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Iceland Air Saga Class – Affordable way to fly transatlantic in business class

Iceland Air Saga Class – Affordable way to fly transatlantic in business class

Old Mar 19, 2016, 10:17 am
  #16  
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Originally Posted by MD/DC Flyer
A more affordable way to get a Saga seat (but not Saga service) will be to book premium economy. If Saga is not sold out, the last row(s) of the business seats will be available to the premium economy passengers.

On my recent trip, 3 out of the 4 legs were available and per-assigned.

I could not justify the cost for the Saga class, but could for the premium economy one. Considering you can pre-order your BOB (which is free and unlimited - you can get as much as you want), it was a decent deal.
Yes, but if Saga is full, you will be in a regular Y seat, though in Comfort they block the middle one.
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Old Mar 19, 2016, 11:46 am
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Originally Posted by fly747first
Yes, but if Saga is full, you will be in a regular Y seat, though in Comfort they block the middle one.
Correct, it is the gamble you have to take for paying less. In one segment I have seating back at the Comfort section. On short flight to the East Coast it was not too bad and the blocked middle seat helps, a lot.
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Old Mar 19, 2016, 4:04 pm
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Thanks, nice report.
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Old Mar 19, 2016, 6:17 pm
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Thumbs up Very useful report!

Thanks for this extremely useful report, Carfield! Really, one of the most useful TRs I've seen.

The info and impressions you provided are great in terms of: a) detailing an inexpensive way of getting to Iceland or across the Atlantic in a relatively comfortable (though clearly not luxurious) way, and b) warning us of the deficiencies in the service, so as to keep our expectations realistic.

In addition, I hadn't known you could accrue Alaska miles on Iceland Air.

Despite the deficiencies, I could see considering Iceland Air down the line.

Originally Posted by arlflyer
I think that there is an interesting discussion to be had here. On one hand, yes, this is technically a product going across the Atlantic, and as such, the comparison that one would tend to make would be to AA 77W J, BA CW, etc. etc. But in actuality, look at the flight mileages - JFK-KEF is 2590 mi. and KEF-CPH is 1330 mi. So that first one is about the length of LAX-PHL and the second about the length of DFW-PHL. On those flights, you're going to get a ratty old pmUS 320/321 with no legroom, no power, no IFE. Depending on time of day, you're not going to get a meal (nuts and a cookie for that LAX redeye). You're not going to get lounge access. And either of those flights could easily cost the $800 that the OP paid for both of his legs. He got what looks to be a pretty comfy recliner, a darn good biz lounge at JFK (BA Galleries), pretty tasty looking meals, IFE, power, and a chance to stretch his legs and hit another lounge with real food and drink in the middle. This is, in my humble opinion, not a bad way to travel, all things considered.

If you ask the question "Is this the best transatlantic business class product?" you're going to get one very obvious answer. If you ask the question "If this a good way to get to Copenhagen for $800?", then in my mind that's a completely different calculus. Barring huge sales, mistakes, or odd stackable discounts (BA + AARP, etc.), there aren't many non-economy options that exist at that price point. Having choices is, in my opinion, a good thing, and if I were spending my own dime and were not in a hurry, I'd totally consider this.
+1 in a big way. View this more as something like a American carrier's domestic F product for something like a cross-country trip, and it looks at lot better.

Originally Posted by fly747first
Yes, but if Saga is full, you will be in a regular Y seat, though in Comfort they block the middle one.
Even this could be somewhat appealing, given the better legroom (by sitting kind of sideways) and shoulder room that comes with Comfort.
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Old Mar 19, 2016, 6:45 pm
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You get what you pay for..I would compare it to Premium Economy products really and it seems pretty competitive once you do that.
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Old Mar 19, 2016, 7:23 pm
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Originally Posted by Ber2dca
You get what you pay for..I would compare it to Premium Economy products really and it seems pretty competitive once you do that.
Yeah, I think this is the key comparison, which I didn't completely consider in my own previous post. Just did a quick check, and it seems to be about $450-500 less RT compared to BA and AF Premium Economy.
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Old Mar 19, 2016, 9:15 pm
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Originally Posted by Thunderroad
Thanks for this extremely useful report, Carfield! Really, one of the most useful TRs I've seen.

The info and impressions you provided are great in terms of: a) detailing an inexpensive way of getting to Iceland or across the Atlantic in a relatively comfortable (though clearly not luxurious) way, and b) warning us of the deficiencies in the service, so as to keep our expectations realistic.

In addition, I hadn't known you could accrue Alaska miles on Iceland Air.

Despite the deficiencies, I could see considering Iceland Air down the line.



+1 in a big way. View this more as something like a American carrier's domestic F product for something like a cross-country trip, and it looks at lot better.



Even this could be somewhat appealing, given the better legroom (by sitting kind of sideways) and shoulder room that comes with Comfort.

It sounds much like Alaska's Domestic First, which also comes with Lounge Access and much the same meal.
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Old Mar 20, 2016, 8:45 am
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It makes such a difference with Iceland Air in terms of the quality of food. Significantly better flying out of KEF than flying into KEF. Since the flight is so short this is a great way to work in a stopover in one of the most beautiful places in the world
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Old Mar 20, 2016, 1:57 pm
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really great report (as usual)
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Old Mar 21, 2016, 10:30 am
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Originally Posted by alexisonsmith
It makes such a difference with Iceland Air in terms of the quality of food. Significantly better flying out of KEF than flying into KEF. Since the flight is so short this is a great way to work in a stopover in one of the most beautiful places in the world
Not really. They cater the flight from KEF for the outbound and inbound flights, so the food is the same, except if you are flying out of SEA, PDX, YVR, or DEN, since the plane overnights, the cater in the US for the US-KEF flight.
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Old Mar 21, 2016, 10:43 am
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thank you for the detailed report and pics.
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Old Mar 23, 2016, 11:01 am
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Report much appreciated, and very informative.

I have, in the past, considered Saga Class from UK to IAD [with the brief stop-over in KEF] and this reinforces the idea of that option. OK, no flat-bed [as a BA/AA TATL user] but with the break in KEF that's no big deal. If the price is right ... go for it!

Thanks again.
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Old Mar 24, 2016, 1:12 am
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Thanks - great TR!
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Old Mar 24, 2016, 8:57 pm
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Thanks for this - and agree that the Saga Lounge in KEF is very good.

Also, if you're in Economy Comfort, some of the seats are really outstanding. The ones on the D-F side, directly across from the door, are outstanding - and probably have a good 3-4 feet of legroom... so if you don't move up, those are a great option.
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Old Mar 25, 2016, 12:10 am
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Very interesting report, thank you. Wonderful to see how Icelandic Air has incorporated a lot of local Iceland culture and geography into their airline. I particular like the cup featuring Strokur.

Reminded me of the Strokkur geysir that we saw in Iceland.

I saw your picture of the Singapore Airlines plane in Copenhagen!
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