Date: November 2008

Price from New York: $561.45/person including taxes. When I booked this over the summer it was a good price, but there are better deals now with the softened economy.

Check-in: Seat selection was not allowed in advance and neither was online check-in, a combo that stressed me out as I dreaded being stuck in a middle seat between two strangers. Luckily, no such scenario occurred. The check-in counter was a breeze in both New York and Reykjavik. Tip: If you have computer access in Iceland, log on to the SAS Airlines website 22 hours before your flight, choose check-in and enter your name and booking reference. Although you will not be able to complete check-in, you will be able to choose your seats for your return flight to the United States.

Plane: Icelandair recently renovated their planes adding an Economy Comfort class and seat-back entertainment centers. The “new” planes pretty much look like any other. At double the price of standard Economy, Economy Comfort seats are not worth it. They are in the same cabin as standard Economy, right next to a bathroom and offer just one additional inch of legroom. Standard legroom was average. The bathrooms were a bit grungy and the movies selections were old but I enjoyed the GPS maps that let me track our flight progress.

Service: Although drinks are free, food is not unless you are sitting in one of the premium classes. A limited selection of sandwiches and candy are offered for purchase. I can’t comment on the quality of the food as I didn’t try any of it. Service was slow but the flight attendants were friendly and nice.

Verdict: Overall I had some annoyances but no major complaints with Icelandair. I’d like to see them allow advance seat selection and give passengers a complimentary snack. I would say the flight was average; not the best, but not the worst either.

Grade: C-