On this page we attempt to make available the experience of individual bicycle tourists who travel to Iceland (you can share your experiences here).
Table of Contents
IcelandAir charging for bikes
I was going to book a flight from Boston to Glasgow using IcelandAir since they had the low price, but then I checked their site and they are charging $30 for bikes within Europe and $60 for bikes out of or into the US. They are no longer the low price and I will use BA because of their much more friendly attitude toward bikes.
Charles Hansen, January 19, 2007Taking Bike to Europe
Found on: rec.bicycles.misc
I did it 2 weeks ago. I flew West Palm -> Baltimore (South West), 1 day stopover Baltimore -> Iceland (Icelandair) 3 day stopover Iceland-> Denmark (IcelandAir) 1 day stopover Denmark -> Paris (Air France).
I had my bike in a soft case and I used hot water pipe insulation (Home Depot $1.29) around the frame to add protection without adding weight. I stuffed the case with clothes as well. Therefore it was my only piece of checked luggage.
Southwest charged me $40 dollars.
Because it was my only checked luggage, IcelandAir didn't charge extra for it. Ditto for AirFrance (although because I didn't warn them in advance that I was travelling with a bike, they had to check first to see if there was enough space in the plane for it on the flight with me).
Because I made stopovers, I left the bike at BWI for 24 hours in the care of Southwest. They held it for me free of charge, but because of security reasons, I couldn't even touch the case once it came into the baggage claim area.
I had to take the bike with me into Rekyavik on the airport shuttle since there was no place to store it at the Keflavik airport. The guy there suggested I just leave it out at the luggage area for 3 days. He said not to worry about it, I was in Iceland. I almost went for it, but maybe with one of my other bikes...
I checked the bike at the Copenhagen airport for 40DKK ($5) without problems.
All in all no problems. I've always found it easier, cheaper and more hassle free taking a bike on planes in Europe than in the States.
HTH
Traveling with Iceland Air
(Keywords: Icelandic Air , packing, Transportation, Damage)
This year I booked a flight from Frankfurt to Keflavik and back. When ordering I asked for the regulations on taking my bike. Icelandair then confirmed on the sheet with the reservation informations that the transport of the bike is booked too. No costs!
I didn't packed up my bike, just turned the handlebar, removed the pedals and deflated the tires (not completely, so that pushing the bike was possible without damage to the tires/rims)
On the flight back I forgot turning the handlebar, but noone cares.
On both flights nothing hapened, neither scratches, nor damaged discs (disc brake).
Althoug it has been a good idea to try to check in first in Keflavik, there were lots of bikers on the camp site, as I heard short before the departure they strictly asked for the confirmation of bike transport. I, checkin in more than 2 hours before departure, wasn't asked for this.
I really recommend this airline when traveling to iceland!
No more free bags from Icelandair
I flew to Iceland this year (2002) the second time and for packing my bike I relied on the free plastic bags Icelandair used to have at the Keflavik airport. However, after some pleasant four weeks I found these plastic bags are NO LONGER FREE! They now cost 1500 ISK each!!!
Anyway, Icelandair is charging 25 EUR extra per flight with bike and (if you pay this) can still be called rather bicycle-friendly! Also they accepted my BOB Yak trailer (as my only baggage) on both flights without weighting it. Sure it was over the limit! 🙂
By the way: I did not pack the trailer at all. Just take care of the attachment-pins and look nothing can fall out. It seems quiet robust.
Icelandic Air
In August 2000 I took my bike from the UK to Iceland. London Heathrow to Reykjavik Keflavik.
I was not charged anything for the bike or the fact that I was a good few KG over the weight limit at both sides of the journey.
Much of my excess weight at Heathrow came from the heavy cardboard bike box. Icelandair told me to put the bike in a box. (Just ask your local bike shop for an old box)
On my return flight from Keflavik I was given a large plastic bubble-wrap bag to put the bike in. I did not even take the bike apart, just lowered the seat and turned the handlebars around. easy! They give all cyclists at Keflavik these large bags.
I booked my flight just a few weeks before I flew. Icelandair were the only carrier with available tickets. I would have flown with GO if I’d the chance as their tickets are cheaper. But I talked to other cyclists in Iceland who had flown with GO and they had to pay extra for their bike, so maybe I had the cheapest ticket after all!
I did talk to a couple who flew with GO and they had got in writing when they booked their ticket that their bikes would be free. At check-in they were asked to pay but managed not to because they had it in writing. I seem to remember that they still had to argue with the girl on the check-in desk and I think they may have ‘asked for the manager’.
Have a nice ride!
Icelandic Air
On June 2001 we went from Paris CDG to Reykjavik with Icelandair. We did not pay anything, neither for 2 bikes (MTB dismounted, in special bags), nor for our BOB trailer (1). Each luggage was over 23kg (50 lbs).
We made a "reservation" but I don't really know if it counts.
However on our return we had to pay for bikes (about 2000IKR).
We had no problem with the trailer on either way (no damage, no fees).
We could go from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik with flybus and we didn't pay anythig extra for bikes (still in bags).
Ferries Canada to Iceland?
Found on: rec.bicycles.rides
[Someone asked, again, about ferries to Europe via Iceland]
"About ten or so years ago I began thinking about taking a series of ferries across the pond, from Boston to Europe. It seems that there are mail boats which take passengers going up the Canadian coast. After the icebergs melt in May, there are ferries to Iceland -- but I have lost track of the specifics. The earlier post about ferries from Iceland to Scotland got me thinking again. Anyone ever do this, or part of this? "
Actually, I don't believe there are any ferries between eastern Canada and Iceland. Freighters perhaps, but having just done the ferry routes of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and having paid attention to the options available for travel within these regions, I never saw any mention of regularly scheduled runs to either Greenland or Iceland from the maritimes.
The only ferries in the Canadian Maritimes I saw were: (all offered round trip)
- NS (Nova Scotia) to Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine
- NS to New Brunswick
- NS to Prince Edward Isle (PEI)
- PEI to Magdalan Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
- NS to Argentia and Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland (NF)
- NF to St. Pierre (France, but 12 miles off shore)
- NF to Labrador - SE coast
- NF to Goose Bay, Labrador
- NF to the coastal communities of Labrador
SB
Icelandic Air
I flew Icelandair from Frankfurt to Baltimore this summer. They didn't charge any extra fees, and they took the bike (a 68 cm frame full touring bike) as is, without boxing or removal of pedals, bars, etc. This made riding away from the airport relatively painless ... just attach panniers and pedal away (relative bike-friendliness of U.S. airport access is a different story!).
Julian C. Westerhout
Graduate Student Department of Political Science Indiana University Bloomington
web: http://php.indiana.edu/~juwester
IcelandAir
FYI, today was Iceland Air's last day for service to Luxembourg. From now on, Frankfurt and Amsterdam are the main European Ice Air destinations. However, LuxAir will have service from Lux to Iceland, but I do not know how their airfares compare, but they are code-sharing with Ice Air so you should be able to use them to get to North America.
R Gardner, January 09, 1999Luxembourg (Findel)
As a side note on airports. We, in the East of France, often consider Luxemburg International Airport when going to the US. This is a very small airport (one where you still walk on the tarmac to board planes), a few miles from French, German and Belgium borders, and Luxemburg city. Although I've only been there by car, I don't think there is any problem to bike to the airport (basically, the access is a regular road, not a freeway!). Icelandair has a daily service to Boston, Baltimore and a few other places, British Airways used to have also a regular service (not sure what it is nowadays).
Admitedly, the North-East of France is not the most popular cycling place of France, but tourers interested in Alsace, les Vosges, Schwartzwald (Germany) and Rhine valley ay consider this entry option.
Bonne route,
Jean-Pierre Jacquot CRIN (Centre de Recherche en Informatique de Nancy)
Chef du Departement d'Informatique de l'Universite Henri Poincare
post: CRIN B.P. 239 F-54506 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy Cedex France
phone:+33 83.59.20.16 fax: +33 83.41.30.79