Ticket & Route Details

I bought this ticket as part of a package deal through Icelandair’s website (flight + hotel + airport transfer). The flights cost £423 per person which included the Economy trip from London to Reykjavik, then this one in Business back to London. Included in that price is both checked and hand luggage and free seat selection. Now looking online if you wanted to fly both legs in Saga Premium it would cost anywhere from £500-800 depending on dates and times. Meanwhile both legs in Economy would cost anywhere from £200-300 depending on times.

Icelandair have a pretty unique (and very old) fleet currently. They’re one of the only airlines in Europe to operate both the Boeing 757 and 767. And those 757s & 767s have an average age of over 25 years, so they won’t be around much longer. They’ll be replacing them with a mix of the (infamous) Boeing 737 MAX for shorter flights, and the Airbus A321XLR for longer flights. My return flight was actually on one of their old 757-200s. Plus I’ll be trying out their new Boeing 737 MAX in the coming weeks. So stay tuned to the channel for those reviews too!

The flight itself is scheduled to take 3h 15m, but in reality took us just over 2.5 hours. It departed slightly late but arrived on time so no complaints there. We also arrived just as the sun was setting (travelling in December so sunset is at 3:30pm).

London Heathrow Terminal 2 (& Plaza Premium Lounge)

Living in London, Heathrow Airport is by far my most-used airport. And for the most part I think it’s really good. Unless you’re transferring here, in which case it’s pretty bad. Icelandair operate out of Terminal 2, which opened in 2014 after a complete renovation. In my opinion it’s one of the best terminals in the world (not just the UK). Always very efficient for check-in and security. It’s large and spacious, with relatively good food and lounges options. Plus great views of the runways.

Since I was flying Business today, I got lounge access with the ticket. Unfortunately, that lounge is the Plaza Premium, which just isn’t a very good lounge. You can read my full review in another article here… But bottom line, it’s overcrowded and has a pretty poor food offering. The design is quite good though, and it does have a manned bar with complementary drinks.

The lounge also has showers, so good for layovers. And given Terminal 2 is the hub for Star Alliance airlines like Lufthansa, United, Singapore Airlines etc, quite a few people will be connecting through here.

Heathrow Terminal 2 is split into the main Terminal building and a satellite concourse. Short haul flights all operate out of the main building, so it was just a short walk to the gate. We timed it well and they announced boarding just a few minutes after arriving. And of course, Saga Premium passengers are the first to board so we were able to get onboard without the usual mad rush of Economy…

The Plane & Seat

Our aircraft today was a 23.8 year old Boeing 767-300ER registered TF-ISO. Icelandair only have 5 of these in their fleet at the moment. And they’re being gradually retired so they might not be around for much longer. But luckily the aircraft was fitted with their new cabin, so it’s the same Business seat you’ll find on the newer Boeing 737 MAX. There are 25 Saga Premium seats and 234 Economy seats on this surprisingly large aircraft.

Side note: the Boeing 767 is a wide body (twin aisle) aircraft so it’s rare (at least in Europe) to see such a large plane used on a short haul route. As an aviation enthusiast, the bigger the plane the better. So I enjoy being able to fly this aircraft on a shorter route. Another important thing to note about this aircraft’s Business cabin, is the 2-1-2 configuration. You can see better here, but there is only one seat in the middle row. Besides being a bit weird, that makes the middle seat a pretty bad option as people will be passing by you on both sides throughout the flight.

The seat is very similar to what you’ll find on US domestic first class. With a very generous 40″ of seat pitch and 20.5″ of width. Even the largest of people should be very comfortable here. It also features quite luxurious leather with an adjustable headrest and pillow.

Then there’s a foot rest if you fancy it. Plus a drinks menu in the seat back pocket.

Another great thing about Icelandair is that they have TVs, unlike almost every other European airline. In Saga Premium they provide some pretty decent over ear headphones. Though in Economy you have to pay EUR 2.5 for earphones (unless you bring your own). Which I think is downright criminal, but that’ll feature in my next review…

So overall a very comfortable seat, well worth the extra money in my opinion. And as an added bonus you get a full 3 course meal and drink service. Compared to Economy, where you have to pay for food.

Food & Drink

The service started about 20 min after takeoff with a drink and snack service. The snack was some tasty cheesy biscuit-things. The drink menu had an impressive selection of around 8 or so Icelandic gins, so of course I went for a gin and tonic. Meanwhile my partner went for a hot chocolate (which apparently wasn’t very good).

Since we were flying in December they had a special Christmas menu. Inspired by a typical Icelandic Christmas dinner apparently. For starter there was bacon (Americans would call it Canadian bacon) with potato gratin and mushroom sauce. The main was a huge Christmas platter with turkey, mushrooms, Waldorf salad, normal salad, rye bread and some pickled herring. Dessert was a delicious raspberry mousse. Then some crisp bread on the side.

Another drink was also served here. I went for a black coffee, though the full drinks menu is available again. Icelandair also provide some rather fancy metal cutlery and a cloth napkin. My only complaint is that my table was really wobbly, which required some caution to not spill anything. My partner’s table was fine though.

Everything Else

Icelandair have a very good inflight entertainment system. The content is up to date and varied with lot’s of options for whatever you’re interested in. There’s an inflight map too, which if you fly much in Europe you’ll know is a rare thing.

Also, just a small thing, but on boarding and landing they were playing Christmas music. I assume they just play normal music when it’s not Christmas. But it was just a nice small touch, which definitely enhances the experience. (if you like Christmas music that is).

Lastly, just want to comment that the views of Iceland coming in to land were incredible. We approached from the South so got good views of the coastline and surrounding mountains. The sky looked beautiful as the sun was setting. We could also see the famous blue lagoon and a big cloud of steam from the hot springs. It was closed during our visit due to a few nearby volcanoes erupting, in classic Icelandic style. So, if you’re flying to/from Iceland, I encourage you to do it during the day so you can enjoy the view.

Final Score

Overall I strongly recommend Icelandair Saga Premium if you’re flying to Iceland. Compare to competitors like easyJet and Play, they’re miles ahead. It’s also one of the only true Business Class experiences flying within Europe. The cost is quite high though, often costing £500+ for the return trip. But I still think it’s worth it, even if you’re just splurging one way like I did.

More from me…

Please feel free to check out other related posts I’ve written:

• British Airways Boeing 787 from Hong Kong to London – Avoid Economy Class!
• The Sofitel Luxembourg Review – Chic Business Hotel
• The Plaza Premium Lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2

And if you fancy earning some fantastic rewards and Avios points through American Express, please use my referral links below:

The Platinum Card – You Receive 60,000 Membership Reward points after spending £6,000 in the first 3 months of membership: https://americanexpress.com/en-gb/referral/platinum-credit?ref=fREDEGgRA5&XLINK=MYCP