Flying Icelandair As A Family to Iceland: The Airline Dedicated to Unlocking Iceland’s Potential as a Year-Round Destination

Icelandair (ICE) is a cool airline. That’s not meant to be a pun. They aren’t cool because their code is ICE or because they fly to cold weather destinations, they are cool because they offer a stopover connection with a stopover buddy for free! Whether you are flying to the US from Europe, or to Europe from the US, when you fly on Icelandair you can select a flight with a stopover in Iceland at no additional charge for up to seven nights. And while you are in Iceland, with Icelandair you can get a buddy that will act as your best friend during your stay! This Icelandair employee, or even the CEO, will show you around the country, sea swimming, mountain biking, heli-skiing, cross-country running, knitting pink jumpers, and a lot more. (They are currently taking a break from this program, but promise to have fun new adventures to offer in the future.)

► Ranking: #cleandiaper

Icelandair’s main hub is located in Iceland at the Keflavík International Airport. They fly to 49 destinations. 26 in Europe, 18 in the United States, and elsewhere. Their fleet is an all Boeing fleet with five different aircraft styles. Everyone of their 32 planes are named after Icelandic Volcanoes! Their mission is “to unlock Iceland’s potential as a year-round destination, to strengthen Iceland’s position as a connecting hub and to maintain our focus on flexibility and experience. The vision belongs to Icelandair Group as a whole, and all our employees contribute to its realisation.”

We flew from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport direct to Reykjavik through the Keflavík Airport. We had a great time inflight! We were seated in the economy section towards the back of the aircraft on the end of the aisle in two rows with two seats each. We had a fairly seamless experience getting on, which always illuminates the standby experience in a positive light. The inflight crew was patient and kind with our children, and with us, and we loved the experience.

This was only our second international flight over the water since I started working for an airline, and our twins were still fairly young. They had just turned two that year, and were required to sit in their own seats. Flying from birth, they are accustomed to the procedures, what is required during takeoff and landing, and what it means when the seatbelt sign turns on, so we don’t need much.

Icelandair was great in that they are very child friendly. They offer a comprehensive inflight entertainment system with tons of children’s movies at every seat. They also provide crayons and postcards for children to color and use their imagination during the flight. Though Icelandair doesn’t offer a free meal service in the economy section, they do give a free meal to all children flying between the ages of 2-11. They also will provide yogurt and a banana for infants (under 2) if requested at least 24 hours in advance, and provide warm water if needed. They also provide complimentary blankets and pillows, and soda, tea and coffee.  

► For Kids: Icelandair is a great airline, where special attention is given to young fliers. No one made us feel out of place, or as if we were a burden to the crew. It helps that our children are seasoned fliers, but we love an airline that loves what they do regardless.

Have you ever flown Icelandair, or stopped over in Iceland on a 24 hour layover and made a new friend? We want to hear all about it!

► Nap-Time Version: Our wonderful time flying from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport direct to the Keflavík International Airport on Icelandair.

Check out all fun stuff we did once we landed in Reykjavik, Iceland! We even, unintentionally, stayed at one of the Icelandair Group Hotels.