Great Icelandair Business Class Fares With Iceland Stopover

As I recently wrote about, I’m considering a trip to see the Northern Lights, and Iceland is one of the destinations on my radar. I’ve been keeping an eye on the carrier’s fares, and noticed that the airline has just introduced an attractive fare sale, which is worth being aware of.

Let’s cover the details, though let me note that Icelandair doesn’t have a “traditional” business class (as I’ll explain in more detail below). Still, this could be a good deal, especially if you want a stopover in Iceland.

Icelandair’s great business class fares

At the moment Icelandair has a fare sale, offering roundtrip transatlantic business class fares starting at just $999 all-in:

• You need to book by January 21, 2025
• These fares are valid for travel this winter and spring, typically between February and May of 2025 (though exact eligible dates differ based on the city pairs)
• There’s no minimum stay required for business class, and the maximum stay is 12 months
• You’re allowed a stopover in Iceland for up to seven days at no additional cost (other than taxes and fees)
• There are fare sales available from most of Icelandair’s gateways in the United States

The easiest way to see what’s available is to visit the Icelandair sale page and select your origin, and then you’ll see all the city pairs that are available, plus the pricing.

Fares start at just $999 roundtrip in business class. Google Flights doesn’t consistently show the right pricing for this sale, so you’ll want to use Icelandair’s website.

These fares aren’t just available to Continental Europe, but also to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, etc. If you want to maximize value, you can have a stopover in Iceland enroute to elsewhere.

The amazing value of a free stopover

One of the biggest selling points of cheap Icelandair fares isn’t even the cheap fares as such, but rather that Icelandair allows a free stopover in Iceland on a roundtrip ticket. This is a way to experience Iceland for several days while enroute to another city in Europe. These stopovers can be booked directly on Icelandair’s website.

Earning miles for Icelandair flights

If you’re looking to earn miles for your Icelandair flights, the best option is to credit to Alaska Mileage Plan. Since you’d be booking this ticket directly through Icelandair, you’d earn miles per the below Mileage Plan chart (and this is before elite mileage bonuses, which can be up to 150% for MVP Gold 100K members).

A warning about Icelandair business class

Even though Icelandair’s premium product (“Saga Class”) is often referred to as business class, expect it to be more like premium economy on other airlines. These aren’t fully flat beds, but rather are seats similar to what you might find in domestic first class.

As a result, you’ll want to manage your expectations. Consider this deal either if you really want to earn Alaska miles, or if you want a stopover in Iceland. On the plus side, the flights to & from Iceland tend to be pretty short. Given the limited flights to Iceland, this will still be the most comfortable service to Iceland for much of the year (aside from some summer seasonal service from other airlines). Besides, there aren’t any practical ways to redeem miles for Icelandair’s premium cabin.

Bottom line

Icelandair has some great business class fares between the United States and Europe at the moment, which allow a free stopover in Iceland. These fares are valid for winter and spring, so could be a great way to see the Northern Lights. I’m tempted to book one of these, but just need to figure out dates and where exactly I want to go…

Anyone plan to take advantage of these great Icelandair business class fares?