Icelandair and the Free Stopover: A Guide to Really Making the Most of It

History and positioning

Iceland's geographic position, halfway between North America and Europe, has always been the strong point of Icelandair's network strategy: connections that would otherwise be direct are routed via Keflavík, allowing the airline to compete on transatlantic routes with fares that are often competitive compared with direct carriers.

The fleet

The long-haul fleet is built around the Boeing 737 MAX family, used both on the longer transatlantic routes and on European ones, a choice that bets on fuel efficiency compared with the widebody models other carriers use on comparable routes.

Routes and network

From Keflavík the network reaches dozens of cities in North America — from New York to Seattle — and in Europe, with the particular feature that almost every transatlantic ticket allows you to stop in Iceland for several days at no extra cost on the flight price, an advantage that has made the country popular as a destination in its own right and not just as a simple stopover.

On board and service

On board the offering follows the standard of a mid-sized scheduled carrier, with an economy class and a Saga Premium class on the longer routes, while the Icelandair Saga Club loyalty program lets you earn points across the whole network, which operates independently without belonging to one of the major global alliances.

What passengers say

• The stopover program is often cited as the main reason for choosing the airline, even at the same price as a direct flight.
• Good punctuality on the main transatlantic routes.

• Economy onboard space judged average, not better than competitors on the same route.
• Stopover fares that can rise if you add extra nights in Iceland's high summer season.

Icelandair makes sense above all for those flying between North America and Europe who are willing to break the journey with a stop in Iceland, turning a simple layover into a vacation extension. It is a less natural choice for those who need the fastest possible route with no stops, where a direct flight remains preferable. A practical tip: if you decide to use the stopover, add it directly when booking the transatlantic flight on the Icelandair website, because changing it after buying the ticket almost always carries a higher change fee than including it from the start.