Trans-Atlantic Flights with Famous Volcanoes on Board

On May 14, 2010, Icelandair celebrates 40 years of jet service from the U.S.A. and is the only airline in existence today with such a long and distinguished record on the North Atlantic transatlantic route.

The legacy began in 1937 when Icelandair was founded as a domestic carrier to ferry passengers and supplies to remote locations around Iceland’s coast. The airline became known as Flugfelag Islands (FI) in 1940 and four years later, Loftleidir Icelandic (Icelandic) became the country’s second airline, providing many of the same services as FI.

On July 11, 1945, Icelandair became an international carrier as a Catalina seaplane flew from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Largs Bay, Scotland. Later that summer a second international flight added Copenhagen to the new “route network” and by 1948, regularly-scheduled flights were made to Scotland, Copenhagen and Oslo.

On August 26, 1948 Icelandic began Trans-Atlantic service from Iceland to the U.S when their brand new Skymaster aircraft landed at Idlewild Airport in New York City.
With a flight path on the Great Circle route across the North Atlantic, the long haul DC-4 Skymasters had low-overhead, allowing the airline to charge the lowest fares on transatlantic routes.

In 1958, Icelandic flew four Skymasters from the U.S.A to Scandinavia, Germany, Scotland and England.

During the sixties and seventies, the airline became a favorite choice of college students who were making their first trips abroad. The reasonable fares suited their budgets and the destinations allowed backpacking from “the heart of Europe.” Icelandic became known as “The Hippie Airline,” a name that many travelers from the era still remember with a bit of nostalgia.

In the summer of 1973, Icelandair and Icelandic merged, forming a holding company until October 1979, when it assumed all operating responsibilities under the currently-used name Icelandair.

Transatlantic passengers were offered the option of stopping over in Iceland en route to their final destination and to help meet the demand for this popular innovation, the airline built Hotel Loftleidir in Reykjavik. Once again, Icelandair was setting precedents and became a leader in the development of the ever-growing tourism industry in Iceland.

By the early 90’s the entire fleet of aircraft was replaced with new Boeing 757-200 and Boeing 737- 400 aircraft. Since 2002, Icelandair’s entire fleet consists of exclusively B- 757s. In 1995, marking a "first" among European airlines, Icelandair became smoke-free on all routes.

In 2008, a re-branded Icelandair was launched, with a new website, new seats, new interiors, new third cabin and a new outlook for the company!

Stepping on board our updated aircraft, passengers will notice our new ergonomically designed seats with personal in-flight entertainment systems, a roomier interior with a new look and a sleeker more comfortable approach to transatlantic travel. Aircrafts now bear the names of some of the famous volcanoes throughout Iceland with a brief history of their namesake’s legacy.

New uniforms are worn by all crew members as designed by Icelander, Steinunn Sigurdardottir and reflect Icelandic nature, history and the Icelandic national costume in the fabric and design.

Today, Icelandair remains a pioneer in aviation and innovation and has been able to sustain a strong and successful presence in a very complex and competitive global market for over 70 years. The airline has been able to achieve this by weathering difficult periods and keeping ahead of the times while using eight decades of experience as a guide.

Icelandair offers service to Iceland from Boston, New York-JFK, Seattle, and seasonal service from Minneapolis - St. Paul, Orlando Sanford, Halifax and Toronto. Connections through Icelandair’s hub at Keflavik International Airport are available to over 20 destinations in Scandinavia, the U.K. and Continental Europe. Only Icelandair allows passengers to stopover in Iceland at no additional airfare.