Background: I had a conference in CPH this year. My employer allows some flexibility with travel, restrictive in some regards (flights are coach-only) but very permissive in others (last year's rented Mercedes got a thumbs-up). With this in mind, I decided I didn't want a straight PIT-CPH-PIT routing. Having been good friends with a true rail fan in college, I decided to sample some high-end European rail products, with the final routing as follows:

Part 1:
PIT-JFK on Delta
JFK-KEF-LHR on Icelandair

To follow:
London to Brussels Midi on Eurostar
Brussels Midi to Köln HBf on Thalys
Köln HBf to Copenhagen on DB CityNightLine
CPH-KEF on Icelandair
KEF-BOS on Icelandair
BOS-PIT on US Airways

Phew! This is going to be a long ride, so we'd best get started.

PIT-JFK was a typical Northeastern regional jet ride, save for the friendly companionship of the cute girl Delta had given the seat next to me, and for a terrific view of the Statue of Liberty from my right-sided seat as we approached JFK. I couldn't help but think of my ancestors disembarking from some creaky old ship at the end of a long ride from Europe...

The original plan was to redeem one of my USAirways Lounge vouchers at JFK, but this plan was hampered somewhat by USAirways not having a lounge at JFK. Oops. I had a paper ticket, and Icelandair didn't open their ticket counter until a few hours before the flight, so I couldn't even pass security. Fortunately, wandering around the periphery of the lobby showed a large side room used for ticket sales; an empty Cathay Pacific ticket counter provided a nice place for me to spread out with a book. Eventually it was time, and with a boarding pass stapled to my paper ticket, I headed through security.

In the words of an old video game, "Now the adventure begins!"

I'd so far been across the Atlantic on Delta, US Airways, United, and Finnair -- always coach. The first three seemed like a longer-distance version of their domestic product. Finnair was pretty unique, with strange food and endless free alcohol. This time, Icelandair...

Boarding the airplane, I found to my surprise that Icelandair had already fitted the entire coach section with AVOD -- nice! Headphones were minimal, but the jack was a typical 3.5mm unit compatible with most sets on the market. Movie selection featured 13 different flicks, and music could be selected either by "station" or by album, with individual tracks that could be assembled into a playlist. Options included Dire Straits, Beatles, U2, Madonna, Johnny Cash, LeAnn Rimes, and a bunch of lesser lights. Björk, interestingly, was not present -- perhaps she was asking too much for the rights? There was also a selection of TV shows; I remember the Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle, and one episode of the British "Top Gear."

Two quibbles: first, the AVOD was unreliable. My screen, and those around me, failed repeatedly and had to be reset by the flight attendants. Games were listed as a menu option, but nobody had a controller, and exiting the game screen without a controller was very difficult -- more resetting. To their credit the FAs didn't seem to mind. Also, Icelandair is the first airline I've had request money for charity as we flew. With earthquake victims in China and people starving in Burma, I could understand -- but the charity was actually meant to buy plane tickets for sick kids in Iceland. Um, guys, you're an airline... just give them some unsold tickets, eh?

Arrived in Iceland without a hitch; I had to go through Icelandic passport control and go through security, even though I had just arrived on Icelandair and was about to leave the same way. No biggie, although it did beg the question of whether someone who'd ordinarily need a visa to visit Iceland would also need a visa for the Icelandair plane change in KEF. Sent a postcard, sat down to charge the laptop, and read...

Soon enough, KEF-LHR boarded. Breakfast was pretty respectable for coach class on a short international flight, with scrambled eggs and ham. Considering that I hadn't even assumed there would be food, this was quite a pleasant surprise! The KEF-LHR plane was outfitted with the same AVOD as the JFK-KEF plane although the earphones were now the two-prong variety and much more comfortable. FAs collected the customary Icelandair offering from the passengers as we steamed into London Heathrow. I grabbed my bags, rode the Heathrow Connect to Paddington and connected to Kings Cross, dropped my stuff off at the Jesmond Dene Hotel... time to see how much London I can see in 21 hours!