Hello from Iceland (brrrr!), as I just flew Icelandair’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 Saga Premium class on the 4hr40min flight from New York (JFK) to Keflavik (KEF). I’m excited to be back in the skies, initially to see Iceland, and then going on wild review trip from there.
I hadn’t flown Icelandair in over a decade, and was looking forward to giving the carrier another shot, especially given the amount of fleet modernization we’ve seen. So, how was the carrier’s premium product? I have to say, I really enjoyed my experience, and I’d gladly fly with the airline again. However, it’s also important to know what to expect.
In this post, I’d like to share my initial impressions, and then I’ll have a full flight review upon returning home, as usual (separately, I shared my impressions of Icelandair’s A321LR Saga Premium on my connecting flight).
In this post:
Icelandair’s Saga Premium is between business & premium economy
Before talking specifically about my flight, I think context is important. Saga Premium is Icelandair’s premium product. That’s all that Icelandair calls it, and you’ll notice that the airline never refers to it as business class, premium economy, or anything else.
If you go to Google Flights, you’ll see it listed as business class. However, in reality, I’d consider this to be more comparable to premium economy. Icelandair Saga Premium doesn’t have flat beds, which obviously isn’t ideal if you’re looking to get proper sleep, and are expecting business class (then again, given Iceland’s geography, most flights are too short to get any real sleep). But that’s just a function of people not doing their research, rather than anything Icelandair does wrong.
In terms of pricing, Icelandair Saga Premium is much more comparable to premium economy than business class, and you’ll sometimes find roundtrip fares between North America and Europe for around $1,000 (that’s the very low end of pricing, though). Saga Premium fares always include lounge access in Keflavik, though only the most expensive fares include lounge access at outstations.
I think there are two things that make booking Saga Premium very appealing:
- The airline has attractive one-way fares, when so many of the major legacy carriers only have attractive pricing if booking roundtrip
- The airline allows a free stopover in Iceland even if booking one-way, so it’s super fun to be able to stop in Iceland for a day (or a week) when otherwise flying between points in North America and Europe
Icelandair’s Saga Premium seats are comfortable enough
Icelandair’s Boeing 737 MAX Saga Premium seats are most comparable to what you’d find in domestic first class within the United States, though they’re actually a bit better. Icelandair has Aviointeriors Andromeda recliner seats, in a 2-2 configuration. Seats feature 40″ of pitch, 20.5″ of width, and 5″ of recline.
So the seat padding and legroom are a bit better than you’d find on US airlines, which is nice. There’s also a “foot bar” you can place your feet on, which helps with getting cozy. These seats are quite a bit more comfortable than your typical long haul premium economy seats, which often have very narrow arm rests between seats.
Icelandair has 13″ seat back entertainment screens in Saga Premium, plus USB-A and AC power outlets, to keep electronics charged.
Icelandair’s Saga Premium entertainment & Wi-Fi are awesome
If you’re flying in Icelandair’s Saga Premium, it’s not hard to stay entertainment. The seat back entertainment has audio and video on demand, with over 65 movies, over 230 TV shows, and much more.
Of course there’s also the map feature, which is fun to keep an eye on.
Icelandair’s Boeing 737 MAXs have Viasat Wi-Fi, which is among the best connectivity in the sky. While a plan ordinarily costs €24 per flight, Saga Premium passengers receive it for free, by just logging in with their confirmation code and last name. This is valid for up to two devices at a time, and speeds were excellent.
Icelandair’s Saga Premium food and drinks are thoughtful
In Saga Premium, Icelandair serves a three course meal on North America routes, and a two course meal on Europe routes. I was on a very late night redeye from New York to Keflavik, so dinner was served after takeoff.
In terms of soft product, I’d say Saga Premium is closer to business class than premium economy. Icelandair is known for its huge Icelandic gin selection, and it’s something the company take pride in. The menu had six different gins to choose from.
Drinks were offered before dinner, with a cute basket of pretzels (the snacks offered vary by flight).
Dinner consisted of a starter of burrata with green pesto, tomatoes, and crostini. Then there were two main course choices, and I selected the shrimp with couscous, greek salad, and chimichurri, which was the cold option. Then dessert consisted of an apple crumble cake.
Honestly, what a nicely presented and tasty meal. It wasn’t a huge meal, but I though the quality, presentation, and taste, were excellent.
There’s no pre-landing service, though you can of course order drinks any time. So before landing I had a cup of coffee, which was served on a tray with two chocolates.
The crew was pleasant — they were professional and quite friendly, but nothing particularly memorable.
Icelandair’s Saga Premium amenities are great!
Icelandair offers an impressive selection of amenities in Saga Premium. For one, you receive a very well padded pillow and blanket, which help with getting comfortable.
Each passenger is also offered a colorful amenity kit. I loved the design of all the items in there… how visually fun.
Icelandair then provides a solid pair of noise canceling headphones in Saga Premium. Sadly there’s no bluetooth audio.
Bottom line
I’m so happy I had the chance to fly Icelandair Saga Premium again, as it’s quite a bit better than I remembered. I think this is a great product if you come in with the right expectations — think of it as being more like premium economy than business class in terms of comfort and price.
But if you come in with those expectations, you should be happy. The seats are more comfortable than your typical premium economy, and the food, drinks, and amenities, are all good as well. Add in the free Viasat Wi-Fi and good entertainment, and it’s easy to enjoy Saga Premium.
But what’s most appealing about Saga Premium is the ability to book a reasonably priced one-way transatlantic fare and still have a stopover in Iceland. Personally, I’d rather fly Icelandair next time on a daytime flight rather than an overnight flight (since I value a flat bed more on an overnight), but I was still happy with my choice, given the purpose of my trip.
What’s your take on Icelandair’s Saga Premium product?
I lived in Iceland for 2 years about 2 decades ago (studied the language too), so much has changed with the tourist boom after the Kreppa (sickness (economic)) and the expansion of the airport and Iceland Air, but I keep in touch with a few there. 400k population, tiny. The FL flight code stands for the old name (pre-1990?) in Icelandic Flugleiðir - The Airline - there is only one, and that was true, nobody...
I lived in Iceland for 2 years about 2 decades ago (studied the language too), so much has changed with the tourist boom after the Kreppa (sickness (economic)) and the expansion of the airport and Iceland Air, but I keep in touch with a few there. 400k population, tiny. The FL flight code stands for the old name (pre-1990?) in Icelandic Flugleiðir - The Airline - there is only one, and that was true, nobody else flew to Iceland (not counting Greenlandic to downtown RYK, considered domestic and one daily SAS flight seasonally).
My job paid full coach so we were always upgraded to Saga Class which doesn't seem to be too much different from today (except we always had a lamb dish available outbound to North America, or PM flights to Europe). The old KEF lounge was about 4 meters wide (12 ft) and 15m (50ft) long, real skinny. Morning aperitif before boarding at 8AM to Europe. Back then the only 3 flights per day were Glasgow (closest for shopping) and CPH (Kaupmannahaup (Merchant's Harbor) AKA Copenhagen - same in Icelandic and old Danish).
I recommend to folks wanting to stop off in Iceland to do it on the way west back to the USA or Canada, assuming red eye as you'll arrive about 6-7AM GMT (Iceland Time Zone, Iceland is on permanent +1 daylight savings, sun noon is 1PM) and have 8+ hours until your hotel will let you check in and you need an afternoon nap. Coming from Europe you arrive early afternoon and aren't jet lagged.
Blue Lagoon = Tourist trap today. I've been there ~20 times before it got to be so expensive. Nothing like seeing your boss naked in the mandatory shower with the VIP from England. Not a big deal in Iceland.
Northern Lights in the Capitol Region (Reykjavik) - ha. Overcast 80% of the time Oct-May. In 2 years I saw them once (few sunspots then, today way more).
Food: I tell folks to eat at a gas station (such as Shell). BS on Iceland not having fast food, it just isn't McD. I highly recommend the french fries cooked in refined fish fat, a healthy animal oil - and not a scrawny envelope of fries, huge - Icelanders will pick up fries on the way home rather than cooking them at home and they are great - get a half KG, soft serve ice cream, and the hangikjot packaged sandwich (smoked lamb and pea salad) - though I've heard recently that the quality varies on the sandwiches. Good hamborgari (hamburgers) from Icelandic beef (so not cheap). Fish jerky (harðfiskar - yep, hard fish - I can eat it all day with butter Smjor) is a common snack. Pylsur (lamb dogs with dried fried onions). Also the candies and licorice.
Traditional Icelandic cuisine is low in spicing - just what was local so onions, garlic, parsley, salt. Adding pepper, woah (expensive imported spice with a Danish tax). Go to a gas station for true Icelandic cuisine. OK, general eats, nothing fancy - but smoked lamb that is like prosciutto (hangikjot) is amazing (um, smoked in sheep shit, never let a resource go to waste). It will work out (Thetta Reðist - the national philosophy - I could also translate as "shit happens.").
Go Die! (Goðin Dagin - Good day, the - no, Icelandic is NOT always pronounced like it is written. Hiss at the end too (aspiration).
Saga Premium is kind of like those campy Icelandic movies on the IFE. Good for the first 20 minutes.
The fact that this books as business is a major thorn for business travel where often one must book the cheapest fare. If the policy allows me to fly business I don’t want to be flying in a premium economy class product!
If you are willing to fly on economy their Saga bidding system is reasonable too. I tried it out and got Saga premium for a $250 bid and was notified a couple of days before my flight. I have read other reports online that it is frequently available for less. My flight was a peak July Friday night.
The food looks good for a sub 5 hour flight.
TBH I wish they operated daylight flights from the US east coast to Iceland. I would be much less bothered by the lack of a flat bed on a daylight.
They do from Boston sometimes
The main issue is that their eastbound flights are mostly red eyes, i.e. overnight (sort of, with the time difference). For daytime flights, their products is perfectly acceptable.
The lounge in Keflavik is the best I have ever been to.
Oof. It’s fine. Not like there are many options at KEF anyway.
You really should get around more. Lotta better lounges in the world.
I mean, I don’t even like Finnair, but their First Class lounge in HEL has a sauna. Like, c’mon.
Have you ever been to Doha? Singapore? LHR T3? Friends, there are better lounges out there.
90 degree smartrse, many people find mega lounges such as the Doha and HK lounges too big, gaudy, noisy and rather vulgar. Icelandair’s lounge gets just the right balance between understated luxury, views, privacy and the often overlooked aspect of atmosphere comfort.
I flew Saga Class for the first time from Vancouver to Keflavik, and on to Amsterdam last month. Then, I flew back with a stopover in Iceland in early October.
It was a good experience, but not quite as good as I had been hoping for. The flights from the West Coast are around 7 hours to/from KEF, and that is just a bit too much time in those Saga seats. They begin to feel...
I flew Saga Class for the first time from Vancouver to Keflavik, and on to Amsterdam last month. Then, I flew back with a stopover in Iceland in early October.
It was a good experience, but not quite as good as I had been hoping for. The flights from the West Coast are around 7 hours to/from KEF, and that is just a bit too much time in those Saga seats. They begin to feel cramped after about five hours overnight, when one really wants to stretch out, and elevate the legs. It's not happening in those seats.
There were no amenity kits provided in either direction on the YVR-KEF flights, which was a disappointment. The fact that it happened in both directions suggests it's not an unintentional omission.
The meals were a bit below what I was hoping for in quality and taste. No lamb or beef options on any of the flights. Icelandic cod in cream sauce was very bland. Not bad tasting, but just lacking in flavour. Same with those pretzels they give out with the drink service. Very little taste, compared to the King Nut pretzels I've had in coach on Delta or the Synder's of Hanover on United. There used to be fancier snacks to go along with the nice gin and tonic drinks, but there seems to be cost-cutting going on in Icelandair's catering this year. Desserts were also pretty tasteless. So tasteless, I can't even recall what they were.
I agree that the day flights eastbound (offered only in summer from JFK, and perhaps BOS) are the ones to make the most of a Saga Class journey. And the Saga Lounge in Keflavik is very good. The catering there is ten times better than on board the aircraft.
Just flew Saga Premium Reykjavík to Seattle. No amenity kit. Extremely uncomfortable seats. Would have been better off flying in empty coach and spreading out across seats.
L Dean, Totally Agree!! flew this flt to Sea in fall 2024, no amenity kit, horribly uncomfortable Saga seat, and Worse, in a downpour w no Jetway, they loaded everyone in a bus and just opened the doors next to the plane and it was a Free-for All as EVERY passenger had to scramble onto the flight in the pouring rain, w many carrying their luggage up the stairs, (not even a ramp). A mess!...
L Dean, Totally Agree!! flew this flt to Sea in fall 2024, no amenity kit, horribly uncomfortable Saga seat, and Worse, in a downpour w no Jetway, they loaded everyone in a bus and just opened the doors next to the plane and it was a Free-for All as EVERY passenger had to scramble onto the flight in the pouring rain, w many carrying their luggage up the stairs, (not even a ramp). A mess! PS. Positive: At least Iceland Air did reimburse me for my damaged Checked Bag after Their ground crew somehow ripped a wheel off my bag and I had to drag it through customs upon my return to SEA.
To me, it is easier to think of it as domestic first class, and totally adequate for a 4.5 flight from the east coast.
So will the final review be based on business class or premium economy? Most everywhere out there consider this business class, even Google Flights as you pointed out. It's fine to manage expectations but you can't have your cake and eat it too.
I have a price alert set with Expedia for a certain route in business. The problem is Icelandair always come in lowest and I can't exclude it from the search. I'm willing to pay for flat bed business class.
I'm looking forward to using them on my next flight to Rome in February. I live in the Baltimore area so being able fly out of BWI with less than a two hour layover in each direction is fantastic and I don't have to drive to NJ or NY. Everyone obviously prefers the privacy and lie flat beds of business but as someone that has to pay out of pocket, they are getting pretty expensive....
I'm looking forward to using them on my next flight to Rome in February. I live in the Baltimore area so being able fly out of BWI with less than a two hour layover in each direction is fantastic and I don't have to drive to NJ or NY. Everyone obviously prefers the privacy and lie flat beds of business but as someone that has to pay out of pocket, they are getting pretty expensive. I'm looking forward to my r/t for $1,148 which is less than the premium economy on the big 3. Thanks Ben for making me feel better about my choice.
I had a bargain $1,148 Saga class ticket and was downgraded to economy at the gate DEN-KEF. The guy seated next to me had the same experience. Dinner was a convenience store sandwich. EU 261 compensation was $175.
all your comments are in line with my experience except that I found their food offering vastly superior than other Premium Economy products across the Atlantic AND I must have had an exceptional crew as they really warmed up to the passengers and seemed to enjoy their jobs more than most. In general, you nailed it compared with my experience. Daylight back to the states is even better ... no need for sleeper seats when...
all your comments are in line with my experience except that I found their food offering vastly superior than other Premium Economy products across the Atlantic AND I must have had an exceptional crew as they really warmed up to the passengers and seemed to enjoy their jobs more than most. In general, you nailed it compared with my experience. Daylight back to the states is even better ... no need for sleeper seats when you get the views, the entertainment, the delicious food and a great crew
I wonder why they don't do 2-2 flatbeds at least. That wouldn't affect their density as much as full 1-1s, China Airlines, Korean Air, and Starlux have this on their A321neos and the product feels very new and modern.
Short answer, because they don't have to.
This seems to be a common pain point for several commenters, especially when it comes to calling out CX for not having lie-flats on the A321neo the way KE/CI/JX do. This isn’t Northeast Asia, where such products are widespread, and many think CX’s A321neo is at a disadvantage compared to that of Taiwanese airlines. This is Europe, and to even have a US-first-class-style product is a big upgrade from what European airlines typically have on...
This seems to be a common pain point for several commenters, especially when it comes to calling out CX for not having lie-flats on the A321neo the way KE/CI/JX do. This isn’t Northeast Asia, where such products are widespread, and many think CX’s A321neo is at a disadvantage compared to that of Taiwanese airlines. This is Europe, and to even have a US-first-class-style product is a big upgrade from what European airlines typically have on narrowbodies.
That said, I wouldn’t mind a 1-1 cabin like what IB has on the A321XLR or AZ on the premium A321neo, bearing in mind that these are transatlantic (specifically, European) and not East Asian airlines.
However flat beds would allow them to price connecting itineraries to Europe far more competitively
That’s going to push up the ticket price massively. In that case most passengers would opt out for non-stop flights between N. America and Europe as the traffic to/from Iceland won’t have as much demand.
yoloswag420, I wish they would do at least 2-2 lie-flat, especially since they regularly operate 5+ hour redeyes.
It seems like you set the right expectations (low) so you were not disappointed.
Apologies on the mess that is JFK at the moment; we’re working on it. Should start to get better in 2026 with the new terminals partially opening (T1, T5/6/7).
Enjoy your time in Iceland. Hope you get to see the aurora borealis.
Do you get lounge access at jfk?
@ Thomas -- Good question, I just updated the post to address that broadly. Icelandair's most expensive Saga Premium Flex fares include lounge access at outstations, while all Saga Premium fares include lounge access at Keflavik.
Interestingly, I tried to access the lounge at JFK (since the rules were only changed in recent months) and my name was on the list to get in. So I'm not sure if the rules on lounge access are consistently enforced.
ok that is great to know! Follow up question, would partner booked award tickets for this product typically fall under the Premium or Premium Flex fares?
The pretzels are a welcome change from your usual nuts one would get.