Originally Posted by
lwildernorva
Icelandair is especially attractive if you decide you want to break up the flight by staying in Iceland for a day or so:
https://www.icelandair.us/flights/st...pos=US&lang=en.
I'm also a big fan of business class. Ignoring for the moment some of the pickiness you can find at FT about the relative merits of one airline or the other's offerings, I've learned that the ability to lie flat and have just a little more room is far superior to wedging into an economy class seat (leg room is not always horrible, but I think the width of any economy or economy plus seat is uncomfortable--and I'm 5' 9" and of average weight). To me, flying business class is like taking a nap on a sofa--you might not want to do that every night, but it is mostly tolerable for one night.
I agree with both points.
Going via Iceland, with an interesting stop there, seems to be the best thing to do if flying economy.
Even better, though: Fly business. And to do so very cheaply on award flights, start exploring the credit card forums here on FT to learn about the many initial bonuses of 50,000 or more miles on various airlines by signing up for AA, UA or other credit cards and doing some initial spending of $2,000 or $3,000 within a few months.
Similarly, look into the Chase Sapphire and Ink cards, the Citi Thank You and Prestige cards, the Starwood Amex personal and business cards, and various Amex cards that get you initial points bonuses with each of those four companies' cards. Those points can in turn be converted into miles with partner airlines.
It might take some reading, asking questions, and investment of some time to learn about how to best go about this, but it will be worth it in the end for both you and your wife.