Icelandair has, aside from their domestic/feeder airline, long had an all-Boeing mainline fleet consisting of 737 MAX- 8 and MAX- 9, 757 – 200, 757 – 300, and 767 jetliners. That all changed on Dec. 10, 2024, when the airline company positioned an A 321 LR into service as TF-IAA, named Esia , per their procedure of naming aircraft after Icelandic volcanoes.
There’s a whole lot to unpack below, so this post will certainly focus on the experience of the trip. We’ll do a follow-up story on the ramifications of the fleet change later on.
The first impression was, unsurprisingly, of newness. It felt almost like you shouldn’t remain in there, as it was so beautiful. The new-airplane scent is a genuine point. And it’s quite lovely.
As I did this journey in a somewhat outrageous manner, flying sequentially from Seattle to Keflavik, Keflavik to Stockholm, after that transforming directly around and doing the return with only about 90 mins in each airport, Icelandair was kind enough to seat me in their costs class– Saga– for the whole 22 + hour journey. I have actually done some insane courses and some really long flights in my day, however never ever anything rather like this marathon. It was concurrently the most idiotic thing I have actually ever done, and likewise rated among the most fun things.
By the numbers, the trip covered was 9, 896 miles over 4 trips covering 22 hours and 15 mins airborne, all loaded right into 27 hours of complete travel time. Every one of this was truly for KEF-ARN and back, with the brand-new Airplane. I got on a Boeing 737 MAX- 8 on SEA-KEF, the A 321 LR KEF-ARN and ARN-KEF, and a Boeing 757 – 200 KEF-SEA, enabling me to compare experiences across all of Icelandair’s energetic long-haul fleet choices.
I’ve reviewed Icelandair’s 757 , 737 MAX , and De Havilland Canada DHC- 8 service in the past, and those monitorings are still valid.
Their 757 s are nearing the end of their service lives, and thus are certainly seeking an upgrade. Limit series is a fantastic upgrade, yet the acquired 737 s just don’t have the variety and lugging capability of those terrific 757 s; Boeing missed a significant opportunity when it stopped production in 2004 and stopped working to develop a substitute. In previous Icelandair protection, we ‘d kept in mind that the airline’s managment long wished Boeing would certainly come up with a direct substitute for the 757; that undoubtedly has not become, and the age of the fleet left them with little choice than to take into consideration Airbus’ offerings.
So, in strolls Plane with their newest A 321 derivatives, which are now the closest point on the marketplace to the 757 in terms of capabilities.
Make no mistake, the 737 MAX 8 and 9 are extremely comfortable and competent aircraft, however Airbus is numerous steps in advance of Boeing with their newer A 321 LR and just-released A 321 XLR. The MAX cabins are absolutely quieter than their predecessor NG versions, but the Airplane is also quieter. The A 321 LR is likewise 30 % more fuel-efficient than the airplane it’s replacing.
Seating likewise really feels even more comfy, even in the rear of the plane, although that’s even more approximately the airline companies than the airplane producer.
The Airbus jets lack the 737 line’s large area bins for above luggage storage space, but they’re still approximately task. Spending seven hours on a MAX, then transitioning straight to the brand-new Jet, after that back to a 757 for another 7 hours provided lots of viewpoint.
The only fiddly thing about the Saga seats was searching for the power electrical outlets on the Airbus, which are cleverly hidden under the facility console. There are excellent little fold-out coat hooks on the seatbacks as well, which are quite helpful for cold-weather trips.
Unlike lots of residential US carriers, Icelandair’s 187 -seat A 321 LR does not have a mid-cabin bathroom. Rather, they’re put similarly to the Boeing design of one up front for Saga course and three in the rear of the aircraft for everyone else.
As a result of a technical glitch on the inaugural flight, the aircraft’s new-to-Icelandair Viasat’s Ka-band satellite internet wasn’t functioning. I did play around with the moving map and take note of the large variety of movie choices. The 4 K OLED touchscreens are quite sharp with smooth performance and gorgeous shades; it is just one of the nicest IFE displays I have actually seen.
It will certainly be depressing, for several factors, to see the venerable B 757 fleet retire. But the replacement airplane selected by Icelandair is certainly approximately the job, and surpasses those old jets in guest comfort and fuel performance for the airline company with its even more modern engines and avionics systems.
In our following article, we’ll explore what these brand-new aircraft mean for the fleet procedures and possible path expansions.
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