Planning for Iceland
Jun 21, 2013 | 6:28 am
#16
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 41
Another adventure idea to consider is that Iceland Air offers stopover deal. Pick a European city and Iceland air will allow you to stop over in Iceland for a couple of days and then send you off to you next destination. That's how we're planning on getting to Oslo.
Jun 22, 2013 | 10:00 am
#17
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: CBR
Programs: QF, Velocity, AA
Posts: 284
As many have alluded to, Iceland is a pretty "award-poor" destination. Flight choices other than on Icelandair are minimal or clunky, and chain hotels are thin-on-the-ground in Reykjavik and non-existent in the rest of the country.
Use this one as a point accumulating trip on your credit card :-)
Use this one as a point accumulating trip on your credit card :-)
Jun 22, 2013 | 6:23 pm
#19
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Austin
Programs: AA P4L, WN, BA, DL, UA, HHonors, IHG
Posts: 3,505
Using Icelandair Saga Points / Miles
And for anyone wanting to use Icelandair FF miles, the hard-to-find award chart is here:
https://www.icelandair.us/frequent-f...69/icelandair/
According to the website, you must phone in (500 ISK telephone fee, approximately $4 USD) to make an award reservation, and pay a 3000 ISK service charge, a fuel surcharge and taxes.
https://www.icelandair.us/frequent-f...69/icelandair/
According to the website, you must phone in (500 ISK telephone fee, approximately $4 USD) to make an award reservation, and pay a 3000 ISK service charge, a fuel surcharge and taxes.
Jun 23, 2013 | 6:30 pm
#20
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: SPG Gold, AA, USair, United, Amex MR, ICHC, HHonors Silver
Posts: 235
you can use alaska air miles to fly on iceland air. spg transfers to alaska air. if you wanna base yourself in rek the hilton there is very nice and pretty affordable at 35k points a night i think.
Jun 23, 2013 | 7:04 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 25
AS is no longer a partner of Icelandair unfortunately. There's rumors they'll hook up with another US carrier, but until then the only way to get there on award travel is through cashback-based systems like Barclays Arrival, Chase Ultimate Rewards or Capital One Ventures.
Jun 25, 2013 | 12:36 pm
#22
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 26,113
http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...celandair.aspx
AS is no longer a partner of Icelandair unfortunately. There's rumors they'll hook up with another US carrier, but until then the only way to get there on award travel is through cashback-based systems like Barclays Arrival, Chase Ultimate Rewards or Capital One Ventures.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/diner...os-2012-a.html
However, given the Saga award chart in a post above, whether that's even worth it (should it be possible for you) is a separate question.
Jun 27, 2013 | 9:15 am
#24
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: nwa spg aa ua
Posts: 133
I've been doing similar research recently.
Delta flies JFK-KEF so if you have ways of getting some miles into that account, you may be able to use them on that route. Of course, availability with Delta is an entirely different story.
Short of that, staralliance is probably the only other mile-based way but I find it difficult to justify sitting on the plane twice as long and essentially backtracking from continental Europe back to Iceland and repeating that again on the way back when I can pay usually sub-$1K and be there in maybe 6 hrs.
Somebody else also recommended tours to me as a good way to save when traveling to Iceland.
Delta flies JFK-KEF so if you have ways of getting some miles into that account, you may be able to use them on that route. Of course, availability with Delta is an entirely different story.
Short of that, staralliance is probably the only other mile-based way but I find it difficult to justify sitting on the plane twice as long and essentially backtracking from continental Europe back to Iceland and repeating that again on the way back when I can pay usually sub-$1K and be there in maybe 6 hrs.
Somebody else also recommended tours to me as a good way to save when traveling to Iceland.
Jun 27, 2013 | 9:43 am
#25
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 9,781
Also check if prices to Europe via KEF. You can visit a second city in Europe and add a stopover for free on Iceland Air and sometimes it comes in cheaper.
Good hotels in REK are not expensive. I would highly recommend a rental car if you want to tour the sites.
Good hotels in REK are not expensive. I would highly recommend a rental car if you want to tour the sites.
Sep 29, 2013 | 9:02 pm
#26
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Texas
Programs: AA Gold, Starwood Gold
Posts: 125
Cruise to Iceland??
Anyone taking one of the cruises from Europe to Iceland and back? Was thinking of cheap award flight to Europe and then cruising back and forth from Iceland. Some of the cruises stop in Greenland as well.
