For Gin & Tall People: A Review of Icelandair

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Before booking our flights to and from Europe for our three week trip in December I searched for deals and read reviews of multiple airlines. People always have a wide variety of things to say about their flight experiences: some are extremely positive while others are deeply negative. Although I do feel that the majority found online tend to be negative since many people don’t bother talking about their positive experiences. That’s why I feel it’s important for me to share this review of Icelandair with you!

Let’s Try Icelandair

I ended up booking our flights based strongly on a review of Icelandair stating that their planes have a fair amount leg room. My husband is tall enough to really appreciate those extra inches between the rows of seats. Before finalizing my purchase I carefully read Icelandair’s booking, baggage, and seating policies to make sure we made the correct choices and knew in advance what to expect. This is definitely something I’d advise everyone to do before booking flights with an unfamiliar airline. Otherwise your flight experience can quickly turn into a nightmare. Once we booked the flights, we impatiently waited for our trip to begin.

Starting the Customer Experience

Our Icelandair experience actually started before the date of our flight. The airline reached out a few days in advance asking for volunteers to postpone or change their flights in exchange for compensation since the flight was fully booked. This was the first time I’d had an airline reach out before a flight to ask for volunteers. Instead they usually wait until the last minute as though hoping someone will be late so they don’t need to bump anyone.

I thought this was a great beginning to our customer experience with Icelandair. It’s no fun to show up to the airport expecting to board a flight only to unexpectedly get bumped. This allowed those with flexible itineraries to make arrangements in advance and keep the check-in and boarding processes smooth. We did not volunteer as we had a tight schedule and had already booked accommodations in advance for our first few stops in Europe.

Check Out that Check In

Upon arrival at the airport, we checked in to our flight and the Icelandair employee we spoke to offered to check my travel backpack for free since our flight was full and the overhead bin space might be tight. (I’ve written more on my travel backpack in my post about my favorite travel gear.) I was traveling with only carryon luggage with everything I needed for the duration of the flight was in my small personal item, and took the offer. (Check out my packing tips post if you want to start packing lighter.) Had I not packed my things as purposefully as I did, I wouldn’t have been able to accept this offer. After handing over my bag and getting our boarding passes, we were quickly on our way to our gate.

All Aboard!

During boarding, the flight attendants were polite and friendly which I appreciate as it’s probably one of the most stressful and hectic parts of a flight. As we boarded, they were also handing out small bottles of water to everyone which I thought was wonderful. Flying is so dehydrating and it can often be a long wait for any beverage or food service on flights.

Comfortable Planes

The plane itself appeared to be newer with usb plugs, plenty of entertainment options, and wifi available (free to Icelandair’s Saga Gold rewards members). While bathrooms were pretty standard airplane size (aka tiny), I was pleasantly surprised by how clean and fresh smelling they were even halfway through our flight. The screens on the seat backs were adjustable so you could reduce any glare and view them comfortably. Our seats were reasonably comfortable with adjustable headrests and reclined pretty far as well.

Leg(room) for Days

Ok, legroom for days might be an exaggeration… However, the legroom mentioned in that review of Icelandair I used as one of the reasons we chose to fly with them was real! Even my 6’2” hubby had a few inches between his knees and the seats in front of us which is a pretty unusual treat for him. As this was a late night flight, passengers were also provided with pillows and blankets so they could sleep comfortably if they wished to do so.

Cheers to Good Choices

Since we were excited for the beginning of our long anticipated trip we treated ourselves to drinks to get the festivities going. The two gin and tonics for 10€ deal seemed the perfect choice with several different gins and tonics to choose from. My husband went for the Icelandic gin, Old Islandia Gin, which had strong juniper notes he really enjoyed. I selected the JJ Whitley Elderflower Gin since I love elderflower. Additionally, our flight attendant recommended that we try appelsin and malt which is a soft drink traditionally consumed during the Christmas season in Iceland. It was part of the complimentary drink service so we figured “Why not?!” It was an excellent choice. The appelsin is basically an orange soda while the malt is a sweet, malty soft drink, and they paired surprisingly well together.

Toasting the end of a good trip on our return flight home from Europe, we again ordered two gin and tonics. My husband stuck with his same order from our first flight since he liked it so much, but I like to try new things and mix it up. This time I picked the English Drink Company’s Pink Gin which had more fruity-pomegranate notes. Other options are of course available, but we liked the deal on gin and tonics.

Airplane Eats

During our first flight over to Europe we didn’t order any food since we’d eaten before arriving at the airport and it was an overnight flight. The menu did look pretty good though and even included some Icelandic offerings. 

On our flight home at the end of our trip we did order some food to share since it was going to be a long day on the plane. Knowing how altitude affects tastebuds by making food taste so bland, we usually keep our expectations pretty low. We chose the Margherita pizza which came with the option of either basil or chili infused olive oil to drizzle on top and a chicken caesar sandwich. The pizza was pretty small and rather bland as most airplane food is, even with the infused olive oils. Surprisingly, the chicken caesar sandwich was really good! The chicken, dressing, and veggies were flavorful and there was enough to make it actually a filling meal.

Icelandair in Review

We definitely had a great experience with Icelandair and would recommend the airline to others. Between the friendly service and comfortable seats (can’t ignore that legroom for the taller folks) we had really pleasant flight experiences. Based on this review of Icelandair, it will be a top contender for the airline we choose when we next hop on a flight across the pond.

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