The Ultimate Guide to Flights from the US to Iceland

Low-cost versus full service airlines

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make if you’re selecting a flight to Iceland is whether to opt for a low-cost carrier or a full service scheduled airline. The former pare back what they offer to the basics – the journey – and then you simply add on any extras that you require. This could include a designated seat, hold baggage, priority boarding and so on.

Typically, full service airlines in the past have included some of those as standard, but increasingly they too are offering different fare categories so that you don’t get charged for the things that you don’t need. What’s offered still varies from airline to airline, so take a look at what the major US and international airlines give you before comparing prices.

Another potential benefit of full service airlines such as Delta, United and American Airlines is that you can pay for all or some of your flight with miles or points rather than money. Often, these points can be collected via a credit card meaning that your regular grocery shopping and other routine purchases can all be made to work for your benefit.

Icelandair offers a wide range of destinations to and from Keflavik, so this might be most convenient. It’s already a codeshare partner with Jet Blue and also Alaskan Airlines; from 2025 it will also partner with Southwest Airlines. This means that if you need to take a connecting flight to feed you in to a bigger US hub on a through ticket it just got a whole lot easier.

Which airport is most convenient?

In Iceland, this isn’t a question you really need to give much thought to. With a few exceptions, almost all international flights arrive into and depart from Keflavik. From some US destinations, however, the airline with which you choose to fly might be based at a different airport.

Take New York City, for example. Play operates out of Stewart Airport, which is located north of the city, while Icelandair flights depart from the more centrally located JFK in Queens or from Newark across the river in New Jersey. But even these two airports are a significant distance from downtown areas such as Manhattan, so it does depend a lot on where you’re based as to which will be the most convenient.

While the time you spend in the air remains largely the same, it can make a fair bit of difference on the ground in certain cities. Because of this, we’d recommend that if you live in an area with multiple airports, you take a look and work out what the entire journey looks like before making your decision.

What’s it like to fly into Keflavik?

Keflavik is a modern and spacious airport, filled with light. When you disembark, that’s likely to be the impression that you’ll get. Signage is generally clear, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding your way to the immigration desk. It helps that there’s a big “Exit to Iceland” notice that’s very hard to miss.

One stop that a lot of inbound travellers like to make is in the duty free shop. Iceland has earned itself something of a reputation for being expensive and one thing you might want to save money on is alcohol. Pop in and buy yourself a bottle of wine or some beers – compared to bar prices it’s much cheaper.

What to know about leaving the airport

When you’ve completed immigration and customs formalities, getting out of the airport is usually quite quick. Some car rental companies have desks in the arrivals hall, while others will meet you as you emerge and bus you to their nearby office. If you plan to catch the bus into Reykjavik, it’s right outside.

Whether you take the wheel or sit back and let a bus driver do so, it takes only around 45 minutes to drive between the two airports and there’s very little traffic compared to large cities in Europe or North America. If you really want to break the journey, you can always make a stop at the Blue Lagoon which is pretty much on the way and will store your luggage for you while you have a soak.

A bit about onward domestic travel

There’s one unusual thing about flying into Iceland if you are continuing your journey to a domestic destination beyond Reykjavik. Most international flights in the country arrive at Keflavik International Airport on the tip of the Reykjanes peninsula, while to fly on to smaller airports such as those in North Iceland or the Westman Islands requires you to depart from Reykjavik City Airport.

Actually it’s not such a big deal. It’s also a good excuse to spend at least one night in Reykjavik itself, a vibrant city with plenty to do in the daytime and a lively nightlife scene. Iceland is full of quirks and this is just one of them – why not embrace its idiosyncrasies as part of the joys of travelling somewhere overseas?

Why not take advantage of Iceland stopover deals?

Icelandair offers a stopover deal to travellers flying across the Atlantic. It’s a great way to add some variety to your plans and get a taste of what Iceland has to offer. You can opt to spend a single night or boost that to a whole week. We’d recommend the latter as there is so much to see and do in the country.

So long as the fare on your new second leg day is the same as the original flight you’d have taken, you’ll pay the same airfare as you would if you were travelling with Icelandair and making a brief stop on the tarmac at Keflavik. It’s worth trying different combinations, therefore, to make sure you’ve found the best deal – such as whether to incorporate the stopover on the outbound or inbound leg.

Play is another airline that offers a stopover. The low-cost airline launched in 2021 with flights to Europe and quickly expanded their offering to reach the opposite side of the Atlantic. It made a lot of sense to combine the two, so the airline decided to offer what they call the Play Stayover.

How does it work? Firstly, you’ll need to book a transatlantic flight. Next, decide whether to include a stopover in Iceland on the outbound or inbound leg of your journey. If you can’t choose, the airline will let you stay in Iceland both ways, generously offering the option to stay for up to 10 days each time. The flight price remains the same, but you’ll need to fund your accommodation and activities while you’re in the country.