DALLAS – Welcome to Keflavík International Airport (KEF). The Icelandair (FI) hub is around 40 km south of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík. I arrived from Amsterdam (AMS) on board FI's largest aircraft, the Boeing 767-300, wearing the airline’s new livery.
Flight FI683 which is my connection to Seattle (SEA), would depart in over four hours, so I decided to spend some time in FI's Saga lounge at KEF.
The Saga Lounge
The lounge is positioned just in front of the passport control and offers 270-degree views of the traffic in Keflavik. A warm wooden wall and stylish Icelandair logo welcome travellers from the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean to this large and comfortable lounge.
I quickly scanned my boarding pass and sat in one of the many corners. Thanks to the optimised Icelandair network, the lounge was quite empty during my visit.
As I left my suitcase and backpack to grab some food, I realised the multiple TVs in the lounge showed Italy playing against Switzerland in the EURO 2024 round of 16. I quickly explored the buffet, which featured some sweet and salty options, grabbed some chocolate muffins and espresso coffee and ran back to my seat to enjoy what I hoped was Italy going to the round of 8. Unfortunately, this did not happen, as Switzerland’s team played a vastly superior football, which defeated Italy 2-0.
I explored the lounge more, which opens between 5 AM and 5 PM daily and can accommodate hundreds of passengers at the same time comfortably. The lounge features different types of seating, spanning from recliner seats facing the apron to comfortable armchairs. A few aircraft models are disseminated in the lounge, including the special Boeing 757 Vatnajökull and Hekla Aurora liveries.
The lounge also has multiple drinks and coffee spots disseminated throughout the area. However, my highlight was the shower service. Passengers can enjoy a refreshing shower based on availability, so I decided to shower for the first time at an airport.
I asked for a towel at the welcome desk and headed to one of the two shower rooms equipped with shampoos, body wash and conditioner, and a hair dryer. The shower rooms are spacious, and it is easy to store personal belongings, including suitcases.
Before leaving, I had a quick dinner, trying a bit of everything on offer. The salmon was definitely the highlight of my meal, and it paired really well with the large selection of white wines available.
Boarding
After a comfortable stay at the lounge, I finally headed to the passport controls, which took only a few minutes, and reached my gate just a moment before boarding. Luckily, I could take advantage of priority boarding. A bus took us to a remote stand in front of FI's hangar at KEF, where we boarded through a staircase. The boarding process was quite lengthy, so I took the opportunity to take some clean pictures from the apron of our aircraft, TF-ISJ, a 25-year-old Boeing 757-200.
We boarded from door 2L, and I turned left, heading to seat 5F, a window seat. The Saga Premium cabin is arranged in a 2-2 layout, while the economy class cabin is configured in the traditional 3-3 layout. The flight was almost full, with 180 passengers on board and 20 out of 20 seats occupied in Saga Premium.
Waiting for me at my seat, I found a comfortable pillow, an amenity kit and a bottle of water. Upon boarding, the cabin crew passed by with a welcome drink and what seemed to be a small box of chocolate.
In-flight
Once on board, a second bus filled with passengers arrived, and we spent another 30 minutes on the ground as we finalised the boarding procedure. We pushed back slightly behind schedule and prepared for a 7:30-hour flight to the American West Coast. We left the Icelandic soil after a smooth and powerful take-off, and it was soon time for yet another excellent meal in the skies. The cabin crew came with the food and drinks menu, where I ordered a gin & tonic as an appetiser. This time, the drink was not served with any snack.
I tried the fish option for the main course, which was once again delicious. The salmon was fresh and tasty, the shrimp were perfectly salty, and the dessert was smooth and creamy. Since I would have had to drive in a matter of hours, I paired the meal with an orange soda, which was a weirdly good match with a fish course. The service was attentive and smooth, and the cabin crew passed by multiple times to double-check on us. Coffee was offered at the end of the service
After dinner, we were offered a blanket, and I decided to sleep for a few hours to arrive as rested as possible. I explored the in-flight entertainment a little more before resting. The IFE is mostly like the one I found on my flight to KEF. This time, the selection of movies included a few more titles, while the interface and amenities were the same.
Similarly to my flight from AMS, the Wi-Fi connection worked flawlessly throughout the whole flight. The universal power outlet on my right allowed me to work on my laptop and phone, and the pocket in front of the seat stored all my items, camera aside. The only thing I wish was present in this rather old seat design was a larger storage compartment.
Considering the aircraft's age, the cabin was kept rather well-shaped. There are two dedicated lavatories to Saga Premium, which were almost always available. The only inconvenience is jumping over your seat neighbour when sitting at the window. The flight was in daylight, so we were asked to close the window blinds as most passengers were resting.
The seat is similar to the one found on the Boeing 767s. While it does not recline into a fully flat bed, the width and padding provide a comfortable sleeping armchair. A reclining mechanism is found, which, combined with the comfortable footrest, provides a good sleeping position for intercontinental flights. I slept for almost three hours before waking up as we approached Seattle.
Landing and Conclusions
We started our descent around 30 minutes before landing, flying into a thick layer of clouds. Upon descent, I spotted Boeing’s factory in Paine Field, where the line of Boeing 777Xs could clearly be seen. We banked left and lined up for landing on runway 16R. On our right, I could enjoy some spectacular views of Seattle’s skyline, including the Space Needle.
We flew above Boeing Field (BFI) before smoothly touching down at Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA). We crossed the two runways separating us from the terminal before docking at the S gates and crossing the taxiway through the IAF pedestrian walkway. There was a queue at the immigration office, which took around 40 minutes.
In conclusion, Icelandair provides an excellent and comfortable ground service, matched by equally impressive catering, which is consistent on all its flights. Despite its many features, the hard product is starting to show its age; nowadays, most of the aircraft that cross the Atlantic are equipped with all-direct aisle access premium cabins on flights longer than seven hours. FI's flight from KEF to SEA is one of the longest in its network, and it is expected to be soon operated by the new Airbus A321XLR, replacing the Boeing 757s.
The airline has not yet disclosed what product will be installed on its A321s. With the new fleet, Icelandair has the opportunity to offer something nobody else can: offer a truly good transatlantic experience on a narrowbody aircraft.
While it makes sense for the airline to operate a large fleet of Boeing 737 MAX to European and East Coast destinations, its network could largely benefit from an upgraded product on board flights to the West Coast. Icelandair plans to receive leased Airbus A321s before next summer. Will Icelandair introduce a new onboard product?
Featured Image: Simone Chellini/Airways
