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How to Book Cheap Flights to Iceland: Guide To Direct Flights & Best Times To Fly

How to Book Cheap Flights to Iceland: Guide To Direct Flights & Best Times To Fly


So, you’re on the hunt for some cheap flights to Iceland? Iceland is a vacation spot that’s on many individuals’s bucket lists, and for good purpose, however the price of aircraft tickets could make it a battle to plan your go to. The Nordic nation’s dramatic panorama is peppered with volcanoes, glaciers, scorching springs, and lava fields, making it a nature lover’s playground.

If the Land of Fire and Ice has captured your wanderlust spirit, you’ve in all probability gone on-line to verify the costs for Iceland flights after which shelved the thought. Your flight to Iceland doesn’t have to interrupt the financial institution, and in the event you’ve received the time and suppleness, it can save you massive. I’ve taken two journeys to Iceland and now I’m sharing my finances hacks with you in order that you can also expertise the magic of Iceland and save on flights.

The first tip? Sign up for Going.com (previously Scott’s Cheap Flights). You may even save 20% off your Going membership whenever you use code VIA20 at checkout!

How to get Cheap Flights to Iceland

1. Factors to Consider earlier than Flying to Iceland

The first query you might want to ask your self is: what do you need to see? The time of yr you go to can drastically have an effect on your expertise (although let’s be clear, Iceland is gorgeous year-round).

If you’re hoping to see the Northern Lights in Iceland, you then’ll need to go to between September and March, the height Northern Lights season. Now a second query you’ll need to ask your self is: how a lot do you benefit from the snow? I’ve gone to Iceland each in October and February, and each occasions I encountered loopy snowstorms which have impacted my journey plans, excursions, and even my strolling plans (it’s slippery). Winter close to the Arctic shouldn’t be for everybody, however for people who crave the chilly, it is going to be a life-changing expertise.

If you’d reasonably not strap on a pair of Yak-Traks to go away your resort, then the summer season months are proper up your alley. The Midnight Sun supplies almost 24 hours of daylight, providing you with ample time to discover limitless climbing trails with out these sneaky snow squalls. The summer season months additionally provide you with entry to sure components of Iceland, just like the Highlands, which can be simply not accessible in the course of the winter.

See Related: Iceland Road Trip Itinerary: Maximize Your Ring Road Tour

2. What Airlines Fly to Iceland?

There are a number of airways with flights to Iceland. The main airways that fly to Iceland from the United States are Icelandair, JetBlue, Fly Play, and Delta — with airBaltic, KLM, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic holding down the European aspect.

Leaving your model loyalty on the checkout cart will save you money in the long term. A number of these recognizable guys are spendy – and there are cheaper airways on the market.

Fly Play is among the latest airways going to Iceland, and one I’ve had some expertise with. This low-cost airline was based in 2019 and is headquartered out of Reykjavik.

This is essentially the most budget-friendly possibility for these touring from the United States, unquestionably. Fly Play is mainly a global model of Spirit Airlines, so nonetheless you are feeling about Spirit Airlines, you’ll really feel the identical method about Fly Play.

Everything with this airline is a la carte, which suggests you’ll be paying additional on your carry-on, seat choice, and so forth, very like Ryanair. This can add up fairly shortly, however for finances vacationers, Fly Play is a good possibility. I’ve flown each Icelandair and Fly Play and whereas the previous had a way more luxurious really feel, Fly Play received the job executed simply as properly. Weirdly sufficient, I did discover Fly Play had a bit extra legroom than I used to be anticipating from a finances airline, which is at all times a pleasant perk, particularly when flight occasions are inclined to run round six hours.

No matter what airline you select, your Iceland flight will land at Keflavik International Airport. It’s about 30 miles (48km) west of Reykjavik, and there are a lot of shuttles, buses, and car rental companies to get you to the capital metropolis.

3. Which Airports to Depart From within the United States & Europe

The United States has considerably fewer airways that supply nonstop flights to Iceland, however since Iceland is slowly changing into one of the standard locations, extra airports and airways are becoming a member of in on the enjoyable. Icelandair, Delta, United, and Play Airlines all supply routes from the United States to Iceland, and your major two airways to control are Icelandair and Fly Play. Many of your main east coast worldwide airports like Boston, Orlando, Washington D.C., and New York all have direct flights, nevertheless it’s not unusual to see direct flights from Chicago, Denver, and even Portland too.

Keep in thoughts that it might be cheaper to discover a direct flight on the east coast and get a home flight to that airport individually. Every greenback counts! So, for instance, in the event you dwell in Kansas, it might be cheaper to snag that low-cost flight to Iceland from John F Kennedy International Airport after which buy a separate flight from Kansas to JFK.

This can be the place you should use any loyalty factors or miles you’ve gotten with a home airline. If you’ve received the rewards, use them! Every little bit counts and each cent saved is simply including to the enjoyable actions ready for you within the Land of Fire and Ice.

Here’s an inventory of what airports and airways fly to Keflavik International Airport, and which carriers will help you discover nonstop flights to Iceland within the United States and Canada:

  • Anchorage – Icelandair
  • Baltimore – Icelandair, PLAY
  • Boston – Delta, Icelandair, PLAY
  • Chicago – Icelandair, United
  • Denver – Icelandair
  • Minneapolis – Delta, Icelandair
  • Montréal – Air Canada, Icelandair
  • New York – Delta, Icelandair
  • New York-Stewart – PLAY
  • Newark – Icelandair, United
  • Orlando – Icelandair, PLAY
  • Portland – Icelandair
  • Raleigh – Icelandair
  • Seattle – Icelandair
  • Toronto – Air Canada, Icelandair
  • Vancouver – Icelandair
  • Washington, D.C. – Icelandair

On the European aspect, Icelandair, particularly, gives a number of airways flying throughout Europe together with London Heathrow, Dublin, Rome…mainly each main airport in Europe from Madrid to Helsinki!

Here’s a fast rundown of nearly all of the most important European airports and airways providing direct flights to Iceland:

  • Aberdeen – Icelandair
  • Alicante – Norwegian, Primera Air
  • Amsterdam – Icelandair, Transavia
  • Barcelona – Norwegian, Vueling
  • Basel – easyJet
  • Berlin – Air Berlin
  • Bergen – Icelandair, Norwegian
  • Birmingham – Icelandair, Jet2
  • Belfast City – easyJet
  • Billund – Icelandair
  • Bristol – easyJet, TUI Airways
  • Brussels – Icelandair
  • Budapest – Wizz Air
  • Copenhagen – Icelandair, SAS
  • Dublin – Icelandair
  • Dusseldorf – Air Berlin
  • Edinburgh – easyJet
  • Frankfurt – Icelandair, Lufthansa
  • Gdansk – Wizz Air
  • Geneva – easyJet
  • Glasgow – Icelandair
  • Hamburg – Icelandair
  • Helsinki – Icelandair, Finnair
  • Katowice – Wizz Air
  • London – British Airways, easyJet, Icelandair, TUI Airways
  • Madrid – Icelandair, Iberia Express
  • Manchester – Icelandair, easyJet, TUI Airways
  • Munich – Icelandair
  • Nuuk – Air Iceland Connect, Air Greenland
  • Oslo – Icelandair, SAS, Norwegian
  • Paris – Icelandair, Transavia
  • Prague – Czech Airlines, Wizz Air, Smartwings
  • Stockholm – Icelandair
  • Vienna – Wizz Air
  • Warsaw – Wizz Air 
  • Zurich – Icelandair

As of proper now, there aren’t any direct flights from Asia or Australia, however you possibly can at all times fly to one of many locations above after which catch a flight from considered one of these airports. Regardless of what course you’re flying from, 99% of flights will land at Keflavik airport, the biggest airport in Iceland.

There’s just one terminal right here, so it’s very simple to navigate. Keflavik Airport is the place nearly all of worldwide flights arrive and depart from, and take into accout the airport is about 30 miles (50km) away from Reykjavik, which finally ends up round a 45-minute drive.

See Related: Best Airports for Layovers Around the World

4. How To Find The Cheapest Flight To Iceland

Happy luggage with sunglasses and face mask

Marco Verch Professional / Flickr

Everyone needs the very best worth, however who has them? Well, there are a number of totally different tips you can use to help you lock in your cheap flights to Iceland.

One of the largest ideas I can provide you is to have versatile dates. On common, flights in the course of the week are cheaper than on the weekends. You’d be stunned at how a lot it can save you by shifting round your dates just a little bit and having a versatile flight time.

Also, the sooner you possibly can ebook flights to Iceland, the extra doubtless you’re to seek out low-cost airfares. This can be tremendous useful as a result of in the event you’re reserving your flight upfront, it’s a lot simpler to have just a little wiggle room in your departure date.

Generally talking, you’ll need to begin your search not less than two months upfront, with the candy spot round 4-6 months out. Of course, in the event you’re actually versatile, generally you will discover a last-minute ticket for fairly low-cost, which is how I discovered my solution to Iceland in February with lower than 30 days between after I purchased the tickets and after I landed at Keflavik International Airport.

Using a number of totally different web sites can actually assist out in relation to discovering the cheapest flight. Not each web site can have the identical charges, so spending the time to take a look at a number of totally different web sites can prevent some cash. Google Flights, Skyscanner, Kiwi, and Going are a number of of the most important web sites that supply discounted flights.

Going, particularly, gives a membership tier that could be helpful to you in the event you’re making journey a precedence within the subsequent few years. Once you create an account, you choose the airports you’d favor to fly out of and Going will ship you newsletter-style offers on the very best locations. This is superior for wanderlust warriors who don’t essentially care the place they’re going, they only need to go someplace.

You could even discover luck with Kayak or Expedia, two longstanding pillars within the journey world which have helped thousands and thousands snag nice offers on flights.

Ticket costs fluctuate just like the inventory market, and these web sites usually will enhance the worth in the event that they discover a selected journey vacation spot is excessive on its search rankings. You could also be unknowingly rising the price by constantly checking flights! To keep away from this, you’ll need to use the incognito mode of your browser, in order that the web site can’t try your search historical past and cookies. And clear your browser historical past, cache, and cookies earlier than you start your search – belief me, all of it helps.

While a direct flight is usually the preferred route, it may also be the costliest. Sometimes, the very best offers will provide you with an extended layover at an airport, and you should use that to your benefit! Spend a while exploring these cities, and make the very best use of your time.

This is particularly standard in Europe, the place you could catch a flight with an prolonged layover in Berlin, Oslo, and even London. Now you’ve received a mini journey to discover the town and doubtlessly make plans to come back again for an prolonged keep. The extra versatile you’re, the extra versatile airfares you’ll discover.

5. Best & Cheapest Times to Fly to Iceland

Ticket costs are based mostly on peak vacationer occasions, so to get the most affordable flight, you’ll need to go to Iceland in the course of the “off occasions.” Now, let’s be completely clear: Iceland is gorgeous year-round, however you’ll have very totally different experiences visiting Iceland within the winter and visiting Iceland in the summertime.

Summer is the preferred time to go to Iceland, with July and August being the 2 busiest months. Both of the occasions I’ve been to Iceland (October and February) have been outdoors vacationer season, which made it simpler to seek out low-cost flights.

So when you’ve got your coronary heart set on summer season in Iceland, contemplate perhaps visiting in June, and even September, simply on the sting of peak vacationer season. You’ll most certainly be getting the identical expertise, with out the crowds and some additional bucks in your pocket.

June can be one of many driest months in Iceland, so you would very properly expertise nothing however stunning sunshine throughout your vacation. Of course, in the event you can courageous the frigid temperatures, December by means of February are whenever you’ll discover the most affordable flights to Iceland, nevertheless it comes at a a lot totally different worth!

Iceland is understood for its dramatic climate modifications, and visiting any Arctic nation in the course of the dead of winter is sure to trigger some weather-related cancellations, and driving in Iceland in the course of the winter is an Olympic sport, reserved for less than essentially the most stalwart, skilled winter drivers. February is arguably the most affordable month and whenever you’ll discover the very best costs, simply be ready to have a versatile schedule as these winter storms aren’t any joke.

The payoff of visiting Iceland in February is getting the chance to see Iceland’s dreamy panorama blanketed in snow, and naturally, the potential aurora sightings. Both are truthful commerce for my part!

See Related: Best Websites for Cheap Flights and Hotels

6. Extra Costs to Consider

Packing Layout open suitcase
Marco Verch Professional / Flickr

Once you’ve chosen your airline and bought your ticket, right here’s the place issues can actually add up in the event you’re not cautious. I’m at all times crew carry-on and by no means verify any baggage, however the time of yr you journey can actually make that call for you. Traveling to Iceland within the winter means you’ll be bringing a variety of winter gear, and that’s simply very cumbersome and takes up a lot more room than your summer season wardrobe.

Packing all the pieces right into a carry-on will prevent cash, and we’ve even created a packing guide that will help you journey the world smarter. We promise you don’t want all of these pairs of sneakers.

If there’s one price that I’d extremely advocate splurging on, it’s selecting a seat on the aircraft. Flights from the United States to Iceland are inclined to arrive very early within the morning (assume 4 or 5 am) which can sound like a jetlag nightmare, however the silver lining is that you could have the prospect to see the Northern Lights from the aircraft! I sat on the left aspect of the aircraft going to Iceland and the best aspect departing Iceland and was blessed with Green Lady sightings on each flights!

Even in the event you’re crew aisle, change it up for this flight and choose a window. If your flight is in the summertime or in the course of the day, you’ll go over Greenland and that’s a wonderful sight from the sky!

7. Consider Bundling Up

Traveling man And woman exploring Iceland
stakhov / Adobe Stock

No, we’re not speaking about garments (though in the event you’re visiting Iceland within the winter, then sure, completely bundle up). Once you’ve discovered your flight and begun the hunt for resorts, rental automobiles, and excursions, you could discover that it’s nonetheless dearer than you had hoped.

Well, excellent news, potential bundler! Many airways, like Icelandair, supply trip packages that could be price your whereas. Some of those packages embrace rental automobiles, some embrace resorts, and a few embrace scheduled excursions which may vary from Northern Lights hunts to culinary meals excursions…there’s really a tour package deal for everybody.

These packages are sometimes supplied at discounted charges, so if you realize you need to see a few of Iceland’s most popular attractions, just like the Golden Circle, then it might be price your whereas to bundle up and save massive! You can at all times add additional excursions by means of standard websites like GetYourGuide so you possibly can nonetheless construct the holiday of your desires. And simply because these packages are supplied at discounted charges, don’t assume that you just’ll be lacking out on the expertise! Airlines work with their trusted companions, and wouldn’t put their identify alongside an organization that doesn’t dwell as much as their expectations.

Now, it’s at all times a good suggestion to verify the critiques for a tour firm or a rental company, however for essentially the most half, these main airways have already given the thumbs up. It’s all about placing within the work forward of time and staying versatile. Who is aware of, you could even discover the proper trip package deal for you!

Related Resources

Lock In Your Travel Now

Find Cheap Flights
Use Skyscanner to seek out flight offers. As my private favourite flight search engine, Skyscanner scours web sites and airways throughout the globe, leaving no stone unturned that will help you discover the very best deal attainable. And in the event you actually need to take your financial savings to new heights, pair Skyscanner with Going (Formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights). With entry to unique mistake fares delivered straight to your inbox, you will be packing your baggage and jetting off in your subsequent journey earlier than you realize it.

Travel Insurance
Travel insurance coverage is a low price method to make sure your journey plans go easy it doesn’t matter what’s thrown at it. Cover your self towards sickness, damage and theft, and shield the preparations you’ve got made with our versatile journey cancellation insurance coverage. My favourite choices for journey insurance coverage are:

Book Your Accommodation
In order to seize the widest choice of properties and the very best worth, use Booking.com as they’ve the most affordable charges for guesthouses, resorts, luxurious condos, B&Bs and a lot extra.

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