Icelandair will soon add Airbus aircraft to its fleet for the first time. That’s not the only thing that’s changing, as Icelandair will also offer a new business class… but don’t get too excited.
Icelandair is soon acquiring four Airbus A321LRs
In 2023, Icelandair placed an order for 13 Airbus A321XLRs, which is the longest range version of the Airbus A320-family. Icelandair needs these planes in order to replace its aging Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 fleet, since Boeing doesn’t have a narrow body jet with the same range. The catch is that those A321XLRs are only joining Icelandair’s fleet as of 2029.
Separate from the above order, Icelandair is leasing four Airbus A321LRs, as this is a slightly shorter range version of the aircraft, which the airline can get its hands on sooner. The expectation is that the airline will start taking delivery of these A321LRs as of late 2024, so we’re just months from Icelandair flying its first Airbus.
Icelandair plans new business class, but not flat beds
I’ve been curious to see what kind of a business class product Icelandair would introduce on its Airbus aircraft. Icelandair’s current business class is more like premium economy (or domestic first class within the United States), and consists of recliner seats.
I know many people have wondered if Icelandair would eventually introduce flat beds, including on the upcoming Airbus jets. Well, there’s an update, and it’s not great news.
According to Cranky Flier, Icelandair recently did an analysis, and has still decided not to introduce flat beds. However, Icelandair’s new A321LRs are expected to feature a slightly improved business class product.
Icelandair has reportedly selected a modified version of the Geven Comoda seat for its upcoming A321LRs, with 42-43″ of pitch, 8″ of recline, and leg and foot rests. So this does represent a nice improvement over what you’ll find on the carrier’s current fleet.
Below are some pictures of the generic version of the Geven Comoda seat, which of course doesn’t factor in any Icelandair modifications.
For context on how this compares to Icelandair’s current product, Icelandair otherwise offers around 40″ of pitch, but doesn’t have leg rests. So the new product will be more comfortable, but only marginally so.
Does Icelandair have the right business class strategy?
Icelandair has a unique strategy. In addition to serving the Iceland market, the airline is all about offering one stop service between North America and Europe. Icelandair operates somewhere between a low cost and full service business model, and flying with the airline can often represent good value.
I’ve always been conflicted about the carrier’s business model. On the one hand, Icelandair’s business class pricing is very reasonable, and the airline often has a convenient schedule, given that the carrier has short minimum connection times, and also connects many secondary cities. On the other hand, Icelandair business class is more like premium economy in terms of hard product, so if you frame it that way, the product is a bit less spectacular.
Personally I’ve long felt that Icelandair should introduce flat beds in business class. After all, this could be done with fairly opportunity cost with a couple of different options.
For example, Icelandair could install the Collins Aerospace Diamond Parallel seat, as you’ll find on many airlines, like American’s A321Ts. These seats have just 43″ of pitch (since the footwell is to the side of the seat in front), so it’s basically the same pitch as Icelandair’s new product.
A staggered configuration wouldn’t take up that much more pitch, like what you’ll find in FlyDubai’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 business class.
The truth is that many people can’t sleep in a recliner seat, so would avoid Icelandair business class on an overnight flight if there’s another option. I think the airline could generate significantly more business class revenue with a product that actually allowed people to recline fully.
Now, admittedly the issue is that transitioning from recliners to flat beds would be quite a costly undertaking. The airline will have limited upside from this unless there are flat beds throughout the fleet, and that’s something Icelandair probably doesn’t want to spend the money on. I suspect that’s also why the airline thinks that flat beds on new aircraft just aren’t a worthwhile investment.
Bottom line
Later this year, Icelandair will begin taking delivery of four Airbus A321LRs, which is an exciting development for the airline. I was curious what kind of a business class product the airline would introduce, and now we know — it’ll be more spacious than the existing product, but it won’t consist of flat beds, sadly.
What do you make of Icelandair’s Airbus A321LR plans? Would flat beds change your desire to fly Icelandair business class?
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