. They discontinued their service but will start again from Halifax this spring. They had some very competitive pricing in our market compared to Air Canada so I look forward to their return.

I have flown Icelandair twice (economy class), and in the next three months, I will be using them two more times (business class).

Yes, a stopover in Iceland can be arranged for either going over to Europe or coming back. As far as I can determine, stopping for a break in Iceland does not affect the price of the airline ticket. I would suggest that you consider stopping for a few days in Iceland.

I have found the flight attendants on Icelandair to be very friendly and attentive, even in economy class. Yes, the seats in economy are tight since Icelandair planes are three seats on each side. You probably will not get much sleep on the flight going to Europe. The food is decent.

While flying Icelandair does add a few hours to your total travel time (with the change of planes in Iceland), from the eastern part of the U.S., the flying time to Iceland is around 5 hours. Thus, you fly for 5 hours, get off the plane for a few hours, and then have a 3 or so hour flight to your destination.

You could also book directly with them on www.icelandair.com. I have used the airline twice, and enjoyed the experience. Keflavik Airport is modern, but very small, so you don't have to walk far to meet your connecting flight. Most of the flights from both Europe and North America converge about the same time, and layovers are short. They have one wave of flights arriving in the morning, and another in the afternoon.

Once I scheduled myself to arrive in the morning, and depart in the afternoon, allowing nearly the whole day to wander around Reykavik and have a swim in the Blue Lagoon before going back to the airport. You can also have an overnight layover, or however long you wish.

Reykavik specialises in short stays, and you can book tours with www.re.is (how's that for a short URL?).

A ticket to France from the U.S. for $735 in June is looking good from any origin and VERY good if it's not east coast. Icelandair flies 757 aircraft. To book the stopover in Iceland, you'll want to book directly with Icelandair. That airline has offered good fares to Europe for many years and I thought it was fine when I flew them. June is a great time to visit Iceland; the weather is nice and the days are VERY longggggg.

I see in todays Minneapolis paper a Iceland Air ad that showed both the prices for European flights and then a 500 two night layover package. There must be something on their website.

oops, meant $500 (actually $499) layover deal.

I think they are OK. And, yes, stopovers are free. A lot of people like them becuase no single leg is longer than 5 hours or so. I flew them becasue they were the cheapest - no worse than any other. The Reykjavik airport is TINY, so transfers are quite simnple.

Check on the plane type before you get seat assignments.

I flew Boston-Reykjavik return in August and was in the center seat near the front. Those seats are split as they are made to convert from 3 seats to 2 seats for business class if needed.

I felt that split through the back rest the entire time. The plane was old and on both legs the backrest of that seat did not lign up properly. It was very uncomfortable.

Once on their website, look at the 'take-a-break' section - you are allowed to stay up to 7 nights (must be consecutive) in Iceland. You can do this either going to or returning from your ultimate destination. We did this a few years ago and combined a take-a-break with Oslo Norway (we tagged Iceland on the return trip). Back then, you could only stay a max of 3 nights. Iceland is amazing and one of the most beautiful places on earth. Can highly recommend the Golden Circle trip-nature at its finest! ENJOY!