With the U. S. Dollar at historic highs against the Euro and British Pound, here is your opportunity to cash in. Icelandair is running a flash sale through Sunday with both economy and business class on sale.
Select Gateways On Sale To Iceland From $379 and Europe From $399
Flash fares to Europe are on sale now from select gateways through midnight Sunday! Double the value and add a Stopover in Iceland for up to 3 nights on your way to or from Europe for no additional airfare! Not only can you fly to Europe at a great sale price, but you can also include a no-cost stopover to explore Iceland. Be aware that in my sample booking, seats are limited but does include Saga business class tickets.
I priced Saga business class from my home airport, Portland, OR (PDX) to London (LHR) for December to view the amazing Christmas light displays and visit the Christmas markets.
I used ITA matrix to find the cheapest business class flights for a 4-5 night stay, here are the results for $1,229.88 per person, roundtrip.
To get this price, it does have an overnight layover in Iceland (KEF). I will gladly pay for a hotel for one night to get this deal. Here is the price breakdown:
To understand what a bargain this is, you need to know what the regular prices are from PDX to western Europe on Icelandair. The regular price on this type of routing is usually around $3,200 to $3,500 per person. As you can see, this itinerary reflects a discount in the range of 63% – 65%. Book this sale directly through Icelandair.
Seats for these sale fares are limited. Departures to Iceland and Europe: November 1 – December 13, 2022. This Offer ends: Midnight, Sunday, October 23, 2022.
To be fair, I would rate the seats on Icelandair as International premium economy or domestic first class. Icelandair’s business class does give you lounge access. Here are some prices for the same origin and destination for the cheapest comparative fares:
- The lowest premium economy fare between PDX and LHR on the same dates was on Delta at $2,559 round trip and
- The lowest business class fare between PDX and LHR on the same dates was on Condor at $4,431. (Condor has the same type of business class seating as Icelandair.)
Icelandair, A Niche Airline
Icelandair is truly a niche airline due to its creative route structure. All flights to and from North America and Europe transfer at their hub airport, Keflavik (KEF). This gives passengers an opportunity at about the halfway point to get off the plane and stretch their legs. Icelandair can enjoy a high load factor by regrouping passengers on connecting flights. This unique hub and spoke network allows Icelandair to offer competitive pricing.
Saga Business Class
Icelandair primarily flies narrow-body aircraft that include:
- Boeing 757-200,
- Boeing 757-300,
- Boeing 737 MAX8 and
- Boeing 737 MAX9.
Icelandair does operate two Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft. While these aircraft have more seats, the seating dimensions are about the same.
The Saga business class comes in two flavors, Saga Premium and Saga Premium Flex.
Flying in business class on a narrow-body aircraft will have recliner seats in pairs, there are no lay-flat seats. I flew from PDX to Dublin last year in Saga business class and I found it a comfortable trip because there is a change of planes at KEF which gives an opportunity to relax in the Saga business class lounge during the layover.
The cabin service is very good. Our flight attendants were very attentive and they routinely pass through the cabin to meet your needs. They serve tasty, hot meals in business class along with an extensive beverage menu and a snack menu if you didn’t get enough to eat for dinner. The meal shown below was the return of hot meals last October after the pandemic.
Earning Miles
Icelandair has its own frequent flyer program called Saga Club. They are not members of any of the big three alliances but they are partners with the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. Here is the Alaska Airlines mileage earning chart for Icelandair:
The sample itinerary above is in Icelandair fare code “A” which earns elite qualifying miles (EQMs) at 125% of base miles. Here are the numbers:
- Round trip base miles = 9,800 miles,
- Round trip Alaska Airlines EQMs earned = 12,260 and
- Total miles earned including 150% bonus miles for Alaska Airlines top tier elite status = 26,960 miles.
Since the EQM earning rate is at 10 cents per mile for business class, it falls into my upper threshold for a business class mileage run. If you are looking for a cheap end-of-the-year mileage run, this sale may be for you.
Final Thoughts
This is a really good sale. The prices fall in line with my price range for a good mileage run. You could give yourself the gift of travel for Christmas this year. You need to act quickly as seats are limited and the sale ends at midnight Sunday (Iceland time).
