SRQKEF From Iceland, joined Jun 2011, 692 posts, RR: 1 Posted (5 months 2 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 7583 times:
Florida pt.1: Glaciers, MD80s and Manhattan! FI/DL KEF-LGA-TPA
Introduction
Hello everyone and welcome to the report on my latest trip to Florida! As you may know from my previous reports, I travel 1-3 times to Sarasota, Florida every year to get away from the stress at home and find some peace playing golf, swimming in the sea and laying on the beach without having to worry about anything. Most of the time we either fly direct to Orlando or take jetBlue from either BOS or JFK. This time the prices for B6 were up the roof though and as a family of 5 we had to find something cheaper. I was very happy about this as only flying FI, B6 and sometimes WN to/from Florida was getting boring. Quickly I found a cheap 75$/per person fare on DL from LaGuardia to Tampa. 5 minutes later DL 569 was booked! As an extra treat this flight was scheduled as a MD-88, a MD80 variant I hadn’t flown yet. I chose seat 23E just in front of the wing with my brother sitting beside me on the 2-seater on the right side of the aircraft. Now it was only time to wait for October to come! This is the first part of two, the second part will cover SFB-KEF on FI along with my stay on the Siesta Key beach in Florida.
My pretty simple route to Florida:
The report
I left school early in order to go home and pack my bags. At 2pm, 3 hours before scheduled departure, we drove out of our parking lot and on to route 41 direct to Keflavik Airport. The drive takes around 45 minutes and I love the feeling of rolling past the airport knowing you are going away somewhere.
A nice surprise sitting on the old USAF ramp on the east side of the airport: Polet Antonov 124. The Antonovs are quite regular guests here in KEF while going over the Atlantic from Russia.
A 752 arriving from Europe and taxiing to the terminal to rest for its mission over the Atlantic a few hours later. This particular bird was going to Seattle as FI 681 and is arriving here as FI 502 from AMS.
Nice structure outside the terminal building. I don’t know how old it is but I remember seeing it here ever since my first flight in 1998!
The same aircraft I saw landing earlier
Even though I’ve seen this logo a million times I still love it!
Walking to the terminal after unloading and locking our car in the long term car park.
The new look of the check in hall. I have to admit I liked the old bricky earth color version better, this is a bit bright IMO.
Departures – notice the same Air Greenland flight that was leaving when I started my RTW trip in April (GL711 to Nuuk). Also notice the now history Iceland Express flight to London Stansted (now WOWair).
ANC is already on the routemap in the checkin hall only 5 days after it was announced.
LED and ZRH are also already there.
A closer look on the checkin desks.
The multi-language is a nice touch though.
Closeup of the baggage tags which show Icelandic mountains.
Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most famous landmarks.
Blast from the (recent) past.
Some more nice structures
TF-FIJ operating FI212 to Copenhagen with some Icelandic professional football players aboard heading back to play for FCK (Iceland-Switzerland was played the night before we left, unfortunately we lost 0-2).
TF-LLX, a aircraft I have 2 flights logged on. Came from RAK Airways (UAE) in 2011.
Frontal view
TF-FIC, came to FI this summer. Only FI aircraft without winglets
We are heading down there!
FIC again
Gear closeup
I had some snacks and sushi but didn’t have any soup or chicken (hot meals available) as I was expecting to eat aboard and again in NYC.
Checking in for tomorrow’s flight using the free Wi-Fi the lounge offers.
Soon boarding was called and we walked upstairs, through passport control and to gate 32, the same gate that was used to JFK at the start of our RTW trip. Fortunately we got aboard this time opposed to that time when we had to run aboard the YYZ one instead.
Dirty tail on FIC already, taken while walking to the gate.
TF-FIX, our 753, seen from the gate. It’s the only 753 (and the only non-752) currently in the FI fleet.
Flight information
Date: 17. October 2012
Airline: Icelandair (FI/ICE)
Aircraft: Boeing 757-300/winglets
Registration: TF-FIX
Flight number: FI 615
From: Keflavik International Airport (KEF/BIKF)
To: New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK/KJFK)
Runway at origin: 29
Runway at destination: 22L
Sched/Act departure: 17:00/16:55
Sched/Act arrival: 19:00/19:11
Blocked time: 6 hrs 00 mins
Flight time gate to gate: 6 hrs 16 mins
Flight time RWY to RWY: 5 hrs 53 mins
Seat & Class: 11F (Economy Class, Y)
Personal information My 238th flight, 28th in 2012
My 132nd flight on FI, 128th on FI 757, 12th on FI 753
My 132nd flight on 757, 12th on 752, 45th on 75W, 12th on TF-FIX
One of the last days in operation for this airline.
Our aircraft shadowed by the jetway.
Nice little cute GL DHC8 aside of us.
View back on the nice orange engine.
Heading for BOS.
Winglet
Pushback 5 mintues ahead of schedule.
Safety vid.
Crossing the threshold of runway 20 – not our departure port today!
The takeoff was extremely powerful as the load was 103% (no joke, both jumpseats in cockpit and galleys taken) and the RB-211s roared full power but still the takeoff roll lasted for nearly 70 seconds. Finally this long bird lifted into the air and soon we were greeted with amazing views of the Snaefellsjokull glacier on the Snaefellsnes peninsula. Some of my friends were actually climbing up the mountain as I took the picture as part of their trip of the northwestern part of our beautiful country.
Snaefellsjokull
Nice late-afternoon light
The glacier again
And more zoomed out
The last bit of Iceland I see for the next three weeks.
My sister’s meal, she’s still under 12 so she gets a children meal.
Looks tasty enough
Just getting started
Legroom is very generous in the first few rows of Y.
My reading material for this flight, 2 history magazines from Iceland. About Castro and the Nazis. Nice enough and entertained me for almost an hour.
Soon Greenland appeared outside the window. As always, this big white island looks magnificent!
Greenland ahead. Bring it on!
The beautiful winglet
Getting closer.
Nicely decorated napkins, pillows and headrests.
For the next 10 minutes, I stayed glued to the window as we flew past the incredible fjords of eastern Greenland. Some of the photos I snapped:
Meals were served while cruising over Greenland and as always, I chose the tasty baguette.
More photos of Greenland:
Unfortunately soon it got pretty cloudy and it stayed that way until somewhere over the US.
IFE menu
Sunset over southeastern Canada
See ya tomorrow!
Soon descent started, just south of BOS:
Magazine covering the Iceland Airwaves music festival held in late October.
On final
Nice
At 19:01 we touched down on rwy 22L at JFK and braked hardly before turning right in order to clear the runway for a B6 320 on short finals. As it was already pitch black, it was hard to get good pictures of the 20+ aircraft in queue for the runway. I tried though…
BA 747
AB 330
QF 747 in oneworld livery. Last time I was here QF used a 330, nice to see the 747 back!
We taxied past at least 4 BA 747s and one tiny cute A318 from LCY before turning left and docking at the last gate of the terminal. Fortunately we were seated right beside door 2L so we were first off and made it immigration before the 400+ people of the BA 744 that arrived before us did.
After picking up our bags we went outside, catched a cab and drove the short way over to LaGuardia. There we checked in at a Hilton just outside the airport, ate something at the hotel restaurant before going upstairs to sleep.
View of the US gates outside our window.
And the US terminal all lit up.
Me and my brother woke up at 7am in order to do some spotting out our window. In the end I got over 50 new regs, not bad at all!
Some pics:
At 8:30 we got downstairs, ate breakfast before jumping on the airport shuttle. Our flight didn’t leave until 11:50 but why not get there early?
Check in area at Terminal D.
We dropped off our bags in a designated area and met a very lovely and helpful lady at the counter. She smiled throughout all the process and chatted to us about our vacation plans while tagging the bags. Many airline personnel should learn from this!
757 tail
CRJ
DL gates with a WestJet 736 taxiing in the background.
Delta Connection CRJ
We then sat down at a restaurant overlooking the runways and the US tarmac. I of course took a seat by the window.
UA 757 in maintenance
Pushback for PHL
N432AW arriving from Charleston, WV
A sight which is sadly disappearing. I love that ‘smiling A’ on the tail so much!
Soon enough ‘Go to gate’ appeared on the FIDS and we walked over to our gate, C18.
All around us other Florida flights were leaving. TPA, RSW, WPB, FLL, MIA and MCO were all departing there from the same area round 11:30-12:00.
Families with children got in first and as our sister is still quite small we walked in to the empty cabin first. I loved the feeling of boarding a MadDog again!
Flight information
Date: 18. October 2012
Airline: Delta Air Lines (DL/DAL)
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-88
Registration: N994DL
Flight number: DL 569
From: New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA/KLGA)
To: Tampa International Airport (TPA/KTPA)
Runway at origin: 13
Runway at destination: 27L
Sched/Act departure: 11:50/11:51
Sched/Act arrival: 15:00/14:44
Blocked time: 3 hrs 10 mins
Flight time gate to gate: 2 hrs 53 mins
Flight time RWY to RWY: 2 hrs 36 mins
Seat & Class: 23E (Economy Class, Y)
Personal information My 239th flight, 29th in 2012
My 1st flight on DL, 1st on DL M80, 1st on DL M88
My 3rd flight on M80, 1st on M88, 1st on N994DL
My 34th airline
My 51st airport
Hidden widget
And the classic MD cockpit windows
Skyteam logo on the door
Two of the FAs greeted us at the door with a genuine smile and they stayed that way all the flight. Our whole experience with the DL staff was extremely good and with maybe the exception of WN the best I’ve had in the US.
My seat. Well used but clean and very comfortable.
Look outside on the wonderful classic wing.
Cute E70 departing
Going to RSW
WestJet 736
Love this view
Seat en detail
320 taxiing in
Pushing back for Ft Myers
I have to admit I really like this livery. Modern but still classy.
Pushback for us now also, on time.
Race to Florida?
Taxiing out
We were second for takeoff after this MQ CR7
Rocketing out of LGA! Love this aircraft.
Over the urban sprawl of NYC just after takeoff.
Soon the pilot came on the PA and sounded very excited. He told us to stay glued to our window as amazing views of Manhattan were ahead. He was right! He even turned a bit to give us a better view of the skyline.
Manhattan:
Soon the boring outskirts of NYC came into view and I grabbed my book and started reading.
Between cloud layers.
And above.
Snacks. I got extra pretzels from my brother who traded them for some gum from me.
Napkin
Nice fleet page with the 764 in pink.
Cabin view
Somewhere over Georgia
The flight ran smoothly and before I knew it we were descending for Tampa.
SRQKEF From Iceland, joined Jun 2011, 692 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (5 months 2 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 7578 times:
On final
Not long left
We touched down at 14:40, twenty mintues before scheduled arrival. Nicely done DL!
Interesting visitor from the Caribbean, Cayman Airways 733.
A company 757
Stopped at our gate.
The only pic I could snatch of our plane is also the final picture of this report.
We walked into the jetway and took the tram into the arrivals area where our grandparents waited for us. I love arriving at TPA airport, it’s very nice both inside and outside, very efficient and also for a more personal reason: I always know I’m just gonna be relaxing for the next 2-3 weeks doing nothing but playing golf and swimming in the sea!
Conclusions
FI, as always in my experience, were very nice. Legroom was more than enough and it’s always nice to get the 753.
Now for DL, they positively surprised me. Judging by what I had read from people complaining both on DL’s MD80s and DL itself I was fearing a bad experience. Instead DL had clean, comfortable aircraft, delivered me to my destination well on-time and last but not least, delivered everything with a smile. DL left me happy and I have no hesitation of using them again sometime in the future.
LFutia From Netherlands, joined Dec 2002, 3195 posts, RR: 31 Reply 2, posted (5 months 2 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 7513 times:
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): Hello everyone and welcome to the report on my latest trip to Florida! As you may know from my previous reports, I travel 1-3 times to Sarasota, Florida every year to get away from the stress at home and find some peace playing golf, swimming in the sea and laying on the beach without having to worry about anything.
Iceland doesnt cut it for you anymore? Man you travel to our country so many times! Might as well start thinking about moving here!
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): Nice structure outside the terminal building. I don’t know how old it is but I remember seeing it here ever since my first flight in 1998!
Beautiful structure! It was also very nice to see the inside terminal of Keflavik! Something that we dont get to see too often here! Nice pictures and food pics! Cant wait for the return!
Leo/ORD
Leo/ORD -- Groetjes uit de VS! -- Heeft u laatst nog met KLM gevlogen?
PlaneHunter From Germany, joined Mar 2006, 6190 posts, RR: 79 Reply 3, posted (5 months 2 weeks 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 7381 times:
Hi Sveinn,
nice report, congratulations on getting on the MD-88.
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): As you may know from my previous reports, I travel 1-3 times to Sarasota, Florida every year to get away from the stress at home and find some peace
They should have shown all different types and not just added "also includes blablabla" everywhere. And I'm wondering about some engine data...but no, I won't elaborate today.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 4, posted (5 months 2 weeks 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 7092 times:
Nice getaway Sveinn! Looks like you had some good flights.
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): Nicely decorated napkins, pillows and headrests.
Hmm, that looks like they're copying SK a bit!
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): Soon the pilot came on the PA and sounded very excited. He told us to stay glued to our window as amazing views of Manhattan were ahead. He was right! He even turned a bit to give us a better view of the skyline.
dc9northwest From Romania, joined Feb 2007, 1735 posts, RR: 4 Reply 5, posted (5 months 2 weeks 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 6972 times:
Hey Sveinn,
TF-FIX... I'm looking forward to experiencing that particular aircraft too! I hope I'll get it too, when I fly out in March
Good that you got on the "rare" MD-88... well, rare is relative, as it's my 3rd most flown type. Then again, I don't mind. Much better than any 737 or 320!
Regarding DL, yes IME they have the best staff (at least out of the majors). I like them a lot domestically, but internationally I'll probably choose someone else most of the time. I'd choose other airlines for a new/unusual type, but otherwise I'm gonna keep flying DL domestically.
Yes, Greenland is very beautiful from the air (and from the ground too, probably!).
You do come to the States very often... Don't you get bored of always going to the same place?
Thanks for your report, Sveinn, it was a nice read!
PS: I agree with PH, that kids' meal doesn't look appetizing. I was looking through FI's meal/snack selection and I wasn't too impressed...
SRQKEF From Iceland, joined Jun 2011, 692 posts, RR: 1 Reply 6, posted (5 months 2 weeks 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 6814 times:
Hi everyone, thanks for reading!
Hi Leo,
Quoting LFutia (Reply 2): Iceland doesnt cut it for you anymore? Man you travel to our country so many times! Might as well start thinking about moving here!
Haha, I guess I'm a bit of a child myself in regard of food. Those are bacon-wrapped hot dogs and as I like both bacon and hot dogs I think those are good...
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 3): Do you remember how much you had to pay? How was the traffic?
Around 15$, so not much NYC-wise. Traffic was pretty light, especially when I'm used to driving around in taxis in India, Thailand and Peru!
Haha I never know the difference. I know a 195 from a 190 though!
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 3): They should have shown all different types and not just added "also includes blablabla" everywhere. And I'm wondering about some engine data...but no, I won't elaborate today
Well, I guess when you have such a large fleet it's hard to have it all on one page... But I agree, having each subtype on it's own would be nicer and in some places they generalize way too much.
Hi Gabe,
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 4): Hmm, that looks like they're copying SK a bit!
Haha FI has done this since 2006 when the new cabins first came out. Not sure if SK did this before 2006...
Hi Alex,
Quoting dc9northwest (Reply 5): TF-FIX... I'm looking forward to experiencing that particular aircraft too! I hope I'll get it too, when I fly out in March
Yep, I hope for you that you indeed get FIX! A long and sleek aircraft the 753, especially with the RR engines.
Quoting dc9northwest (Reply 5): Good that you got on the "rare" MD-88... well, rare is relative, as it's my 3rd most flown type. Then again, I don't mind. Much better than any 737 or 320!
Haha, it's pretty rare in Europe... Also, I mostly fly 320/737 airlines when going to Florida (B6, WN, FL mostly) so a change is warmly welcomed.
Quoting dc9northwest (Reply 5): You do come to the States very often... Don't you get bored of always going to the same place?
Well, I'm always pressing my mom and dad to go to Thailand, Australia or maybe Africa instead! My dad is game but my mom thinks my sister is still too young... Hopefully soon we'll be able to travel farther and more exotic!
767747 From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 1750 posts, RR: 26 Reply 8, posted (5 months 2 weeks 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 6338 times:
Another great report on Icelandair!
I love the livery as well on those 757's - it looks so cool in the golden, afternoon sun! Food looks pretty poor though, come on FI!
What time does FI operate the return flight back? I remember back in 1996 when we flew to Iceland it was also a late flight, like a 20:00pm takeoff from JFK.
tobbry From Sweden, joined May 2008, 67 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (5 months 2 weeks 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 6046 times:
Thanks for a great report. I have only been on FI twice. I really enjoyed those two flights but sadly going on FI is almost never an option for me.. They should join an alliance
SloAir From Slovenia, joined Jul 2010, 336 posts, RR: 6 Reply 10, posted (5 months 2 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 5691 times:
Hi Sveinn,
great report once more. Nice that you are able to go to Florida so often, must be a nice change compared to Iceland.
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): (Iceland-Switzerland was played the night before we left, unfortunately we lost 0-2).
Well you are still in a better position than we are, we have only barely beaten Cyprus at home I might come to watch the Iceland:Slovenia game next year, but I'm not completely sure yet. Would love to fly FI on my way to Iceland.
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): Over the urban sprawl of NYC just after takeoff.
Cool pictures, you had some really great views of NY.
I'm suppose to fly on a Delta MD in a few weeks, nice to see what I can expect. Now I just need to hope that there will be no equipment changes.
Fun to see that the direct route is almost the same as the route with the stop in NYC!
[quote=SRQKEF,reply=0]The new look of the check in hall.
Thanks for the little tour of KEF!
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): For the next 10 minutes, I stayed glued to the window as we flew past the incredible fjords of eastern Greenland. Some of the photos I snapped:
Amazing!
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): Me and my brother woke up at 7am in order to do some spotting out our window. In the end I got over 50 new regs, not bad at all!
That sure is a room with a view!
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): Our whole experience with the DL staff was extremely good
Same here, always had good experiences with DL staff!
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): He told us to stay glued to our window as amazing views of Manhattan were ahead. He was right!
Dash8Driver16 From United States of America, joined Dec 2011, 86 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (5 months 2 weeks 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 5322 times:
Hey man looks like an awesome trip. The MD out of LGA is always awesome especially when you sit next to some one who is watching out the window on takeoff and they are saying git up git up. I can't imagine doing kef JFK in the crows nest with another jump seater must have been awful cozy. I have been spending a bit more tie in Sarasota lately as the fiancées sister works at one of the beach hotels there and we have a free place to stay but I couple days in the sun does do wonders for the stress level. The pictures of Greenland are always amazing. Does air Greenland run the dash on their Nuuk flights? I have done a 2.25h flight before and that was long. Hope you had or have an enjoyable stay in Florida.
KGRB From United States of America, joined Sep 2010, 614 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (5 months 2 weeks 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 5303 times:
Fun trip report! I really enjoyed your pictures, especially that ground-level photo of the CRJ-700 with the ramper driving by on the tug. Airplanes are so much more interesting when there's activity going on around them!
Sounds like you had a nice experience on DL. I'm very happy that we came through for you!
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): Closeup of the baggage tags which show Icelandic mountains.
Love FI's branding: the tags, the check-in area with those lovely photos and the nice quirky explantions of the Icelandic language on board.
Quoting SRQKEF (Thread starter): Some of my friends were actually climbing up the mountain as I took the picture as part of their trip of the northwestern part of our beautiful country
How cool is that!
Happy flying
Infodesk
"Do nothing in haste, look well to each step and from the beginning think what may be the end" - Edward Whymper
globalflyer From United States of America, joined Dec 2005, 806 posts, RR: 2 Reply 15, posted (5 months 2 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 4643 times:
Hi Sveinn,
Great report..I remember talking to you that morning and glad the DL registration on the M88 was indeed N994DL! I of course fly DL all of the time and they really do have the best served of a USA carrier in my opinion. Wifi, sometimes inflight AVOD, etc. Cannot wait to read the return report.
Cheers,
Will
Landing on every Continent almost on an annual basis!
SRQKEF From Iceland, joined Jun 2011, 692 posts, RR: 1 Reply 16, posted (5 months 2 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 4636 times:
Thanks for reading everyone! Means alot to me.
Hi Matthew,
Quoting 767747 (Reply 8):
Another great report on Icelandair!
Thanks!
Quoting 767747 (Reply 8): I love the livery as well on those 757's - it looks so cool in the golden, afternoon sun!
Completely agree. As tired I sometimes are of there only being 757s here, I'll miss them for sure when they will go.
Quoting 767747 (Reply 8): Food looks pretty poor though, come on FI!
Haha, the chicken/fish options are much better than the baguette most think. I just knew I would've steak in NYC so I decided to eat light and also the baguette is very tasty!
Quoting 767747 (Reply 8): What time does FI operate the return flight back?
20:00 in summer, 19:00 in winter.
Quoting 767747 (Reply 8): I remember back in 1996 when we flew to Iceland it was also a late flight, like a 20:00pm takeoff from JFK.
Yes, 20:00 sounds right.
Hi Tobias,
Quoting tobbry (Reply 9): I have only been on FI twice.
What route and when?
Quoting tobbry (Reply 9): They should join an alliance
Haha, that would be a disaster for FI. They do very weel on their own.
Quoting SloAir (Reply 10): Nice that you are able to go to Florida so often, must be a nice change compared to Iceland.
Haha, it sure is nice, especially in winter when the sun only shows up for 3-6 hours per day and the temperature rarely goes above 1°c.
Quoting SloAir (Reply 10): Well you are still in a better position than we are, we have only barely beaten Cyprus at home
Haha yes, I guess I kinda got my head in the clouds as we had won 2 or 3 games in a row. Usually we lose everything but our (young) team is looking very good.
Quoting SloAir (Reply 10): I might come to watch the Iceland:Slovenia game next year, but I'm not completely sure yet.
Come! You won't regret it.
Quoting SloAir (Reply 10): I'm suppose to fly on a Delta MD in a few weeks, nice to see what I can expect.
Nice, have fun! What route?
Hi Robert,
Quoting roberts87 (Reply 11): Fun to see that the direct route is almost the same as the route with the stop in NYC!
Haha, you should see KEF-BOS-SFB vs. KEF-SFB. Exactly the same mileage!
Quoting Dash8Driver16 (Reply 12): The MD out of LGA is always awesome especially when you sit next to some one who is watching out the window on takeoff and they are saying git up git up.
Haha yeah, I love flying out of "city airports".
Quoting Dash8Driver16 (Reply 12): I can't imagine doing kef JFK in the crows nest with another jump seater must have been awful cozy.
Absolutely, I've often flown in the jumpseat on Euro flights which are 2.5-3.5 hrs and that's bad enough!
Quoting Dash8Driver16 (Reply 12): but I couple days in the sun does do wonders for the stress level.
Very true.
Quoting Dash8Driver16 (Reply 12): Does air Greenland run the dash on their Nuuk flights?
Yes, I don't think they've ever sent their 330s over here. Would be nice though!
Hi Trevor,
Quoting KGRB (Reply 13): Fun trip report! I really enjoyed your pictures, especially that ground-level photo of the CRJ-700 with the ramper driving by on the tug.
Thanks for the kind words! Yes, that photo was taken while driving a bus between concourses.
Quoting KGRB (Reply 13): Airplanes are so much more interesting when there's activity going on around them!
Absolutely agree, it shows how much work is put into every single flight!
Hi Hannah,
Quoting infodesk (Reply 14): Great TR, with some super photos of Greenland and Manhattan. Always nice to read about a more exotic carrier.
Thanks for the kind words, glad you liked it.
Quoting infodesk (Reply 14): Let's hope ZRH will be successful for them
Absolutely! I'm maybe flying via Zurich on my way to BCN with my team for a basketball tournament next year, would be nice. Also would be good to get a 'Z' for this thread: Have You Landed On The Alphabet? 2012 Edition (by CrimsonNL Dec 6 2012 in Aviation Polls)
Quoting infodesk (Reply 14): Love FI's branding: the tags, the check-in area with those lovely photos and the nice quirky explantions of the Icelandic language on board.
Absolutely agree, they've done a very good job of marketing Iceland and it's beautiful nature.
CaptainRed From Germany, joined Oct 2010, 578 posts, RR: 19 Reply 17, posted (5 months 2 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 4323 times:
Hi Sveinn,
great report here, very nice to get two quite rare plane types here with the 753 and the MD-88, well done. Also great pictures, especially the ones from the icy Greenland and of course the ones over Manhatten, awesome views for sure. And nice by the Captain to point it out to the passengers.
Icelandair looks pretty good here. It brings back some nice memories from my very first trip to the US, doing LUX-KEF-JFK on FI, more than 20 years ago. While I remember the service on board was nice, the seatpitch back then was quite poor. So seems like they have improved in that regard.
MSS658 From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2212 posts, RR: 14 Reply 18, posted (5 months 2 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 4136 times:
Hi Sveinn
Interesting report, thanks for posting.
Logging the 753 and the MD88 is a great idea for sure. I'm actually flying the MD88 in just 3 weeks from now.
Excellent pics from LGA as well! Making me look even more forward to my flight to ATL.
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 17): great report here, very nice to get two quite rare plane types here with the 753 and the MD-88, well done.
Thanks for reading. Yep, those types are quite rare. (at least in Europe!)
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 17): Also great pictures, especially the ones from the icy Greenland and of course the ones over Manhatten, awesome views for sure.
Thanks.
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 17): And nice by the Captain to point it out to the passengers.
Absolutely.
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 17): It brings back some nice memories from my very first trip to the US, doing LUX-KEF-JFK on FI, more than 20 years ago.
Nice! Was that on the 757 only or did you get a 737/727? Or was it way back in the DC8 days?
Hi Marc,
Quoting MSS658 (Reply 18): Interesting report, thanks for posting.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading.
Quoting MSS658 (Reply 18): I'm actually flying the MD88 in just 3 weeks from now.
Hope you had fun!
Quoting MSS658 (Reply 18): Excellent pics from LGA as well!
AirframeAS From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 14150 posts, RR: 26 Reply 20, posted (4 months 3 weeks 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 2672 times:
Awesome trip report! That is so cool. It is interesting to see how life changes going from KEF to TPA. Thanks for sharing, it was entertaining for me!
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From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, 
From Romania, joined Feb 2007, 1735 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Sep 2010, 113 posts, 
, but it is odd to see a TR with an MD-88 that doesn't invlove ATL.
From Sweden, joined May 2008, 67 posts, 
From Slovenia, joined Jul 2010, 336 posts, 
I might come to watch the Iceland:Slovenia game next year, but I'm not completely sure yet. Would love to fly FI on my way to Iceland. 
From Switzerland, joined May 2006, 1241 posts, 
Let's hope ZRH will be successful for them
From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2212 posts, 
From Monaco, joined Mar 2005, 1056 posts, 
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