Flight Review: Icelandair business class (Saga Premium) B737-9 MAX & B757
An Icelandair Boeing 737-9 MAX like the one that I flew from Arlanda to Keflavik
Flight#: FI307
From: Stockholm Arlanda (ARN)
To: Keflavik (KEF)
Flight time: 3h 30min
Aircraft: Boeing 737-9 MAX
I had the chance to fly twice on Icelandair’s business class (called Saga Premium), most of this flight report refers to my experience with the first flight, between Stockholm Arlanda and Reykjavik. The return leg of the trip was done on a Boeing 757 (the one with the beautiful “Vatnajökull” special livery no less!).
The passenger experience on the B757 did not differ much from that on the B737-9 MAX, so I decided not to do a separate review. I have, however included an addendum towards the end, where I mention some details specific to Icelandair’s B757 and also the Saga Lounge at Keflavik International Airport.
These flights were courtesy of Icelandair on occasion of the MidAtlantic event that took place in Reykjavik in January 2023.
Pre-flight experience
The pre-flight experience in this case had basically two elements:
1) The Icelandair mobile app, that I used to complete my check in
2) The business class lounge. In this case, since Icelandair doesn’t have its own lounge in Stockholm (it uses the SAS lounge), I don’t think it is really part of the Icelandair experience and won’t comment much. The amazing Saga Lounge at Keflavik airport is another story, though. I cover it in detail towards the end of this flight review, since I used it on my return journey.
So, let’s go to the app.
From a user experience point of view, it worked great: smooth, quick and aesthetically pleasing. I liked how they throw in some Icelandic elements into the UI, creating anticipation ahead of the trip.
The only thing, though, is that there seemed to be a technical glitch and the electronic boarding pass that was generate showed the wrong boarding time!
My flight was at 12.50 and, nevertheless, the boarding pass said 14.20h.
I doubled checked on the airport screens and also online, so I just ignored this data point in my mobile boarding pass and neither did I have any issue at the boarding gate.
However I thought it was worth highlighting it here, since there is some potential for people getting confused or even missing flights as a result of this (which I assume was the product of a temporary technical glitch)
The cabin
The Boeing 737-9 MAX on the first leg of the trip was an absolute pleasure to fly. I had flown the MAX before, but it was really a nice surprise to rediscover how quiet and smooth it its. Barely noticed the climb!
The Saga Premium cabin is fitted with 8 business class seats in a 2-2 configuration. There is a neat divide with the economy class cabin (not just a simple curtain).
Icelandair has no lie flat beds, which kind of makes sense when you consider most of its flights are less than 5h long (most of the European ones are even shorter). At the same time, Saga Premium it provides a far superior experience that the business class currently being offered by many European airlines on their single aisle aircraft.
The seats are wide and comfortable and provide a roomy 40’ pitch.
Yes, you still have a fellow passenger next to you, but, as you can see in the picture above, there is plenty of separation between the two, including a sort of double arm rest that acts as a platform, so you don’t really notice it much.
All seats are fitted with a seat-back screen with access to a digital entertainment platform and there is also (rather fast) internet connectivity, which is free for Saga Premium passengers (more on IFE further down this piece).
Some small details that add to the experience:
A foldable footrest
A hook for the suit
Electrical socket on the side of the seat
A bottle of pure Icelandic water when you board
The tray folds and unfolds from the side
Also, I noticed that the arm rest on the right side is really well fitted to the shape of the cabin walls, so there is almost no gap and it is a pretty solid surface in case you wish to leave there a book, a phone or the Icelandair earplug casing (more on this soon) while you do other stuff.
And, btw, this is toilet of a Boeing 737-9 MAX:
Food and drink
This was another highlight of the Saga Premium experience, offering good quality and a well balanced mix of foods in a very nice presentation.
This is true of the two flights I completed, I have added some notes about the meal on the return leg on the Boeing 757, which was also excellent when it comes to food and drink.
The flight was about 3.5h long so there is only so much you can eat and drink in this time. We had one snack serving with a drink (champagne) as a starter.
Next, the main meal, which was really good: generous portions and healthy and tasty ingredients. Btw, the bread and the butter are often an afterthought, but in this case they were both amazingly tasty!
Drinks on Icelandair deserve a mention on their own. How many airlines do you know that have a whole “Gin Library?” By the way, most of them are locally produced in Iceland, as it the vodka (see below).
The crew is also able to prepare some excellent cocktails, like the one I tried, “Espresso Martini” (see the return trip notes further down for pics).
And if you don’t drink alcohol there is also, of course, an ample supply of prime Icelandic mineral water!
Entertainment and amenities
You, certainly, won’t get bored on your Icelandair flight. As mentioned earlier, there is both a pretty powerful inflight entertainment system (IFE) offering access to a rather large selection of films, series and other audiovisual content, and internet connectivity, which turn out to be pretty fast and reliable (aside from a few short periods when we were over the ocean)
Saga Premium passengers are offered a set of noise-cancelling headphones (see above). These are not one-use and the crew takes them back after the flight.
The IFE system has a pretty intuitive interface and has films, series, trip information and some other audiovisual content. There is also lots of information and content about Iceland (apparently Icelanders like to show their beautiful country around and I can totally understand why!)
Wifi internet connectivity is accessed through your own personal device. It is free for Saga Premium passengers and it costs around $10 if you are in economy class.
The MAX comes with a visual sign that indicates when the wifi is on (see on the right).
Connect to the internet when onboard was a pretty straightforward process.
You need to hook onto the Icelandair wifi network, then go to a specific start page provided by Viasat (the connectivity provider) and enter your PNR or personal details.
I found the speed to be pretty good, even allowing for the upload of pictures and videos relatively fast. It was also pretty reliable throughout most of the trip.
The Saga Lounge at Keflavik international airport
This review wouldn’t be complete without a mention to the Saga Lounge.
Since I flew both legs of my trip to Iceland on Icelandair Saga Premium business class, I had the chance to experience also the Saga Lounge at Keflavik, Icelandair’s hub airport.
Let’s start by saying that the Saga Lounge totally surpassed my expectations and it is one of the best lounge experiences I have had recently. Let’s see why.
The aesthetics, with a Nordic style which even includes some natural elements, like rocks (aee below) and references to the Icelandic nature and culture. Icelandair totally managed to get the “hygge” vibe in its Saga Lounge!
There are also different areas and options to sit down, lay down and relax. For example, the personal armchairs, which remind those on some of the most luxurious business class seats out there, strike a great balance between comfort, privacy and openness (so that you do not lose sight of the flight announcements or what is going on around).
They also have plenty of space and surfaces to leave your belongings, food drinks, books or whatever you need, as well as being fitted with electrical sockets to recharge your devices.
The food selection is not huge, but it has a good balance of sweet and savoury, Nordic and international foods. Just as onboard the plane, the drink selection and, very particularly, the liquor bar, deserve a special mention!
In addition to the main kitchen, there are also several smaller coffee and drink “out-stations” scattered throughout the lounge, so those that are far from the main bar can easily refill without venturing too far from their seats or couches.
I don’t know if it is always like this or I was fortunate to enjoy the lounge at a quite time, but it was incredibly calm and quiet, great to work or read (in stark contrast to some lounges I visited recently that were buzzing with activity).
Special mention as well to these semi-reclined beds. Just as the armchairs I commented on earlier, just a bit more laid back (I noticed several people sleeping on them all around). Very comfortable and, also, with space for food, drink or simply books or whatever you are fiddling with, as well as sockets to recharge your devices.
And I almost forgot to mention that the lounge has great views of the apron on two sides of the terminal and large glass walls, so if you are into plane spotting, this is your place too!
The return flight: some notes about Icelandair’s Boeing 757-200 experience
As mentioned earlier, this flight report wouldn’t be complete without some comments on the return flight, because, if the first leg of the trip gave me the chance to review the most modern plane in Icelandair’s fleet (the B737 MAX), on the return one, to Copenhagen, I had the chance to try out a classic: the Boeing 757-200.
And it was not any B757, but the one with the special “Vatnajökull” livery, which we covered already here when it was introduced a few years ago.
Since there are not that many B757s out there, I almost forgot that when you board it, you go left for business class!
There is not much to add here when it comes to the seat and overall experience. Pretty consistent with the one previously described, on the Boeing 737 MAX.
This time they gave as blankets as well, perhaps because it was an evening flight.
Espresso Martini, one of the cocktails that Icelandair’s crew can prepare.
IFE experience was the same on the B757. Although internet connectivity was not working (despite the wifi sign being on and my phone detecting the signal), perhaps a one-off glitch?
In the previous flight review I forgot to mention that Icelandair has its own signature chocolate too!
By the way, one of the tiny, tiny differences I noticed in the B757 is that the gap between the right arm rest and the cabin wall seemed to be slightly wider, making it slightly less convenient to leave your stuff there.
The food was, again, top-notch, with very fresh and natural ingredients and generous portions. Service was also outstanding throughout the flight.
When it comes to the overall experience, the B757 is, of course, a much older aircraft model (Icelandair plans to retire them around 2026) and this shows in the noise volume (this is not just my personal impression, Icelandair’s own website quantifies it, the B737 MAX is, apparently, 40% quieter!)
But one thing that the “Vatnajökull” B757 has is the Northern Lights lighting, which is pretty amazing and gives it a nice Nordic touch!
Our take
Icelandair’s Saga Premium is an excellent product for the sort of mostly mid-haul markets it serves.
It provides a great and well-rounded experience which includes comfort and cozyness, good service, amazing food and powerful entertainment and connectivity options. Moreover, if you are flying out of Keflavik, the Saga Lounge is an absolute delight.