# Icelandair wants me. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 21, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881 "2009-02-21T19:41:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/1 "2009-02-21T19:41:40Z")
In the subway today I saw three–count 'em, _three_–ads for Icelandair, offering fares to Copenhagen for a spring fling for the low low price of $759. Stop over in Iceland for no additional airfare! Now, I know that once all the departure taxes and security fees and fuel surcharges and whatnot are added on, that airfare will be more like $1200… and food and hotel prices are Not Cheap anywhere in Europe… but maaan, I want a change of scenery. Yesterday I was thinking about Cuba. Now it’s Iceland. Tomorrow it’ll be Australia or Slovenia. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/2 "2009-02-21T19:50:33Z")
Hah, I was staring at an almost-identical ad yesterday, on the London Underground. Weekend breaks from £259, or somesuch price. Very tempting! ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/3 "2009-02-21T19:58:18Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > In the subway today I saw three–count 'em, _three_–ads for Icelandair, offering fares to Copenhagen for a spring fling for the low low price of $759. Stop over in Iceland for no additional airfare! > > Now, I know that once all the departure taxes and security fees and fuel surcharges and whatnot are added on, that airfare will be more like $1200… and food and hotel prices are Not Cheap anywhere in Europe… but maaan, I want a change of scenery. Yesterday I was thinking about Cuba. Now it’s Iceland. Tomorrow it’ll be Australia or Slovenia. > > _sigh_ I know how good it sounds to get away, but if you are seriously thinking about flying over shop around… I have recently seen flights from SLC to Brussels, Berlin or Amsterdam for under $625 US total (all tax and fees included) Where ever you go, I hope you have a wild, wonderful time!!! Matthew ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/4 "2009-02-21T20:02:03Z")
Recently saw $710 SFO-BKK all taxes included. It’s dark over here in Europe now - go south. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/5 "2009-02-21T20:33:59Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > In the subway today I saw three–count 'em, _three_–ads for Icelandair, offering fares to Copenhagen for a spring fling for the low low price of $759. Stop over in Iceland for no additional airfare! > > Now, I know that once all the departure taxes and security fees and fuel surcharges and whatnot are added on, that airfare will be more like $1200… and food and hotel prices are **Not Cheap** anywhere in Europe… but maaan, I want a change of scenery. Yesterday I was thinking about Cuba. Now it’s Iceland. Tomorrow it’ll be Australia or Slovenia. > > _sigh_ Bollocks. It’s a lot cheaper here on the island than it used to be 🙂 I say, go for it! And I’ll even buy you the first beer in d/t Reykjavik. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/6 "2009-02-22T14:14:07Z")
Icelandair wants me. Lord, I can’t go back there. I wonder how much of Icelandair’s service is domestic. It’s likely more than I think. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/7 "2009-02-22T14:28:18Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Icelandair wants me. > Lord, I can’t go back there. > > I wonder how much of Icelandair’s service is domestic. It’s likely more than I think. 😕 If you mean how much of the staff is Icelandic, then most of them are. If you mean how much they fly within Iceland, the answer is nothing. Icelandair is strictly an “abroad” carrier, while smaller airlines fly the domestic routes. But I’m not sure I’m following… or is that the wind I hear? ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/8 "2009-02-22T16:36:02Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > And I’ll even buy you the first beer in d/t Reykjavik. Just hold the brennivin. Back in my travel agent days I took Icelandair from Minneapolis to Reykjavik. I loved it. Windy, though. Always windy. The Westmann Islands were pretty neat, too. Is Keiko the killer whale still there? ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/9 "2009-02-22T18:01:04Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > Just hold the brennivin. > > Back in my travel agent days I took Icelandair from Minneapolis to Reykjavik. I loved it. Windy, though. Always windy. > > The Westmann Islands were pretty neat, too. Is Keiko the killer whale still there? Nah, he left some years ago. Went to Norway, I think, but never adjusted to life in the wild and died pretty soon ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/10 "2009-02-22T19:14:27Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I know how good it sounds to get away, but if you are seriously thinking about flying over shop around… > > I have recently seen flights from SLC to Brussels, Berlin or Amsterdam for under $625 US total (all tax and fees included) That equals $782.41 Canadian dollars. As you may know, Sunspace is in Toronto, Canada, so the ad he saw was priced in Canadian dollars. (At 1.00 USD = 1.249 CAD ([using this converter](http://www.xe.com/ucc/)), his $759 CAD advertised price works out to $607.29 USD, but we haven’t added taxes and fees yet.) According to Icelandair itself, taxes on a flight from Toronto to Copenhagen are $56 (Canadian dollars, from [Icelandair’s Canadian site](http://www.icelandair.ca/offers-and-bookings/book-packages/taxes/)). Then there is Toronto Pearson Airport’s $25 per departing passenger airport improvement fee ([cite](http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/587092)), and the $17 Canadian Air Travellers Security Charge ([pdf cite](http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/et/atscrates/atscrates-e.pdf)). Total so far in fees and taxes: $98 CAD. I’m not sure what else might be thrown in there. I saw nothng at Icelandair’s site about fuel surcharges, nor does it say if there is a Danish or Icelandic security charge or airport improvement fee. Let’s tack on $50, just in case. Taxes and fees are now $148. So, adding $148 to $759 gives us $907 CAD, or $725.40 USD. No, it’s not $625 US all-in departing Salt Lake City, but that’s not where Sunspace is departing from. I’d say it’s still pretty reasonable for a flight departing Toronto and bound for Copenhagen. Especially given the (IMHO, absurdly high) Canadian and Toronto fees and taxes that nothing can be done about. **Sunspace** , go and have a great time! ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/11 "2009-02-22T19:56:23Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > That equals $782.41 Canadian dollars. As you may know, Sunspace is in Toronto, Canada, so the ad he saw was priced in Canadian dollars. (At 1.00 USD = 1.249 CAD ([using this converter](http://www.xe.com/ucc/)), his $759 CAD advertised price works out to $607.29 USD, but we haven’t added taxes and fees yet.) > > According to Icelandair itself, taxes on a flight from Toronto to Copenhagen are $56 (Canadian dollars, from [Icelandair’s Canadian site](http://www.icelandair.ca/offers-and-bookings/book-packages/taxes/)). Then there is Toronto Pearson Airport’s $25 per departing passenger airport improvement fee ([cite](http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/587092)), and the $17 Canadian Air Travellers Security Charge ([pdf cite](http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/et/atscrates/atscrates-e.pdf)). Total so far in fees and taxes: $98 CAD. > > I’m not sure what else might be thrown in there. I saw nothng at Icelandair’s site about fuel surcharges, nor does it say if there is a Danish or Icelandic security charge or airport improvement fee. Let’s tack on $50, just in case. Taxes and fees are now $148. > > So, adding $148 to $759 gives us $907 CAD, or $725.40 USD. No, it’s not $625 US all-in departing Salt Lake City, but that’s not where Sunspace is departing from. I’d say it’s still pretty reasonable for a flight departing Toronto and bound for Copenhagen. Especially given the (IMHO, absurdly high) Canadian and Toronto fees and taxes that nothing can be done about. > > **Sunspace** , go and have a great time! I didnt realise that the Canadian dollar had gone back down so much against the US dollar… (also didnt know that flight fees and taxes were so high in Canada) Seems like it was just the other day when they were equal. I havent been back to visit Canada since 2006, but each time I have been (Vancouver and Montreal) its a great vacation!!! Hope Sunspace has a fine time where ever he chooses for a visit!!! ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/12 "2009-02-23T01:07:06Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > If you mean how much they fly within Iceland, the answer is nothing. Icelandair is strictly an “abroad” carrier, while smaller airlines fly the domestic routes. This is what I meant. ‘Domestic service’ means routes flown within the carrier’s country of origin. It has nothing to do with the crew or other employees. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icelandair-wants-me/486881/13 "2009-02-23T01:22:52Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > This is what I meant. ‘Domestic service’ means routes flown within the carrier’s country of origin. It has nothing to do with the crew or other employees. Thanks for clarifying that for me. But as I said, they only fly abroad, nothing inland. And even leave Greenland to the domestic carriers.