Icelandair

Fair Warning: Before you book a trip on Icelandair, try calling their Customer Service Dept. Pretend that you have to make a change in your itinerary, or are responding to a message from them. See how many times you have to call to even get into the call queue. I had to try 16 times. See how long the wait time is. Over an hour, although they don’t tell you the wait time, just your position in queue. Don’t expect an option to receive a callback, their technology is not that far along. You just sit and wait and hope the call doesn’t drop so you can start all over. When you finally reach an agent, they are polite and competent. If you happen to make a comment that you used to work in the call center phone technology group at your business, they might share that there are more Icelandair agents in training, but they are not on the phones yet. Yes, they added several new routes, but did not increase staff in the call center. God Help You if a problem comes up and you need to contact them during your trip. Everything is handled from Iceland, so your chances of getting through on a good phone connection to someone who can solve the problem are slim. No Worries, you say, I’ll go to the airport 5 hours before the flight and settle everything. Wrong! They don’t have employees are the remote airports, they have contractors who have a thick notebook of phone numbers to call. And the contractor is put on hold or transferred here and there, and your problem is not resolved. In the end, they cancel your ticket while you are face to face with their contractor who is on hold trying to resolve your issue! I suppose that its possible to book a trip, pay online, have a nice flight and never need to call them. Maybe that would be a nice experience and deserve a good review. If that doesn’t happen, and you need to get in touch by phone, good luck. I would not book a trip with Icelandair unless Aeroflot was the only alternative.

I BOOKED MY FLIGHT LAST AUGUST, CAREFULLY CHOOSING MY SEAT. THE DAY BEFORE THE FLIGHT THEY CHANGED MY SEAT ASSIGNMENT. THE GUYS BEHIND ME WERE DRINKING AND TALKING LOADLY, THE GUY NEXT TO ME WAQS SO HEAVY HE COULD NOT FIT IN THE SEAT, HAD HIS ELBOW IN MY SIDE THE ENTIRE FLIGHT. HE DID APOLGIZE, BUT THE SEAT WAS WAY TOO SMALL FOR HIM. THE PERSON WHO GOT MY ORIGINAL SEAT HAD PLENTY OF SPACE. THE JERK IN FRONT OF ME HAD HIS RECLINED THE WHOLE TRIP. WHY WOULD THEY CHANGE MY SEAT LIKE THIS? TERRIBLE SERVICE, WHEN YOU BOOK THIS FAR IN ADVANCE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SELECT & KEEP YOUR SEAT. WILL NEVER FLY THIS AIRLINE AGAIN, ONLY FLEW IT BECAUSE IT WAS CHEAP, NOW I SEE WHY.

I booked the flight several months in advance as was led to believe that I had a choice of a seat assignment. My electronic ticket showed seat 6C on each leg of the ticket. Everything was good from Denver to Reykjavik and then to Trondheim. On the return home I checked in at the SAS desk at Trondheim as they were the one handling Icelandair. I was given a boarding pass to Reykjavik and then on to Denver. I noticed that the seat assignment from Reykjavik to Denver was 6F. When I asked about the change in the seat assignment I was told check when I arrive in Iceland. I inquired about this in Reykjavik as was told it was still the Economy Comfort section. Upon boarding I found that on a B757 seat 6F does not recline due to being in front of the emergency exit. Having a bad back and surgeries to fix it the thought of 7 and a half hours of agony was not something I wanted. I inquired if I could upgrade to the Sega class and was told that was not possible. I was willing to pay the difference and was also told that could not be done. There were two people in the Sega class. Not only did they lose some extra revenue, but a customer. I chose Icelandair because a friend of mine said to try it as I could have a week stay in Iceland which is what I did. After arriving home I checked my e-mail on my computer and found that when I was in Lauvsnes they changed the seat and if there was an available seat in the same section they would change it. Seat 6C was given to 1/2 of a couple. I do not have a smart phone because I have found they are not needed and i did not take my laptop with me. If you book a flight on a B757 and they assign you seat 6F, chose another flight or a different airline.

Flew from MPLS to Stockholm with a transfer in Iceland and back. Flights were on time, Cabin service was pleasant. Seemed that the leg room was adequate on the 767 that we were aboard. Would not hesitate to fly Iceland air again.

The airport at Reykjavik is dangerously overcrowded, but Icelandair is trying to make it a travel hub with more flights than this small airport can handle. We flew economy. Might have had a better experience if we were willing to spend more for the ticket and fly business or first class. The “masses” in the back of the plane are treated to tight, uncomfortable seats (like all the airlines, these days). This is probably unavoidable. However, the “amenities” (like food and drink for purchase) were perfectly awful. Not enough flight attendants to be able to serve the cabin efficiently. My suggestion, if you must fly Icelandair, is to definitely bring your own food and drink on-board, including mixers for hard alcohol, should you decide on this. Avoid the wine — expensive and poor quality.