Trip Report: LHR-KEF-JFK with Icelandair in Saga Business Class
Jun 25, 2001, 1:14 pm
#1
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Trip Report: LHR-KEF-JFK with Icelandair in Saga Business Class
Friday, December 15, 2000:
FI 451 (LHR-KEF) Boeing 757-200, Seat 2F
I got to Heathrow Terminal One ninety minutes prior to departure and quickly checked-in at the Icelandair island (ground servicing handled by Swissport). After a quick look around the airside shops, I headed to the Servisair Executive Lounge, which serves business class passengers from Icelandair, Sabena, Finnair and others. The lounge itself was nice, but the seats were showing their age. Once our gate was called, I headed down, only to find out that the flight was delayed (actually, they never made an announcement, but I could tell there would be a delay because it was 30 minutes to departure and passengers were still leaving the plane from the previous flight).
We finally boarded at 1:00 (scheduled departure time) and I knew I would have a very tight connection at KEF (thoughts of having to spend a night in Iceland in Winter were going through my head). The seats were nice, done in light blue and had a footrest, which did not come-up too much, but made the seat fairly comfortable. Once airborne, we headed over Ireland, and then north to Iceland.
The cabin service began with a pre-takeoff orange juice, followed by a full beverage service once airborne. Having heard much about Icelandair winning the best champaigne award last year, I had some, which came in a small bottle and was quite nice. The meal was served all at once and began with parma ham and melon. Main course choices included duck with peanut sauce, trout and a pasta dish. I had the duck, which came with vegetables and a potato. It was pretty good, but nothing too special. Hot rolls were offered and desert consisted of blueberry cheesecake. Overall the meal was good, but not particularly large or filling.
As we approached KEF, it began to get quite dark, but there was still some light when we landed (around 4:40 PM GMT). We got to the gate with 20 minutes to go before my next flight departed, but upon getting to the gate, I learned there was an hour delay. I actually did not mind this, as I wanted to have the time to check-out the airport and the Icelandair Business Class Lounge, which they tout on their website.
The Layover
The airport in KEF is quite small and I was able to explore it all in a few minutes. I went to the lounge and helped myself to some smoked meat (maybe reindeer), some cheese and some cream puffs (which were excellent). They had computers with free internet access, so I was able to check my e-mail. At about 5:30, we got the call to go the gate. There was a long line to board, but I felt justified in cutting it, which I did.
FI 615 (KEF-JFK) Boeing 757-200, Seat 2F
Although this plane, unlike the previous one, was repainted in the new scheme, it had an older interior, which featured seats more akin to the standard domestic US airline first class seat (cloth, not leather). This slightly irked me as this was a longer flight and should have had a plane with the new interior. The seat itself was quite hard, which is something I have never complained about before. It was however, wide and offered nice legroom. Although there were six rows of business class seats, only three were needed on the flight, so some economy passengers got very lucky (they got the wider seat, but the same economy service -- the plane had a movable divider).
The service began with a glass of sparkling wine, served before takeoff. After de-icing (it was lightly snowing), we taxied and were airborne in five minutes. A full beverage service began after takeoff and I had a rum and Coke (actually Pepsi). We were offered a choice of pretzels or dried fruit to accompany the drink. I had the pretzels. A little while later, the FA came around with some nice canapes. Before serving the meal, she put a table cloth on my tray (something not done on the previous flight). She intially served a tray with the appetizer and cheese course on it. The appetizer was a very good cooked smoked salmon and prawns with sour cream and capers. Soon, she served the main course, which was a choice between redfish in curry sauce, steak and a pasta dish. Icelandair claims that the fish served on its flights to the US was caught that morning, and I was looking forward to having some. However, I do not like curry and had to settle for the beef, which was quite nice, but a little overcooked for my taste. It was served with au gratin potatos and green beans. The cheese course consisted of brie and a cheese that looked like brie, but had some type of sweet seasoning on it. Both were good, but no crackers were offered to accompany. Fortunately, the FA served me another warm roll to go with the cheese. After this, she served coffee and dessert, which was opera cake and whipped cream. After dinner drinks were also served and I had a cognac.
All the while, it weas getting lighter in front of us, but we never quite caught up to the sun. I wisted the flight deck and spent an hour explaining my views on the US election to the crew. They explained to me that usually, the flights from Iceland fly on a special routing, thus avoiding the North Atlantic track system. However, they said, if the tracks are drawn well north, they might be routed onto the system by ATC. Nevertheless, they do communicate with Gander and Shanwick, just like any other flight from mainland Europe of Great Britain.
No further meal service was offered prior to landing, which was fine with my as I was still full from dinner. We followed the Kennebunk Two arrival into JFK and shot the Canarsie approach onto runway 13L. At JFK, Icelandair parks at the British Airways terminal. As we were taxying, I noticed a that a Cathay and BA 747-400 were unloading, so I thought there would be long wait to get through immigration. Fortunately this was not the case, and I was out of the airport and met my limo driver in about 15 minutes. Then, we needed to take a shuttle bus to the car park, as there was no parking in front of the BA terminal (thank you Port Authority of NY and NJ). In my opinion, JFK will look great when it is all done in about ten years, but for now it is an absolute mess.
I was very impressed with Icelandair's Saga Business Class, espically becasue it cost the same as a full fare economy ticket. The seat on the JFK flight could have been better, but it was still very nice. Of course, stopping in Iceland adds time to the trip, but if you are not in a rush, it is a great way to travel in business for less.
**As an added bonus that was not known at the time I wrote this report, AA bought TWA and the miles I earned on TWA for this trip will eventually be part of my AA mileage.
FI 451 (LHR-KEF) Boeing 757-200, Seat 2F
I got to Heathrow Terminal One ninety minutes prior to departure and quickly checked-in at the Icelandair island (ground servicing handled by Swissport). After a quick look around the airside shops, I headed to the Servisair Executive Lounge, which serves business class passengers from Icelandair, Sabena, Finnair and others. The lounge itself was nice, but the seats were showing their age. Once our gate was called, I headed down, only to find out that the flight was delayed (actually, they never made an announcement, but I could tell there would be a delay because it was 30 minutes to departure and passengers were still leaving the plane from the previous flight).
We finally boarded at 1:00 (scheduled departure time) and I knew I would have a very tight connection at KEF (thoughts of having to spend a night in Iceland in Winter were going through my head). The seats were nice, done in light blue and had a footrest, which did not come-up too much, but made the seat fairly comfortable. Once airborne, we headed over Ireland, and then north to Iceland.
The cabin service began with a pre-takeoff orange juice, followed by a full beverage service once airborne. Having heard much about Icelandair winning the best champaigne award last year, I had some, which came in a small bottle and was quite nice. The meal was served all at once and began with parma ham and melon. Main course choices included duck with peanut sauce, trout and a pasta dish. I had the duck, which came with vegetables and a potato. It was pretty good, but nothing too special. Hot rolls were offered and desert consisted of blueberry cheesecake. Overall the meal was good, but not particularly large or filling.
As we approached KEF, it began to get quite dark, but there was still some light when we landed (around 4:40 PM GMT). We got to the gate with 20 minutes to go before my next flight departed, but upon getting to the gate, I learned there was an hour delay. I actually did not mind this, as I wanted to have the time to check-out the airport and the Icelandair Business Class Lounge, which they tout on their website.
The Layover
The airport in KEF is quite small and I was able to explore it all in a few minutes. I went to the lounge and helped myself to some smoked meat (maybe reindeer), some cheese and some cream puffs (which were excellent). They had computers with free internet access, so I was able to check my e-mail. At about 5:30, we got the call to go the gate. There was a long line to board, but I felt justified in cutting it, which I did.
FI 615 (KEF-JFK) Boeing 757-200, Seat 2F
Although this plane, unlike the previous one, was repainted in the new scheme, it had an older interior, which featured seats more akin to the standard domestic US airline first class seat (cloth, not leather). This slightly irked me as this was a longer flight and should have had a plane with the new interior. The seat itself was quite hard, which is something I have never complained about before. It was however, wide and offered nice legroom. Although there were six rows of business class seats, only three were needed on the flight, so some economy passengers got very lucky (they got the wider seat, but the same economy service -- the plane had a movable divider).
The service began with a glass of sparkling wine, served before takeoff. After de-icing (it was lightly snowing), we taxied and were airborne in five minutes. A full beverage service began after takeoff and I had a rum and Coke (actually Pepsi). We were offered a choice of pretzels or dried fruit to accompany the drink. I had the pretzels. A little while later, the FA came around with some nice canapes. Before serving the meal, she put a table cloth on my tray (something not done on the previous flight). She intially served a tray with the appetizer and cheese course on it. The appetizer was a very good cooked smoked salmon and prawns with sour cream and capers. Soon, she served the main course, which was a choice between redfish in curry sauce, steak and a pasta dish. Icelandair claims that the fish served on its flights to the US was caught that morning, and I was looking forward to having some. However, I do not like curry and had to settle for the beef, which was quite nice, but a little overcooked for my taste. It was served with au gratin potatos and green beans. The cheese course consisted of brie and a cheese that looked like brie, but had some type of sweet seasoning on it. Both were good, but no crackers were offered to accompany. Fortunately, the FA served me another warm roll to go with the cheese. After this, she served coffee and dessert, which was opera cake and whipped cream. After dinner drinks were also served and I had a cognac.
All the while, it weas getting lighter in front of us, but we never quite caught up to the sun. I wisted the flight deck and spent an hour explaining my views on the US election to the crew. They explained to me that usually, the flights from Iceland fly on a special routing, thus avoiding the North Atlantic track system. However, they said, if the tracks are drawn well north, they might be routed onto the system by ATC. Nevertheless, they do communicate with Gander and Shanwick, just like any other flight from mainland Europe of Great Britain.
No further meal service was offered prior to landing, which was fine with my as I was still full from dinner. We followed the Kennebunk Two arrival into JFK and shot the Canarsie approach onto runway 13L. At JFK, Icelandair parks at the British Airways terminal. As we were taxying, I noticed a that a Cathay and BA 747-400 were unloading, so I thought there would be long wait to get through immigration. Fortunately this was not the case, and I was out of the airport and met my limo driver in about 15 minutes. Then, we needed to take a shuttle bus to the car park, as there was no parking in front of the BA terminal (thank you Port Authority of NY and NJ). In my opinion, JFK will look great when it is all done in about ten years, but for now it is an absolute mess.
I was very impressed with Icelandair's Saga Business Class, espically becasue it cost the same as a full fare economy ticket. The seat on the JFK flight could have been better, but it was still very nice. Of course, stopping in Iceland adds time to the trip, but if you are not in a rush, it is a great way to travel in business for less.
**As an added bonus that was not known at the time I wrote this report, AA bought TWA and the miles I earned on TWA for this trip will eventually be part of my AA mileage.
Jun 25, 2001, 1:27 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2000
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Great report! Can you tell me how long the flights were? Also, are the two 757 configured different for international and european service? Or do they all mix into whatever route their scheduled to fly?
Jun 25, 2001, 1:39 pm
#3
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Original Poster
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Good questions.
As for time, the LHR-KEF leg was just under three hours and the KEF-JFK leg was 5 hours and 40 minutes.
My understanding is that there is one basic configuration for Icelandair's 757s. They are arranged with 2x2 seating betweent eh first two doors and them 3x3 seating the rest of the way. The C-Class seats are not adjustable into Y seats, but the curtain can be moved so as to increase or decrease the number of seats. I have no first hand knowledge of this, but I am pretty sure that their 737s, which operate many of its European flights are configured with a 2/3 layout in C class.
As for time, the LHR-KEF leg was just under three hours and the KEF-JFK leg was 5 hours and 40 minutes.
My understanding is that there is one basic configuration for Icelandair's 757s. They are arranged with 2x2 seating betweent eh first two doors and them 3x3 seating the rest of the way. The C-Class seats are not adjustable into Y seats, but the curtain can be moved so as to increase or decrease the number of seats. I have no first hand knowledge of this, but I am pretty sure that their 737s, which operate many of its European flights are configured with a 2/3 layout in C class.
Dec 20, 2009, 10:59 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Programs: Korean Air, Lufthansa M&M, SPG ,United Mileage Plus
Posts: 908
I flown MSP-KEF-FRA-KEF-MSP back in 2002 and 2003... in Y. Service was ok.. but hey... $430 round trip... MSP-FRA.. cant beat that..
Good questions.
As for time, the LHR-KEF leg was just under three hours and the KEF-JFK leg was 5 hours and 40 minutes.
My understanding is that there is one basic configuration for Icelandair's 757s. They are arranged with 2x2 seating betweent eh first two doors and them 3x3 seating the rest of the way. The C-Class seats are not adjustable into Y seats, but the curtain can be moved so as to increase or decrease the number of seats. I have no first hand knowledge of this, but I am pretty sure that their 737s, which operate many of its European flights are configured with a 2/3 layout in C class.
As for time, the LHR-KEF leg was just under three hours and the KEF-JFK leg was 5 hours and 40 minutes.
My understanding is that there is one basic configuration for Icelandair's 757s. They are arranged with 2x2 seating betweent eh first two doors and them 3x3 seating the rest of the way. The C-Class seats are not adjustable into Y seats, but the curtain can be moved so as to increase or decrease the number of seats. I have no first hand knowledge of this, but I am pretty sure that their 737s, which operate many of its European flights are configured with a 2/3 layout in C class.