Americans looking to experience an excellent cold-weather tourist destination not too far away should look into going to Iceland. The same goes for Icelanders looking to experience the best of what the United States has to offer.
Luckily, there is only one real option for travelers to fly between Iceland and the United States, which is on board Icelandair.
In this article, we’ll discuss the background of Icelandair and some of the cities in the United States where you can find a nonstop flight to Iceland being offered by Icelandair.
What Is Icelandair?
Icelandair is the national flag carrier airline for the nation of Iceland.
Iceland serves as a very strategic point for the transatlantic air service, as the island country is found right in the middle between Europe and North America.
Icelandair business model took advantage of this notion. Passengers don’t have to endure hours stuck on an airplane trying to get from Europe to North America or vice versa. Flights go to Iceland where there are further connecting flights to either Europe or North America.
The airline is currently Iceland’s largest airline. They almost dominate the international market out of Iceland. The only other competing airline based in Iceland is the relatively new Play Airlines.
Today, Icelandair flies to 21 countries in Europe and North America.
Where in Iceland Does Icelandair Fly Out Of On Flights to The United States?
All flights between Iceland and the United States utilize Keflavik International Airport found on the outskirts of Reykjavik.
Keflavik is the only airport in Iceland that accepts international flights. The airport is served by two other American carriers, Delta Airlines and United Airlines.
IcelandAir dominates the market share out of Keflavik. The airline offers more flights than any other airline found at this airport. The only other airline that comes close is its competitor airline Play Airlines.
U.S Cities Icelandair Provides Service to Iceland
The following cities in the United States are currently offering nonstop flights to and from Iceland.
Baltimore
Icelandair offers flights between Keflavik and Baltimore Thurgood Marshall International Airport daily in both directions.
The airline utilizes its Boeing 737 Max 8 on this route. Overall, the flight takes roughly 5 to 6 hours depending on the direction you are heading and the winds aloft.
This particular route is offered to primarily serve the Middle Atlantic region of the United States. Icelandair does serve the Washington D.C area, however, for most getting to the nation’s capital airports can be a pain thanks to the amount of car traffic.
Icelandair doesn’t offer a flight to Philadelphia International Airport, which would be the region’s next largest international airport. So Baltimore International Airport would be the next best option for folks living in the Middle Atlantic states.
Boston
The flight between Boston-Logan International Airport and Keflavik is conducted once per day by Icelandair.
This route is flown by several aircraft in Icelandair’s fleet. The airline uses the Boeing 737 Max 8, Boeing 767, and the Boeing 757 on this flight. Since Boston is one of the larger U.S. cities that Icelandair provides service to, you can expect more customer demand. That’s why it makes perfect sense that they are continuing to use the aging Boeing 757s and Boeing 767s on this route. These aircraft can accommodate more people on a single trip in comparison to a Boeing 737 Max 8.
The flight between Boston and Keflavik takes closer to 5 hours to complete. Boston is the largest airport Icelandair flies to in the New England area. This means that people living in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont must make their way to Boston to catch a flight to Iceland.
Chicago
Icelandair provides nonstop service to Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Keflavik International Airport three days a week. Flights happening in either direction are flown on alternating days. For example, if the flight from Iceland to Chicago occurs on a Wednesday, then the return flight will be flown on Thursday.
This particular route is flown by Icelandair’s Boeing 737 Max 8 and Boeing 737 Max 9. The flight duration between these two destinations is about 6 hours.
Chicago is one of two Great Lakes region cities that Icelandair provides nonstop service two. The other is Detriot, Michigan.
Being another cold-weather city similar to Iceland, you can probably guess why service to and from this region is only every other day. Americans fleeing Chicago might opt to visit more pleasant weather destinations. The same would go for Icelanders visiting the United States.
Denver
The second longest flight offered between the United States and Iceland with Icelandair is the flight between Denver, Colorado, and Keflavik. Icelandair provides service from Iceland to Denver International Airport.
The flight is completed on Icelandair’s Boeing 737 Max 9 and is offered three days a week with returning flights to Iceland being offered every other day. It takes over 7 hours to complete this route.
Unfortunately, this route is coming to an end for Icelandair in January 2024. Icelandair announced that this route is going to be suspended. Just like Chicago, Denver is a colder weather destination. The demand for flights to Iceland or flights to Denver just was not there.
Detroit
The second Great Lakes region destination Icelandair will begin flying to is Detriot, Michigan.
This route is slated to launch in March 2024. This will give Michiganders a chance to avoid having to travel to Chicago to find a direct flight to Iceland.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis is another cold-weather U.S. city that is served by Icelandair with a nonstop flight to Iceland. This flight is only offered three times a week with the return flight to Iceland occurring on alternate days.
This flight is conducted by Icelandair’s Boeing 737 Max 8. Overall, the flight duration for flights in both directions approaches closer to 7 hours.
The flight to Minneapolis is another route being discontinued by Icelandair. With Minneapolis being a cold-weather city, the demand isn’t there for flights to another cold region of the world, such as Iceland.
New York City
Probably one of the most sought-after destinations Icelandair flies between is New York City. Icelandair offers flights between Keflavik and New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport. This flight is offered twice per day in both directions daily.
Icelandair uses their Boeing 737 Max 8’s, Boeing 737 Max 9s, and Boeing 767-300s for this route. Similar situation to the Boston flight, the high demand for travel between these two cities allowed the airline to utilize the older Boeing 767 which can fit more people per flight.
The flight between New York and Iceland takes about 6 hours in both directions.
A New York route can be very lucrative for any airline to compete on. However, interestingly enough Icelandair doesn’t have much competition for this route. They are the only airline offering nonstop service from JFK Airport to Iceland.
Nashville
In September 2024, Icelandair announced a brand new route between Iceland and Nashville, Tennessee. The flight will begin in May 2025, flown by Icelandair’s Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.
CEO Bogi Nils Bogason said during the announcement of the route “Our new service will also provide travelers from Iceland and Europe, connecting through Nashville, more choices throughout the US. In addition, we encourage passengers traveling to Europe, to take an Icelandair Stopover, and explore our home. We look forward to welcoming Nashville aboard.”
Newark
The Greater New York Area is supplemented with an additional flight option, that is Newark, New Jersey. Icelandair flies to Newark Liberty International Airport three times a week with same-day return flights.
Keflavik and Newark are the lesser demanded nonstop flights to the New York Area which is why the route is flown on their Boeing 737 Max 9’s.
However, it’s always nice to have options whenever you are flying. So whether you are flying into New York, you can either choose to go to JFK Airport or Newark Airport.
Orlando
The most southerly destination that Icelandair flies to in the United States is Orlando, Florida. Flights terminate or originate from Orlando International Airport. This flight route is offered daily.
Icelandair alternates using a Boeing 737 Max 8 and a Boeing 757 on this particular route. This is one of the longer routes to the United States being offered by Icelandair. The flight duration approaches closer to 8 hours.
This must be a highly sought-after route because of the opposites of weather offered in both of these destinations. Florida travelers looking to experience a colder weather environment can find that in Iceland. Icelanders can beat the cold weather by flying down to Orlando.
Pittsburgh
This is one of Icelandair’s newly announced routes to the United States beginning in May of 2024. The flight will be offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays between May and October.
The Pittsburgh-Rekyjavik route is a unique route by Icelandair. Pittsburgh International Airport isn’t an international airport by normal means, as it currently has one other international flight to Europe via British Airways. It is also found several miles out of the way of the city of Pittsburgh making mass transportation to get to and from the airport pretty difficult.
Also, there might not be a sustainable amount of demand to keep this route going as Pittsburgh isn’t one of the first cities you think of for going to vacation in the United States.
Portland (Oregon)
The route to Portland, Oregon from Iceland is the longest route to and from the United States offered by Icelandair. This route utilizes Portland International Airport. The flight is only offered on a seasonal basis. It is flown on three times a week with the return flight back to Iceland being flown on alternate days.
Icelandair exclusively uses the Boeing 757-200 on this route. The 757-200 has a long enough range as well as the complement of customers to make this route profitable for the airline.
Portland is Icelandair’s only west coast destination. Surprisingly, the airline didn’t choose Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle as its sole west coast city to fly into. This route might not be one of the airline’s most profitable ones which makes sense why it’s only offered on a seasonal basis.
Raleigh
Icelandair offers a route between Keflavik and Raleigh Durham International Airport in Raleigh, North Carolina. This route is flown three days per week with the return flight happening on alternating days.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 is Icelandair’s aircraft of choice for this particular route. The flight takes close to six hours to complete.
This flight was probably put on the schedule to serve the Carolinas and Georgia region of the United States. Without Raleigh being served by Icelandair, flyers from the United States would have to travel south to Orlando to find a nonstop flight to Iceland or go to Baltimore.
Seattle
Icelandair offers a nonstop flight between Seattle and Reykjavik. The route is flown upwards to 2 times per day to Seattle’s Tacoma International Airport. The route is completed by either Icelandair’s Boeing 757 or Boeing 767.
Washington DC
The Washington DC metro area is served by Icelandair with a nonstop flight to Iceland three days a week. Flights are flown to and out of Washington Dulles International Airport.
Icelandair chose to use their Boeing 737 Max 8 on this flight. The total time needed to complete this flight is roughly 6 and ½ hours.
Washington DC is a pretty solid destination for Icelandair to fly in and from. Icelanders wanting to visit the national capital now have a direct flight to land them right in the middle of it. People living in Virginia and the District of Columbia don’t have to battle traffic leaving the metro area to venture to Baltimore to find a nonstop flight to Iceland.
Sources
https://www.flightconnections.com/route-map-icelandair-fi
https://www.icelandair.com/flights/campaign/destinations-schedule/
