Iceland airport check-ins can be simple

Flights to Iceland

Iceland is one of the most isolated destinations in the world, but it can be very easy to connect to when you know which airlines operate to the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik.

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Flying to Iceland

If you were to try to find Iceland on a global map, you would have to look at the very top, near the North Pole to find it. It is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, near the Arctic Circle, and is one of the northern most countries in Europe.

Despite the distance, you can fly to Iceland direct, from Europe, the UK, the United States, and Canada.

The flight time from Europe varies depending on where you’re departing from, the route, and the airline.

From London or Berlin, the flight can take between 2 to 3 hours.

It obviously takes longer if you’re flying from the United States, for example a flight from Boston to Reykjavik is generally 5 to 6 hours.

If you’re planning to travel to Iceland from the other side of the world, such as parts of Asia, Australia or New Zealand; you would need to fly to Europe, and then connect to Iceland.

The flight from Australia can be nearly 24 hours, or more, depending on your layover. This is one of the longest global journeys you can take – but when you arrive in Iceland, and breathe in that fresh air, it will absolutely be worth the flight!

Icelands wonderful waterfalls are worth the flight
Icelands wonderful waterfalls are definitely worth the flight

Flights from the United States (USA) to Iceland

Iceland is a popular destination for tourists travelling from the United States. Iceland was in fact the largest source of tourism pre-pandemic, with more thank 460,000 visitors back in 2018.

It certainly helps when you can fly direct from Boston or New York, to Reykjavik, in just 5 to 6 hours. If you’re looking to travel from the West Coast, the trip is slightly longer from Seattle, taking about 7 to 8 hours.

Unfortunately you can’t fly directly to Iceland from Los Angeles or San Francisco, so if you’re in California, you could travel to the East Coast, to then connect to Iceland. This can be done in one leg, with a stop-over, or you may choose to split the trip and send some time exploring the Boston or New York, before boarding a flight to Iceland. 

Some of the major airlines that fly direct to Iceland from the United States include:

  1. Icelandair: this is the national airline of Iceland and operates direct non-stop flights from Boston, New York (JFK), Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, Washington D.C, North Carolina, Orlando and Seattle.

    The more popular routes, including Boston, New York, Washington D.C, and Seattle, have daily non-stop direct flights. If you are travelling from Denver, Detroit or Baltimore however, make sure you book ahead of time as there is usually only a handful of direct flights per month, and you will need to book well ahead of time.

  2. Delta Airlines: the rising popularity of Iceland as a destination for American travellers, led Delta Airlines to add more direct flights to its schedule as of 2021. Delta operates flights to Reykjavik from several cities in the United States, including New York, Boston, and Minneapolis. There is a daily service from New York (JFK), Boston, and Minneapolis (Saint Paul) to Reykjavik.

    You can book flights from other U.S cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Austin, Dallas Fort-Worth, Nashville, Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, Detroit, Charlotte, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, but these flights are not direct, they would include 1 stop-over.

  3. American Airlines: this airline operates flights to Reykjavik from several cities in the United States, including New York, Boston, Washington D.C, Chicago, and Seattle. Flights out of New York and Seattle are more frequent, with up to 4 non-stop flights to Reykjavik per day. 

  4. United Airlines: United operates flights to Reykjavik from several cities in the United States, but the main non-stop service is from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Reykjavik.

    You can book flights from other cities, but check for the number of stop-overs. For instance, a flight from Chicago to Reykjavik on United can have up to 2 stops (New York, and then Zurich).

Flights from the United Kingdom (UK) to Iceland

If you’re travelling to Reykjavik from the United Kingdom, you can expect a 2 to 4 hour flight time. This relatively short flight time, makes it incredibly easy for travelers in Great Britain to cross the North Atlantic Ocean, over to beautiful Iceland.

You can fly to Iceland direct from several cities in the United Kingdom, including: London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow. However London has two of the main airports  – Heathrow and Gatwick – which have the most frequent direct and connecting flights.

Some of the major airlines that offer flights to Iceland from the UK include:

  1. Icelandair: the national airline of Iceland operates direct flights to Reykjavik from London, Manchester, and Glasgow. You can choose to fly out of either London Heathrow or Gatwick, with a daily non-stop service at both popular airports.

    If you’re flying from Glasgow, keep in mind there are non-stop flights on most days, except Wednesday and Saturday. There are also non-stop flights from Manchester, however more towards the later part of the week from Thursday to Monday. 

  2. British Airways: British Airways operates non-stop flights to Reykjavik from London. There is only one direct flight per day, and it is generally in the morning.

    If you’re looking to book flights from Glasgow or Edinburgh, unfortunately you should expect a long stop-over in London, so you might be better off flying to London and booking a separate direct flight to Iceland from there.

  3. EasyJet: EasyJet is a low-cost airline that operates multiple daily non-stop flights from London to Reykjavik. If you are flying from Manchester, the flight is 20 to 30 minutes shorter, and there is generally 1 to 2 direct flights available.

    Flying with EasyJet is very affordable, but keep in mind that you do have to add baggage to the price of your ticket, and when you do this, you might find that Icelandair is more cost effective and more comfortable.

  4. Play Airlines: this new Icelandic low-cost airline launched in 2021 and is a great alternative to the national airline, Icelandair. While Play is an affordable way to travel from the UK to Iceland, there are a few things to keep in mind.

    Direct flights from London to Reykjavik fly out of London Stansted airport daily. There are also non-stop flights from Liverpool to Reykjavik, but they only run twice a week on Monday and Friday. If you plan ahead, tickets can be purchased for as little as 47 pounds one-way (excluding baggage).

  5. Wizz Air: Wizz is a Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier with non-stop flights from London to Reykjavik, operating out of London Luton airport. There is generally one flight available on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

    Keep in mind, Luton airport is over one hour from London by car and public transport, so this airline might be best suited to people in the greater London area.

Flights from Europe to Iceland

Travelling to Reykjavik from Europe is easy from other Nordic locations such as Oslo and Stockholm, which is a 3 to 4 hour flight time. You can also book direct daily flights to Iceland from large European cities including: Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Dublin, and Helsinki.

If you’re planning a multi-city European vacation, it is important to keep this in mind. You may assume that popular European cities such as Rome or Barcelona have regular direct flights to Iceland, however this is not the case. They are either infrequent or not direct. Make sure you plan ahead!

  1. Icelandair: Icelandair has daily non-stop flights to Reykjavik from the following European cities: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, Frankfurt, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm. This makes it incredibly easy to fit Iceland into a bigger European adventure.

    There are also numerous weekly non-stop flights from: Berlin (everyday except Wednesday), Helsinki (on Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday), Munich (everyday except Wednesday), Brussels (Monday, Thursday, Sunday), Zurich (everyday except Tuesday and Friday)

  2. Play Airlines: Play continues to be a reliable, low-cost alternative to Icelandair with a daily non-stop service to Reykjavkik, from the following cities: Copenhagen, Dublin, and Paris.

    If you’re flying out from Copenhagen, Play has one direct flight to Icelandair’s two daily non-stop flights. But Play is the better option if you’re looking for more affordable prices, or flights before midday.

    For flights from Paris, Play and Iceland air are on equal footing, both have a daily direct flight around midday. Play is slightly cheaper but doesn’t include cabin or checked baggage.

    Play flies non-stop from Dublin to Reykjavik on most days, however if you want to fly out on Saturday or Tuesday you may want to double-check whether flights are available. If not, Icelandair has a daily service from Dublin to Reykjavik.

    Play airlines also flies direct to and from Barcelona, to Iceland, but only twice a week, usually on Monday and Friday. There is the odd flight on Thursday and Sunday but these are less regular.

  3. Finnair: Finnair is the national airline of Finland and operates flights to Reykjavik from Helsinki. The direct flight takes just under 4 hours, but only operates every second day, usually on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

    It is a good idea to check the schedule prior to planning and booking your trip. Icelandair has regular non-stop flights from Helsinki to Reykjavik, so if Finnair isn’t flying out on the day you want, check Icelandair.

  4. Transavia: this Dutch low-cost airline and subsidiary of KLM (the national airline of the Netherlands) has daily direct flights from Amsterdam.

    Icelandair is the main competitor on the Amsterdam to Reykjavik leg, but if you prefer a slightly cheaper option, Transavia may be the better choice. If you prefer flights in the late afternoon, Transavia usually flies out at or around 4pm, which is a few hours after Icelandair’s usual 1pm lunchtime flight.

  5. VuelingVueling S.A. is a Spanish low-cost airline that flys directly from Barcelona to Reykjavik twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday. The 4 hour and 40 minute flight usually departs in the morning around 7am.

    If you’re looking for the cheaper option, fly out mid-week on Wednesday, because the fares on Saturday tend to be more expensive. Vueling is a cheaper alternative to Play airlines, the only other airline that flies direct to and from Iceland from Barcelona.

Go for the sense of adventure

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