Travel Radio Podcast

Flying Iceland Air Into Reykjavík

I've been asked many times what it is like to fly on Iceland Air. So, for a recent trip to the United States I opted to fly Iceland Air purposely. In this episode you will find the nuts, bolts and Ramen of the situation. Is Iceland Air right for you? Listen to find out!

A couple observations: The flight attendants were all tall gorgeous and blonde. I'm not making that up. It's the truth. They were also all very nice and spoke english and mutiple other languages. For funsies - pay close attention to their mouths. When they switch from Icelandic to English or any other western dialect. When speaking in their native toungue they speak on their IN BREATH. It makes for some thrilling ear candy. Then, they very naturally, switch back to what I consider, normal breath/speaking Western patterns. It's wild. Enjoy - you're welcome.

BLANKETS! Iceland Air has amazing blankets made from very heavey grey fleece. Men will be pleased that an airplane blanket actually covers them neck to toes. I pulled down my eye mask and had a very satisfying nap.

In-Flight Food Service: Meal Service is pulling a solid "meh" rating. The menu is gorgeous and makes you feel like you are ordering off a real menu. Beware, there is no room or time to plate items in the air from the drink cart. However the item you ordered is originally packaged is how the item comes to you. I ordered the spicey vegetarian noodles as a "good idea" to warm myself up. Can you guess what it was? It cost $4.00 which is 10x what it costs off the grocer's shelf. In the end it did the trick.

LONG LAYOVERS: Consider a long layover in Iceland! The country is offering greater than average layovers on purpose for flights through Reykjavík. They want to encurage tourism and it is now bumped up on my bucket list of places to take the family. Talk to your travel planner and plan out a mini vacation inside your exisiting itinerary!

Airport Insights: Reykjavík is a small airport. There is possibly only one gate where the airplane actually can dock at the gate. All other planes will let passengers out onto the tarmac and onto shuttle buses. This is a going to be a very brisk sprint. I was traveling to and from warm locations and it was CHILLY. So, FYI, at least pack a sweater incase you have delays before you get inside.

Airport Accessibility: The accessibilty of Reykjavík's airport is up for debate. The bathrooms I used on both stops were up and down stairs. Upon departure, myself and another guest (girlfriend, I wish I remembered your name) ended up carrying an elderly lady's belongings she continually dropped between the gate and the airplane, across the tarmac. We then ended up offering significant pysical support to her climbing up the plane steps and into her seat. She said they promised her assistance, a wheelchair and ramp but were unwilling or unable to assist her upon arriving at the airport. That's her story and she is sticking to it. Either way - I'm thankful for a kind American softball player who was willing to boost this lady along the way.

Duty Free Store: There is a pretty nice duty free store inside the airport. In fact, it takes up just about half the footage. The items I was most interested in were the liquor and chocolate. After much debate I did not purchase seaweed alcohol. I did purchase several rounds of Icelandic chocolate. Buy Icelandic chocolate. You will not be sad.

Flight Path: If you are lucky the flight path will put you over Greenland. It is a frozen splendor to behold. Book a window seat if this is something you would like to see. I ended up holding many phones and taking pictures for othe people that were not seated at a window. Pics from Greenland below.

Links:

• Welcome to Reykjavik Airport (RVK) | Reykjavík Airport
• Iceland - Wikipedia
• Travel Radio Podcast - YouTube

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