Simply put, Iceland is alien. North Atlantic countries are dotted with startlingly blue natural hot springs, screensaver-like waterfall vistas, lava floes running beneath volcanoes rising out of the sea, and wild horses. It’s amazing and wild not very affordable once you’re there—food and beverages in Iceland are known for being pricey. However, there are less expensive ways to travel to Iceland. In actuality, there are still affordable tickets to Iceland available for travel in 2024, even though airfares are rising.
Overview of Keflavík Airport (KEF) in Reykjavík
Reykjavík (KEF) is the airport you’ll fly into if you’re traveling to Iceland from North America. It is the sole choice. Reykjavík International Airport is situated at Keflavik, a tiny hamlet on the southwest shore of the island, approximately 30 miles southwest of Reykjavik city. Scooping up a cheap rental car is your best bet because an Icelandic trip is best experienced with your wheels.
While there are several reasonably priced public transportation choices, the construction of a train service from KEF to Reykjavík’s city is still ongoing after being delayed during the epidemic. It will also set you back a small price to take a taxi into Reykjavik.
While a few airlines from across the world offer flights to Reykjavik, Icelandair is by far the largest airline when it comes to international travel to Iceland. With quality planes, good service, and usually inexpensive flights to Iceland, Icelandair is a cross between a budget airline and a full-service carrier!
How to Find Cheap Flights to Iceland
While Iceland’s food and drink prices might bankrupt you, it’s not as difficult as you might imagine to obtain a cheap trip to visit the country in the North Atlantic. Indeed, it is among the most affordable holiday destinations this year, offering a consistent flow of inexpensive flights.
It all comes down to timing and location while searching for low airfare. Even though airfare costs are rising globally, this is still the case this year. There have been lots of cheap flights to Iceland this year, especially from the United States! This includes extremely infrequent offers on Delta nonstop flights to Reykjavik, such as the one we informed Premium members about earlier this month.
Expert Advice for Finding Inexpensive Iceland Flights
Don’t Use Online Travel Agencies: Always Use Google Flights
This year, or any year, while searching for inexpensive flights to Iceland, Google Flights is the greatest search engine available and ought to be your first choice. We swear by Google Flights every single day because it is the most dependable, practical, and helpful search engine available. Give up using other online travel companies like Hopper or Skyscanner to avoid wasting time and headaches.
Plan your trip after selecting the least expensive flight
In certain aspects, locating an inexpensive flight to Iceland is similar to locating an inexpensive flight anywhere: Flexibility is essential. You’ve put yourself in a difficult situation from the beginning if you begin your search with set trip dates and no leeway. Being flexible with both the time of year and the day of the week you travel is essential to finding a great deal. We’ve called this the “Flight First Rule” for this reason.
Rearranging your dates by a single day or two might occasionally result in significant cost savings. You can also save a good deal of money by booking your flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
For excellent weather, time off for the kids from school, and a host of other benefits, traveling during the height of summer (mid-June to mid-August) is recommended. However, airlines make you pay more to travel during those months of high demand since they are aware of this. You could save hundreds of dollars by shifting your dates to late spring or late summer.
Think About Aligning Flights to Save the Most
Do you think that there are never any affordable fares available from your local airport? It would be a good idea to broaden your search and consider flights departing from a bigger location. One of the best methods for finding cheap tickets to Iceland and other overseas destinations is to use positioning flights, as they are known. Consider which big airports are closest to you and where you can easily find a cheap trip (or even drive there) before looking into airfare.
Booking a Visitor Stay in Iceland
Unbelievably, visiting Iceland and another European country might result in even more savings. There are very few foreign airlines that have a complimentary stopover program, including Icelandair. It sounds just like this: on your trip to or from home, you can spend up to seven days in Iceland at no additional cost!
Traveling to two nations for the cost of one? Nothing improves in that regard. At times, you might even find a more advantageous offer than taking a nonstop flight to Reykjavik. This kind of ticket is Icelandair’s mainstay, and they have been promoting it for years. Additionally, you can remain for up to seven days for the same cost as a regular ticket. For a single, inexpensive price, see Iceland and then proceed to continental Europe.
Use Miles and Points Rather
Grasping a pile of Delta SkyMiles? When you’re planning a flight to Iceland, use those miles. We discovered a Delta SkyMiles flash sale from the previous year when tickets to Reykjavík (KEF) from many U.S. airports could be found for as little as 30,000 SkyMiles roundtrip — for Main Cabin rates! These tickets featured reserved seating and a complimentary checked bag.
Cheap flights are fantastic, but what’s even better? A complimentary one! If you find a cheap flight to Iceland, use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to pay for it instead of cash. Gaining access to free travel can be accomplished quickly and effectively by using these points.
If you want to dabble in travel credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the perfect place to start, especially now that it’s back with an 80,000-point welcome bonus after spending $4,000 in the first three months from application. It might easily pay for two round-trip flights to Iceland with its low annual fee and large sign-up bonus. Use those points to book cheap airfare through the Chase travel portal.