Icelandair vs Aer Lingus

[cruisintwinsmom]

I'm thinking about flying out of Paris and into either NYC or ORD (it is too expensive to fly into my hometown) using either Iceland Air or Aer Lingus. Some questions:

1. Is one a more pleasant experience than the other?

2. With an 8 hour layover, is it possible to leave the terminal in Reykjavik to visit the city or should I take a flight with a next day departure from Reykjavik?

3. Is it worth $200 to upgrade to economy comfort on Icelandair?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Zach1213]

I'm thinking about flying out of Paris and into either NYC or ORD (it is too expensive to fly into my hometown) using either Iceland Air or Aer Lingus. Some questions:

1. Is one a more pleasant experience than the other?

2. With an 8 hour layover, is it possible to leave the terminal in Reykjavik to visit the city or should I take a flight with a next day departure from Reykjavik?

3. Is it worth $200 to upgrade to economy comfort on Icelandair?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Icelandair does not fly to Chicago so I am curious how you are planning to use them to Chicago?

 

8 hours is definitely time to leave the airport, but not to do a whole ton. Do recognize the airport is in Keflavik, not Reykjavik, and it's about a 45 minute ride (if memory serves me) down to Reykjavik. That's 90 minutes roundtrip. And since Keflavik will be your exit point from Schengen immigration (since Paris to Keflavik will be treated like a domestic), you'll need to be there a bit earlier to clear immigration. So be back at the airport two hours before your flight. Your 8 hour day just became 4.5 hours.

 

Reykjavik is an awesome city, so I would recommend spending the night and enjoying the city.

 

I will leave it up to those with more experience to answer the rest.

[cruisintwinsmom]

Icelandair does not fly to Chicago so I am curious how you are planning to use them to Chicago?

 

8 hours is definitely time to leave the airport, but not to do a whole ton. Do recognize the airport is in Keflavik, not Reykjavik, and it's about a 45 minute ride (if memory serves me) down to Reykjavik. That's 90 minutes roundtrip. And since Keflavik will be your exit point from Schengen immigration (since Paris to Keflavik will be treated like a domestic), you'll need to be there a bit earlier to clear immigration. So be back at the airport two hours before your flight. Your 8 hour day just became 4.5 hours.

 

Reykjavik is an awesome city, so I would recommend spending the night and enjoying the city.

 

I will leave it up to those with more experience to answer the rest.

 

Thanks for the reply! If I fly into ORD it would be on Aer Lingus :p

 

Sounds like if I go Icelandair it would be worth staying the night.

[Alaskanb]

Thanks for the reply! If I fly into ORD it would be on Aer Lingus :p

 

Sounds like if I go Icelandair it would be worth staying the night.

We decided to stay 2 nights so we can get in a full days excursion around the Golden Circle.

[FlyerTalker]

Definitely check with Icelandair's tour/package offerings -- they own several hotels and put together some hotel/tour packages that significantly reduce the cost of lodging on their stopovers.

[cruisintwinsmom]

Definitely check with Icelandair's tour/package offerings -- they own several hotels and put together some hotel/tour packages that significantly reduce the cost of lodging on their stopovers.

 

We decided to stay 2 nights so we can get in a full days excursion around the Golden Circle.

 

Thanks for your input! I will definitely check out the packages. Do you know if it is worth upgrading to the economy comfort? I usually just fly coach.

[voyager1964]

In Economy Comfort:

1) their EC seats are just the regular Economy seats with the middle seat being empty. However, there is a chance you will be put in their business class seats - those are similar to the domestic first class

2) you will get food for free, in economy you will have to pay for your meals.

3) you will get an access to their business lounges. Check your origin - Icelandair usually shares the lounge with a nice non-budget company.

[loma linda ca a & j]

Thanks for your input! I will definitely check out the packages. Do you know if it is worth upgrading to the economy comfort? I usually just fly coach.

definitely more comfortable having no one in the middle !!! :)

[cruisintwinsmom]

May be worth making the upgrade to comfort - especially if there is a chance to move up to business class ;)

 

Appreciate all the comments!!!

[Northern Aurora]

We've never flown Are Lingus so we can't offer a comparison between the two airlines, but we did fly on Icelandair last May.

 

We were in Economy Comfort and were pleased with the service on both flights. On both the flight from Amsterdam to Reykjavik and then a week later from Reykjavik to Anchorage the seats in economy comfort were the same as in Saga (i.e., leather with center console between as opposed to the row of three economy seats with the middle seat left empty). Since Icelandair names their planes after volcanoes (which my geologist husband thought was so clever) we know that we were on two different planes. While the complementary food and drink was nice, we found that access to their Saga Lounge was a great perk. If the OP can upgrade to EC for only $200 that is an excellent bargain.

[cruisintwinsmom]

We've never flown Are Lingus so we can't offer a comparison between the two airlines, but we did fly on Icelandair last May.

 

We were in Economy Comfort and were pleased with the service on both flights. On both the flight from Amsterdam to Reykjavik and then a week later from Reykjavik to Anchorage the seats in economy comfort were the same as in Saga (i.e., leather with center console between as opposed to the row of three economy seats with the middle seat left empty). Since Icelandair names their planes after volcanoes (which my geologist husband thought was so clever) we know that we were on two different planes. While the complementary food and drink was nice, we found that access to their Saga Lounge was a great perk. If the OP can upgrade to EC for only $200 that is an excellent bargain.

 

Thanks! That's what I'm going to do - now I just need to figure out my dates. :D

[vplsh]

Thanks! That's what I'm going to do - now I just need to figure out my dates. :D

 

Wondering how this flight turned out. We are considering flying Icelandair for a Scandinavia/Russia cruise next summer.

[marco]

We flew Aer Lingus a couple of years ago (just to/from Ireland) JFK-Dublin. I thought the flight itself was pretty much on par with any other carrier. The best part was that on our return, we went through customs and immigration in Ireland. WHen we landed in NY, we just collected our luggage and walked out of the terminal.

[Lois R]

Wondering how this flight turned out. We are considering flying Icelandair for a Scandinavia/Russia cruise next summer.

 

 

Hi Lisa:)...just an FYI...the post you were asking about is over a year

old....July 2014.

[vplsh]

Hi Lisa:)...just an FYI...the post you were asking about is over a year

old....July 2014.

 

Hi Lois,

 

Yes, I know. Just wondered if anyone had any new info on Icelandair.

 

Hope all is well with you!

[Lois R]

Hi Lois,

 

Yes, I know. Just wondered if anyone had any new info on Icelandair.

 

Hope all is well with you!

 

Ohhhhhh ok:).....I am doing ok, thanks....hope you are as well.

 

I am also looking for flights for April to Amsterdam.

[vplsh]

Ohhhhhh ok:).....I am doing ok, thanks....hope you are as well.

 

I am also looking for flights for April to Amsterdam.

 

Take a look at Icelandair. We were able to get a round trip flight from Newark for just under $1100 each. That's $500 less than United was. It stops in Reykjavik, but the connections are not long.

[Lois R]

Take a look at Icelandair. We were able to get a round trip flight from Newark for just under $1100 each. That's $500 less than United was. It stops in Reykjavik, but the connections are not long.

 

I looked at them (multiple times)....everytime I looked it seemed like

they were not offering the days I need.

[Lois R]

Take a look at Icelandair. We were able to get a round trip flight from Newark for just under $1100 each. That's $500 less than United was. It stops in Reykjavik, but the connections are not long.

 

I gave you the wrong info in my previous post......they do offer

flights but so does Jet Blue/Aer Lingus and this flight arrives in AMS

about 9:30am where Icelandair arrives closer to 1:00.....both airlines

are less than United.

[marco]

Are you taking this flight in conjunction with a European cruise or a TA? Having done several, we could NEVER get air on our own as inexpensive as what the cruise line offered.

[Lois R]

Are you taking this flight in conjunction with a European cruise or a TA? Having done several, we could NEVER get air on our own as inexpensive as what the cruise line offered.

 

Is the question for me? I am taking a River Cruise out of Amsterdam.

[vplsh]

Are you taking this flight in conjunction with a European cruise or a TA? Having done several, we could NEVER get air on our own as inexpensive as what the cruise line offered.

 

We are taking the Celebrity Silhouette out of Amsterdam for a 12 night Scandinavia and Russia cruise. The price on Icelandair was much cheaper than the non-stops on United, and we've added a night in Reykjavik.

[marco]

Actually my question was for the OP. And as far as air in conjunction with a river cruise, most offer air from the US in their pricing, having done several river cruises, we could not get air on our own as inexpensive as what they offered. And if you do "thier" air, it includes transfers to the ship. The last river cruise we did if you did not use "their" air, transport to the ship was 120 Euros (approx $150)

[Lois R]

Actually my question was for the OP. And as far as air in conjunction with a river cruise, most offer air from the US in their pricing, having done several river cruises, we could not get air on our own as inexpensive as what they offered. And if you do "thier" air, it includes transfers to the ship. The last river cruise we did if you did not use "their" air, transport to the ship was 120 Euros (approx $150)

 

Hi:)....I am arriving for my river cruise a day early so I am not looking

for cruise transfers. Also, from all the research I have been doing,

the dock in Amsterdam is quite close to where I am staying....city center

area.....I doubt it will cost 120 euros to get to the boat.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Lois R

[cruisintwinsmom]

Are you taking this flight in conjunction with a European cruise or a TA? Having done several, we could NEVER get air on our own as inexpensive as what the cruise line offered.

 

Thanks, will remember this for the future.

Edited October 25, 2015 by cruisintwinsmom