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“Icelandair NIGHTMARE”
Review of Icelandair


Reviewed 5 weeks ago

Went to Iceland for our honeymoon. Excellent trip up until our return flight home. We were at the gate minutes before boarding was about to start, and the flight got delayed a couple hours. Annoying, but these things happen. We went to the service desk to ask a couple questions about the updated flight and asked if the flight was going to be cancelled. The employee assured us the flight was still on, just delayed. 5 minutes later, we got a text that the flight was cancelled. We got no information about a new flight, so we went back to the service desk. At that point a huge line had formed. Some people were able to get another flight booked, but most were not. They told us all it would be much faster if we all went to the airport meeting point, where we would receive vouchers for a hotel and meals, as well as a shuttle to a hotel 8 minutes away. We went to the meeting point where about 100 of us were crowded around waiting for information on a shuttle. After 2 hours of standing there waiting, a couple employees went up to the front of the crowd and said something. Those of us in the back couldn’t hear and asked them to repeat it but they didn’t. Others in the crowd told us they said to form lines based on our travel party (couples, singles, and families). We lined up and eventually were led to a shuttle. We got on thinking we were being taken to a hotel 8 minutes away like we had been told. 45 minutes into the drive, we were in the middle of nowhere. Passengers started getting panicked and asking where we were going. The shuttle driver did not speak much English and was having a hard time communicating to us what was happening. Finally a woman began having a panic attack so the driver pulled over. He finally clarified that he was taking us to a hotel 2.5 hours away from the airport. We asked how we were getting back to the airport in the morning, and he said he didn't know. We were angry and panicked. eventually we got to the hotel, where they thankfully were able to feed us all. Several of us were on hold with Icelandair for hours trying to ask about a return shuttle, but no one had any information for us. Around midnight, after several passengers had gone to bed, the hotel staff finally told those of us who were still up they coordinated a shuttle for us at 4am. I don’t know what happened to those folks who went to bed, because they weren’t told about the shuttle. After 3 hours of sleep, one of the employees from the night before (who had told us all that we were being taken to a hotel 8 minutes away) came to pick us up. One of the passengers, who was understandably angry, asked him "why did you lie to us and say we were going 8 minutes away?" The employee denied it and said "I told you 2 hours. Be polite. We just drove 2 hours to rescue you." I have never felt so abandoned, uncared for, or mistreated by a company. They lied to our faces, put us on a shuttle under false pretenses, and nearly stranded us in the middle of a foreign country. Luckily, our new flight was with delta, but other passengers who took a new flight with Icelandair then had their luggage lost, just to keep the nightmare going. Shame on Icelandair. We will not be letting this go. They traumatized an entire flight and have not taken any responsibility. I highly recommend avoiding this company like the plague. They clearly do not care about the safety and wellbeing of their customers.

Date of travel: September 2024
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Cleanliness
    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
1  Thank Julia D
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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37 - 41 of 8,916 reviews

Reviewed September 30, 2024

iceland air is the worst airline i have ever flown. when we booked the airline, we paid extra for seats with extra legroom. without our knowledge, they cancelled my husband's seat. they didn't notify us and it wasn't until just a week before the flight that i found out by checking on the website. then they couldn't refund the cost without an additional 'claim' form being filed. then on the return flight, they left our luggage in Iceland. Three days later I was still waiting for my luggage. They requested due to a full light that i check my carry on, which had my medications in it. I will never fly with this airlines again.

Date of travel: September 2024
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
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    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
1  Thank Bonanzagirl
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed September 29, 2024

The flight was delayed and the service was terrible. This airline is clearly a monopoly for travel to Iceland so ticket prices a much more expensive compared to other European city

Date of travel: September 2024
    • Seat comfort
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    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
Thank 160wisnur
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed September 28, 2024

My husband and I had a very good trip on Icelandair. Both our flight to and from Reykjavik were smooth and efficient, both times landing about a half hour before we were estimated to arrive. They do not provide a free meal with the flight, but all non-alcoholic drinks are free. Headphones are available for purchase for using the in-flight entertainment system, so I would recommend bringing your own! My husband and I aren't necessarily frequent flyers, so I can't really speak to it's superiority or inferiority over other airlines for seat upgrades and the like, but I do know that we had a pleasant, uneventful, and efficient flight to and from the land of fire and ice!! Would fly with them again! The only other thing that I would say is that boarding from Keflavik Airport Gate D was a bit disorganized and crowded, but I believe the airport is making efforts to fix the situation, so that issue may be rectified soon!

Date of travel: September 2024
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
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    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
Thank Amanda G
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed September 27, 2024

Do not fly with this airline. Their tickets are not competitively priced AND they don't provide meals. They make you pay extra for seat assignments and baggage. By the time that you pay for all of this, you may as well have gone on another airline. Furthermore, the "class up" is a joke. NEVER use it. If you have to change your travel dates, you will lose your money, if they accepted your offer. Their seats are too close together with such a little amount of leg room that it's even dangerous to try to exit quickly in an emergency. This is such a greedy airline. If you chose to do a stopover, Iceland has little to offer in terms of tourism and it's very expensive to rely upon the transportation to an from the airport. NOT WORTH IT! If Icelandair had more competitive prices and their seats weren't so close together, it might be worth using their services, but this is not the case.

Date of travel: September 2024
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Cleanliness
    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
Thank ahanova
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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