Icelandair’s first A321LR, TF-IAA, at a gate at Stockholm Arlanda Airport following its inaugural revenue flight from KEF
Icelandair has, other than their domestic/feeder airline, long had an all-Boeing mainline fleet consisting of 737 MAX-8 and MAX-9, 757-200, 757-300, and 767 jetliners. That all changed on Dec. 10, 2024, when the airline placed an A321LR into service as TF-IAA, named Esia, per their protocol of naming aircraft after Icelandic volcanoes.
There’s a lot to unpack here, so this article will focus on the experience of the flight. We’ll do a follow-up story on the implications of the fleet change later on.
The A321LR interior prior to boarding at KEF. The interior seat trim is color-coded to the exterior accent color of each aircraft
The first impression was, unsurprisingly, of newness. It felt almost like you shouldn’t be in there, as it was so pristine. The new-airplane smell is a real thing. And it’s quite lovely.
Saga-class seats have very large IFE screens with amazing resolution
As I did this trip in a somewhat insane manner, flying sequentially from Seattle to Keflavik, Keflavik to Stockholm, then turning straight around and doing the return with only about 90 minutes in each airport, Icelandair was kind enough to seat me in their premium class – Saga – for the whole 22+ hour trip. I’ve done some crazy routes and some really long flights in my day, but never anything quite like this marathon. It was simultaneously the most idiotic thing I’ve ever done, and also ranked among the most fun things.
There was a small celebration at the departure gate at KEF, with both local and AvGeek reporters on hand
By the numbers, the trip covered was 9,896 miles over four flights spanning 22 hours and 15 minutes in the air, all packed into 27 hours of total travel time. All of this was really for the sake of KEF-ARN and back, with the new Airbus. I was on a Boeing 737 MAX-8 on SEA-KEF, the A321LR KEF-ARN and ARN-KEF, and a Boeing 757-200 KEF-SEA, allowing me to compare experiences across all of Icelandair’s active long-haul fleet options.
From left: Captain Sölvi Þórðarson and Captain Kári Kárason were the pilots on the inaugural revenue flight to Stockholm
Their 757s are nearing the end of their service lives, and as such are definitely in need of an upgrade. The MAX series is a great update, but the derivative 737s just don’t have the range and carrying capacity of those wonderful 757s; Boeing missed a huge opportunity when it stopped production in 2004 and failed to develop a replacement. In prior Icelandair coverage, we’d noted that the airline’s managment long hoped Boeing would come up with a direct replacement for the 757; that obviously has not come to be, and the age of the fleet left them with little choice than to consider Airbus’ offerings.
Icelandair’s first A321LR at the gate at ARN
So, in walks Airbus with their newest A321 derivatives, which are now the closest thing on the market to the 757 in terms of capabilities.
Make no mistake, the 737 MAX 8 and 9 are very comfortable and competent aircraft, but Airbus is several steps ahead of Boeing with their newer A321LR and just-released A321XLR. The MAX cabins are definitely quieter than their predecessor NG versions, but the Airbus is even quieter. The A321LR is also 30% more fuel-efficient than the aircraft it’s replacing.
Seating also feels more comfortable, even in the rear of the plane, although that’s more up to the airlines than the aircraft manufacturer.
The Airbus jets lack the 737 line’s voluminous space bins for overhead luggage storage, but they’re still up to task. Spending seven hours on a MAX, then transitioning straight to the new Airbus, then back to a 757 for another seven hours provided plenty of perspective.
The Saga cabin screens are ginormousI also liked the headrests. A lotPlenty of legroom hereAnd knee roomPlenty of room for even large-footed travelers
The only fiddly thing about the Saga seating was trying to find the power outlets on the Airbus, which are cleverly hidden under the center console. There are great little fold-out coat hooks on the seatbacks as well, which are quite handy for cold-weather trips.
The A321LR cabin was nice and bright, too
Unlike many domestic US carriers, Icelandair’s 187-seat A321LR doesn’t have a mid-cabin lavatory. Instead, they’re placed similarly to the Boeing layout of one up front for Saga class and three in the rear of the aircraft for everyone else.
Due to a technical glitch on the inaugural flight, the plane’s new-to-Icelandair Viasat’s Ka-band satellite internet wasn’t working. I did play around with the moving map and take note of the wide array of movie options. The 4K OLED touchscreens are quite sharp with smooth functionality and beautiful colors; it’s one of the nicest IFE screens I’ve seen.
The cabin ceiling lighting near the front entry door is quite fun
It will be sad, for many reasons, to see the venerable B757 fleet retire. But the replacement aircraft chosen by Icelandair is definitely up to the task, and surpasses those old jets in passenger comfort and fuel efficiency for the airline with its far more modern engines and avionics systems.
In our next article, we’ll explore what these new aircraft mean for the fleet operations and potential route expansions.
Our flight from Keflavik to Seattle boarded via a proper jetbridge
The COVID-19 pandemic made for some mighty strange times. A January 2023 trip to Reykvavik with Icelandair marked my first time out of the United States since early 2020. I’ve been able to fly a lot domestically, but this would be the first time I’d get to use a passport in nearly three years, ending my longest international travel dry spell in decades. And, boy, was I looking forward to it, especially as Iceland is one of my very favorite destinations.
The trip was from Seattle to Keflavik on TF-FIN, a 25-year-old Boeing 757-200, a jet Icelandair has owned since it was built back in 1998.
Icelandair seems to work hard to keep its aircraft interiors in good shape; I’ve flown with them roughly 10 times in both Saga and economy, on their 737 MAX-8, 757-200, and Bombardier Dash-8s, and don’t recall having seen anything in the cabins that was in desperate need of repair.
An Icelandair De Havilland Canada DHC-8, better known as a Q400 or Dash 8, taxies to the ramp in Akureyri, Iceland
Flying domestically in Iceland is like stepping back in time.
Security? Not necessary here. Just check in for your flight at the ticket counter, wait for the boarding call, and get on the plane. No X-ray machines, no body or iris scans, no checks for bottled liquids, etc. Just check your big bags and walk on board with your carryons. A very civilized process in an equally civilized country.
Passengers disembark from an Icelandair 757 (TF-ISV) on the ramp at Akureyri, Iceland
Our flight was from Reykjavik City Airport, RKV, which is right in the center of the capital city, flying to Akureyri in the north of the country, 250km (155 statute miles) by air. The much larger international airport is 50km (30 statute miles) to the southeast, in Keflavik. We were a group of six; five of us from various media outlets, and our very capable and patient Icelandair media wrangler.
Icelandair’s domestic route map is shown via the blue line – Image: Icelandair
Icelandair has two 76-seat DHC-8-400s and three 37-seat DHC-8-200s in its fleet; they acquired them in March of 2021 when the airline purchased Air Iceland Connect to create an integrated domestic/international route system.
When I fly for personal reasons, I will often think of a possible story angle before my flight. Sometimes I find one, sometimes I do not. During a recent trip from Seattle (SEA) to Houston (IAH), I flew on an Alaska Airlines 737. I thought what possible story angle could I come up with that could be unique when I am flying another Alaska 737 out of Seattle? I figured that this would just be a flight that I would enjoy and no story to be told (which is not always a bad thing).
As I sat at the gate, waiting to board, I looked at my flight details. Yes, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I did not take a closer look at what aircraft I was flying on earlier, but that allowed me to have a nice little surprise. I wasn’t just flying on any Boeing 737, but a 737 MAX 9. That was important to me, because this was my first MAX flight… game on.
I quickly changed from “civilian mode” (a name I use when flying as a passenger, not doing a story) to “blogger mode.” I started to think about what photos I wanted to take and how. Make sure I took good notes (I often forget in the giddiness), and not look too much like a total nerd in front of other passengers.
As I boarded the plane, I wondered how different the MAX would be. It was still using the same fuselage as the 737-100 that launched service in 1968, so would a typical passenger even notice? Would I notice? I was excited (actually more giddy) to find out.
N702VL, a former Southwest 737-700 departs BUR in September, 2021. – Photo: JL Johnson
Long-time readers know we here at AirlineReporter LOVE an opportunity to try out new airlines and AvGeek experiences. Given that, we regret it has taken us so long to try new(ish) airline Avelo which launched in April of 2021. On the West Coast, this airline operates primarily out BURbank airport, just a hop, skip, and a $60 ride-share north from LAX.
We managed to get out to BUR last September to gawk at their fleet, but it took us a full additional year to be in the right place at the right time to finally get our opportunity to fly. Thankfully, following #SpotLAX2022, we had a bit of extra time to give them a shot for a quick trip up to Boise.
Finally, an Avelo Airlines Review!
Sample seat map featuring various seating preferences. +5 inches of legroom was GREAT. – Image: Aveloair.com
Avelo Airlines Review: Booking
The booking process was not efficient, but that’s the norm these days. And while I would love to, I can’t fault Avelo for it. Even legacy carriers gum up the works pushing up-sells and various add-ons. Not long ago we used to joke “ULCCs (ultra-low-cost-carriers) are gonna ULCC”, but it’s hard to criticize when even the old guard is doing it. That sweet ancillary revenue is just too hard to pass up, so why not follow the path ULCCs have long since pioneered and normalized?
