Yesterday I wrote about Icelandair’s frustrating and confusing flight schedule, and I wanted to provide an update to that, as Icelandair has published the latest flight schedule for the rest of the month… and it’s bad news for Americans who were looking to visit.
Continue reading: Icelandair Updates June Flight Schedule, Cancels Most US Flights
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Might want to consider WOW instead. I just booked my flight at one of their cafes.
Give it up. Explore America. You live in Florida, hotels there are fully open, go enjoy the gulf shores beaches
@ CF Frost -- Because unless I'm missing something, I don't believe Portugal has announced plans for testing on arrival, or other measures that make me feel like it's all that responsible to go there. To be clear, I'm not in a situation where I "really must travel." Rather I'm in a situation where I want to get back to traveling responsibly, not just for my own sake, but also to give people a firsthand look at what to expect as destinations open back up.
@ Greg -- I'm not sure there's anything here that I need to "give up." Personally my interest in exploring Florida's beaches in summer is very low. I'd rather stay home.
Thank you for doing this -- traveling to Iceland and beyond - for us.
Wish they would make it easy for you.
Praying it gets better.
Greetings from Iceland. So the issue here is that Iceland, despite not being part of the EU, is part of Schengen, and the European Commission is planning to extend the ban of third-country nationals to the Schengen area until early July.
This, however, is unconfirmed, and the Icelandic government does have the choice not to abide by those rules, if they temporarily take Iceland out of Schengen, which they could, but given the current situation in the US seems unlikely. The fact that nothing has been confirmed yet, and that decisions are made with no or little warning is the crux of the matter.
The flights to Boston until June 15 (just like the ones to LHR and ARN) are government subsidised. Most KEF-BOS-KEF flights throughout the crisis have been essentially empty and only carrying passengers in the low-mid double digits, also since you couldn't transit through KEF (they operated as day flights), but their cargo hold has been packed to the max. With continued entry bans for Americans into Schengen and Europeans into the US, there will likely be continued government subsidies for the BOS flights as they are important for cargo and as they are an important lifeline for essential travel between Iceland and North America. The reason they are only scheduled around a week in advance is simply that this demand for cargo and essential travel can only be forecast short notice, and there is a limit to the subsidies the airline is able to get. And while the subsidies for the Europe-bound flights stop on June 15, they will almost certainly continue for the BOS-flights until Americans are allowed to travel to the Schengen area again, making flights commercially more viable.
Now, Icelandair is still selling flights according to their pre-corona summer schedule and not cancelling them more than 10 days out, and that in my opinion is just dishonest business practice. Liquidity issues play a role in that as well I'm sure, and while the restructuring is going well and a government bailout will likely be avoided, things are tight. And while the airline does refund passengers for cancelled flights, processing times for refunds is currently 8+ weeks and the airline banks on people choosing flight credit instead.
Lucky, if you don't feel that you *must* travel then maybe stay at home. The chance of spreading the virus, even indirectly through your viewership is going to cause issues.
It doesn't matter if there is testing. It is not responsible to travel at all right now. Domestic yes, international no. If someone on the plane/ in the airport has COVID19 and you get infected but do not test positive (as I presume there is a period between you getting the virus and it starting to show on tests - even if it is as small as 12 hours) you could be inadvertently bringing it to another country. Given the current rates of COVID19 in the USA there is an extremely high chance you could catch it in the airport.
I share in your frustration with Icelandair. I knew it was a crapshoot when I booked a June 14 departure (June 15 arrival) from Denver. When I looked last week, that flight looked about half full (excluding blocked middle seats) according to the seat map. Anyway, I booked it with Chase points so I'm leaving it to them to exact a full refund. I have no use for a voucher as I'd much rather fly a US airline post-pandemic (as a single-ticket connection from my home in Houston is much easier).
@Lukas Excellent point. They're probably in a rough spot vis-a-vis Schengen, but it's hard to believe that Icelandair would cancel flights to North America entirely given how important cargo / essential business is. I didn't understand your last point in the second paragraph, though: did you say that Iceland was likely to continue the subsidies for the US-bound flights or NOT continue them while the Schengen story is cleared up?
If that is the case though, as you say, Icelandair is taking advantage of this situation irresponsibly by banking revenue from US travelers all while knowing that they won't be admitted into the country. It's a little pathetic and short-sighted, and likely harmful for Iceland tourism in the long run.
@Ben (Lucky) Thanks for doing this, and just ignore the Chicken Littles who will be staying at home until the end of 2026.
What if I used Alaska miles to book Icelandair to Europe, but they cancelled the flight, will Alaska rebook me on another airline at no additional charge? BA has award space available.
For those who continue to tell others to stay at home, I can't imagine it changes the mind of those who want to travel. Some may feel it is irresponsible to travel now, but others, who have access to the same facts regarding COVID, have come to a different conclusion. Personally I'm looking forward to international travel as soon as possible, closely following the opportunity to visit Iceland, Greece or Portugal.
As an aside, @Callum, there is not "an extremely high chance" you could catch the COVID-19 in the airport. Whether or not you feel it is responsible to travel internationally, the chance of catching it in the airport is negligible.
@Callum - the whole globe is now protesting racism. Social distancing guidelines is pretty much dead. COVID gotten by going the airport will be a drop in the bucket compared to COVID by being on the streets.
There are many places to visit in the US. Visit one of those, rather than trying to get to Iceland this summer. The US is nowhere near in control of the virus, and those countries which have managed to are not keen on letting you in.
@ Wilhelm -- That's exactly why I was considering Iceland. "Those countries which have managed to are keen on not letting you in." Iceland *has* managed the virus well, and was keen on letting Americans (and others) in by offering testing on arrival. I feel safer traveling to Iceland than traveling to most points in the US.
“Amsterdam a total of 9x roundtrip”
Is that weekly, daily or during the 15 day period in the previous paragraph
Icelandair did this to me for Memorial Day. I was supposed to depart that Wednesday and return the Tuesday after Memorial Day. They refused to cancel the flight even when the Icelandic government announced weeks earlier that the travel ban wouldn’t be lifted. They didn’t cancel my flight until 48 hours before departure, never contacted me, never rebooked me or never refunded me. Instead they gave me a voucher. They won’t refund me money. I’ve filed a DOT complaint and a charge-back with my credit card.
I second the comment somebody made about exploring America. I get that Europe has a fascination, due to perceived cultural superiority. Yes, they have more history and many great art genres originated there. However, there are incredible destinations within the United States with natural beauty that rivals Iceland. I’ve been doing road trips every Thursday to Monday for the last six weeks. National parks are practically empty; state parks are empty, too. Getting busier but still no where near what a normal early summer looks like. Hotel rates are amazing, especially with double points promotions that some brands are offering. Most states not allow restaurants to be open. Some museums are open. There’s really no reason why you’re not flying around the country or driving in your car. Take advantage of domestic travel. Utah, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota. All have incredible natural beauty, plenty of natural social distancing and are all open 100%.
This seems common sense to me. Non-US people cannot enter the United States from Schengen Are / UK due to a presidential proclamation. Half the market is not there right now, plus reduced demand from Covid probably makes taking a flight with a connection less desirable.
Colorado and California are more difficult due to stricter reopening conditions that vary greatly by city or region.
Arizona is reopen. Some decent value points options in Phoenix if you just want 3-4 days in hot weather by the pool with no rained out days.
US Virgin Islands is open. Hurricane season started but you should be fine until August. Unlike Florida, they don’t have humid, rainy days in the summer.
The Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan is beautiful. The Minnesota coat of Lake Superior from Duluth to Ontario is nice too.
Upstate New York is open.
People forget that some people aren't traveling internationally just for vacation purposes. Some people have family members and lived ones who live in other countries. My fiance lives in another country. We were scheduled to get married in my country in April and then move to their country, but it was all cancelled because of the pandemic. I have been watching the numbers and made it one of my biggest obligations to see my love for the first time since February as soon as I'm able to.
@Jan, this is not a fair comparison. The public-health risks of not protesting to demand an end to systemic racism greatly exceed any possible harm from further spreading COVID-19 on the streets.
In related news, the Icelandic government recently posted detailed rules about entry rules as of June 15:
https://www.landlaeknir.is/servlet/file/store93/item41745/Passengerinfo.pdf
Highlights are (1) Iceland will continue to implement travel restrictions imposed for the Schnegen Area (which could mean Americans are not allowed); (2) if someone on the flight (within 2 rows) test positive, you are subject to 14 day quarantine; (3) Iceland will cover the costs of an isolation center if you have to be isolated for positive test and will cover the cost of medical treatment. Also, it has removed the option of bringing a negative test result - you have to get tested at the border no matter what. ("At this time, the Icelandic health authorities cannot accept proof of test results.").
@Jay: To clarify, it's practically certain that FI will continue to run subsidized KEF-BOS flights that will be operating 2-3x a week until Schengen is open to American travellers. The current draft has 635/634 operating on Jun 17, 20, and 24. These are already open for bookings and I'm expecting the official announcement to be made later this week.
All other flights between KEF and North America that are still on sale until June 30 will end up being cancelled.
In Iceland we will offer COVID-19 PCR tests on arrival from June 15 onwards to those who want to avoid a 14-day mandatory self-quarantine in effect for arrivals from all countries worldwide except the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
This also applies to arrivals from the United States, but because of the external Schengen border issue, realistically you'll only be able to come if you have an EU/EEA/UK/CH passport and are based in the US, are the family member of a EU/EEA/UK/CH-citizen, or can prove essential travel.
@Lucky, I might be wrong but I do recall that you have a Swiss or German passport, so you would have no problem entering Iceland and getting tested upon arrival starting June 15 and skip quarantine, and neither would Ford as your spouse. Just bring your marriage license with you. You'd only be limited by the number of available flights, but KEF-BOS will continue to be operated at least twice a week as an essential service until the Schengen area reopens for everyone.
Ben, instead of going to Iceland in June at the mercy of its dishonest national carrier, why not go to Hawaii in July? You would be helping the economy of such beautiful state which is planning to reopen next month and Hawaiian is pretty decent letting you change flights without penalties or refunding you if there is a schedule change that isn't to your satisfaction. If you book either JFK or BOS to HNL, you will be guaranteed to get the enhanced domestic First Class service that Hawaiian only offers to these two cities due to their long distance.
@David Hawaii is still not letting other states in... Governor implied he'd rather let Japanese/Koreans first than mainland US citizens
I've had a chance to discuss the situation with them. They are planning on operating 1-2 weekly flights from BOS after 6/15 and aim at posting the schedule next week. Basically, if you've booked from BOS, expect a cancellation and a mad last-minute dash to rebook.
JFK used to be on the short list but it looks like it won't be happening; at least not before July or before most travel restrictions are lifted.
Also, while Icelandair states that they will help you reach your destination, that doesn't apply to folks traveling to/from the US. Icelandair won't rebook customers on Alaska or JetBlue outside a 24-48 hour window before departure. Basically, the only way to get re-routed on a partner flight is with a Flight Interruption manifest -- and it's anybody's guess as to whether last-minute seats would actually be available on Alaska or JetBlue seeing the schedule cuts across the board.
Their business model is basically to sell phantom flights to generate cash. I'll give them 60 days to refund then charge back if plans fall through.
Sounds like Icelandair is just taking people’s money knowing that they aren’t flying passengers between US and Reykjavik. I guess that’s one way to borrow money for free. If there are enough suckers giving them interest free loans, then that airline might just stay afloat! If I were in their shoes, I would do the same as well.
To the explore America crowd - the US is nice enough but not all that cracked up to be. If that is the only option, Lucky should stay home.
Lucky, It’s been an interesting series of reads on your researching and planing a trip to Iceland. If Iceland does open up as one of the first foreign overseas destinations for US travelers, their approach to testing of visitors should make tourism safer for both the locals as well as individuals coming in. Planning even a week out just might not be worth it as the situation may change daily for a while. I would mark the dates you want to leave on the calendar, and plan bookings right before going. Probably more efficient, and certainly less frustrating.
It boggles my mind that Washington attacks China's communist state-owned airlines (for good reason, in my opinion!) but ignores all the foreign airlines from allied or partner countries that are screwing over thousands of Americans by refusing to refund tickets.
@Jan
You have a tendency to comment on things you are clearly clueless about. Hawaii is lifting interisland quarantine on June 16. The state is very likely to reopen mainland travel by mid July.
@David “very likely” but not yet fact. I like to go by facts. Thanks for playing.
Icelandair is playing a very nasty game. In January they changed my flights because of the Boeing 737 Max problems and offered the option to cancel if I didn't like their alternative flights (which included huge lay-overs). Now during Coronavirus, I've tried to cancel these flights (for beginning of July) but they've cut off all communication. They simply don't respond to any messages. Check their Facebook page and you'll see the comment sections are filled with complaints. At this moment, I no longer want these flights for early July, but it seems impossible to cancel them, simply because they've cut off all communication to anyone.
Two things.
1) The Iceland situation is complex and constantly changing. I would hold off a few weeks at least. The nurses might go on strike June 22, making testing incoming passengers impossible. Icelandair might cancel your flight. The EU might extend the non-EU travel ban, which Iceland would likely follow.
2) There is no guarantee that Hawaii will open back up without 14 day quarantines in July! There is a good chance it will be extended past June 30th. Also, there are other county laws too, including one that bans vacation rentals and short term rentals to anyone who isn't an essential worker.
@Ben or anyone: How do I find out the status of my refund from Icelandair? After they cancelled my April flight (SEA-KEF-LHR), I requested a refund via their online form. Since then, I have tried a couple time to find out the status of my refund but Icelandair just does not respond. What can be done?
@Steve: I had a similar situation for a cancelled May flight on Norwegian Air. If you purchased your flight with a credit card with good travel insurance (in my case Chase United MileagePlus Visa), you can dispute the charge, providing the cancelled flight info, and you can get your credit back that way. Your credit card company will deal with the airlines themselves.
@Steve and others: I always recommend the dispute provisions of your credit card. Three years ago, I was stuck in the insanely long check-in lines at Stockholm. They charged me a change fee of $200 or $250 to put me on the next flight. There were a half-dozen other customers who were also charged for no fault of their own. I disputed this charge through my Visa credit card. Air France never responded to the dispute. So, I got the refund.
How are Icelandic hotels handling the phantom travelers? Are they allowed to make and then cancel phantom reservations?
@Ben thank you for this excellent article and @Lukas really appreciate the super helpful information you provided - very useful.
I'm still a bit confused on one point though - US citizens still can't travel there even if they are corona free?
I'm thinking of jumping on one of the BOS flights in late June or early July if possible.
@Ross: there aren’t many big chain hotels. But I’d imagine the chain hotels are governed by the worldwide waivers their parent brand has implemented.
Ben, just stay in the US. Try roadtripping, the US has MANY beautiful national parks, perfect for social distancing and doing the whole nature thing you so love. No need to risk it going to Iceland in the middle of this mess.
Boston schedule through June is now updated on their booking site. I just booked out of Boston on June 20. Looks like they are flying to Boston on Wed and Sat this month.
Here's the official flight schedule until 30 Jun: https://www.icelandair.com/is/adstod/fyrir-flugid/tilkynning-vegna-ferdar/
No more flights will be added to that for the 15-30 Jun period.
We had a flight for June 24 IAD-KEF that we booked before COVID-19 back in February through the Chase portal. Flight was just cancelled, and Chase Portal says despite that they understand the DOT guidance, they won't provide a refund, only a voucher. We filed a complaint with DOT and are hoping for the best...
Airlines selling nonstop international flights to/from Denver or any of the other airports that are not on the DHS/CDC list of approved airports for arrivals from countries that the US has designated as a COVID-19 risk are just even more deceptive. Has there been any indication of when that list of airports might expand beyond the 15 (I see it increased from 13) that are currently in place? I certainly don't see anything on the DHS, CDC, or State Dept websites.
Go to Dry Tortugas National Park. Take the seaplane early in the morning before the crowds arrive by ferry. It's the best place in the US.
The difference between you and United spokesman Zach Honig is that you publicized your intent to go and probably convinced some of your readership that it was a good idea despite the incredible uncertainty surrounding flying these days ... and Zach didn’t. He planned a trip in privacy without stoking excitement and pushing for clicks, then wrote about Icelandair’s policy once they were clear. Perhaps a lesson to be learned in all of this.
New Zealand has had very little COVID, and no new cases for about a month, however our controlling Prime Minister has closed the borders. We are FORTRESS NEW ZEALAND, and many of us are unhappy about this. Would not pre-flight testing, testing on arrival and a robust tracing App make it safe for visitors to arrive here? Even an ankle transmitter device would be better than not allowing global visitors.WE MISS YOU VISITING.
Florida may be open for business, cos the Govnr does what Trump says...FL should not be opening...
we (yes I am SW florida) are in a dilemna... rates going up 1,000 day .. we will be the next epicenter.. stay away and anyone in their right mind stay home... I have family I would love to see, places I would love to fly.. but being a US resident cant go anywhere soon..
We all expected this to happen - it makes absolutely no sense for Iceland to open their borders to American travelers no matter how cautious they might be, especially now after all the idiotic protests. It seems as if Covid immediately disappeared once the protests began - it certainly was barely in the news.
The bans put in place by Trump all remain in effect. I suspect that until these begin to get lifted that those same country will continue to ban American citizens.
I think they handled this rollout so poorly. I can't say I'm not surprised - typical "one foot in, one foot out" bureaucratic European response (sorry not sorry!). For this reason, for the half-baked plans, I avoided booking because I almost knew it would be too goo to be true that they'd suddenly open on June 15 and all would be magical.
Either they'd delay the opening, or some issue with testing would happen, or they'd bar US or other non-EU, which now it seems like all of the above are happening. If they weren't Schengen, I'd be more confident in their ability to scrap together a nice tourism plan a la something like a Serbia or smaller country.
I am so glad I waited and didn't spend $2500 on an Icelandic nonrefundable Airbnb or ticket that I'd be stuck with a useless voucher for. I really think they led people on with these ambitious plans, which is very souring especially for less intense travelers who are now totally disappointed and canceling bookings. They basically said "no later than June 15" but then all there were were blogs and random announcements with conflicting info. Iceland, you let me down big time, man!
The more I read/hear about Icelandair and travel uncertainties the more I wish I could just cancel my July 29, ORD - REK flight. I brought it some months ago on the cheap. Non-refundable. Of course that was back in November. What do you think my chances would be to receive a refund? Or voucher for future travel?
@Lucky, I also have an EU passport and would like to visit Europe this summer, but I don't want to go somewhere I'm not welcome. Right now, Portugal still has about 300-400 new cases/day and, at least based on a Reddit discussion, I got the sense they are not interested in welcoming people from the U.S. -- EU passport or not. I also emailed the French consulate to ask about visiting France as an EU citizen living in the U.S. and they basically told me not to come and said nobody should be visiting France for leisure travel right now.
If you do visit Iceland from June 15th to July 1st as a German national, it would be an interesting blog post for me. For us EU nationals stuck in the U.S., a trip to Iceland could be a responsible way to "wait 14 days" before entering the rest of the EU, free from the virus-choked U.S.
While I want my EU country to get American tourist dollars, I don't want it to get American germs. I think the EU should welcome Australian and Japanese tourists from July 1st, but probably ban Americans until September.
@Creditcrunch The current list is here. FLL and IAH seem to have been added to the original list: https://www.dhs.gov/coronavirus/protecting-air-travelers-and-american-public
Hey Callum why are you posting this on a travel blog. If you don’t want people to travel you are on the wrong blog! Spread your silliness elsewhere.
If you get the virus the day before your flight, there is a high chance that you get a false negative on your arrival in Iceland and spread it (yes I know you will only do outdoor activities so there is no risk to spread it hahaha, the situation today is the result of this kind of mentality). Those tests on arrival are not a measure for responsible travel, it is a measure to relaunch tourism economy only (money) and make it looks responsible.
You say you feel more safe to travel to Europe than to the US but do European people feel safe about welcoming you? You never mention this point, it is only you, you and you. YOUR safety, but what about the safety of the others? And trying to legally cheat by switching passport.
Wow! There are so many epidemiologists here you'd think this was the Lancet!
As a gay guy, maybe I should get an HIV test every time I enter a country with a lower rate of HIV prevalence because I'm a high-risk traveler?
Or perhaps we should ban entire populations of travelers from countries with active cases of TB from traveling?
There is no such thing as risk-free travel, or risk-free living for that matter. I would venture a guess that many of the folks demanding everyone stop traveling have been on a tropical vacation where dengue or malaria are endemic. Individuals and governments balance risk and reality to make decisions every minute of every day.
If you're afraid of traveling, stay home. And when responsible, mature people (and governments like Iceland's) make risk-adjusted decisions, save us the armchair refereeing.
"Icelandic justice minister Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir (pictured) has told RÚV Iceland will open to non-Schengen arrivals no later than 1st July, regardless of whether other countries in the zone do the same."
Great news. I think we can expect Icelandair's July flight schedule in around 10 days.
https://www.ruv.is/frett/2020/06/11/two-extra-weeks-until-iceland-opens-to-non-europeans
Any update on the FI flights? It looks like they are *not* following the updated schedule for the various cities.
https://www.icelandair.com/support/pre-flight/flight-schedule/
Seattle showing only connections via BOS despite the "1 trip per week" beginning July 6.
Ah, IcelandAir did fly a few of their scheduled Seattle flights in late July and early August, but seems they have cancelled them again. New entry requirements posted on August 19 for Iceland.