Icelandair Inaugural Flight To Portland

ANA787 · Mon May 18, 2015 6:41 pm

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/I...5/history/20150519/1715Z/BIKF/KPDX

Anyone know the registration of the aircraft being used KEF-PDX tomorrow?
Will it be Hekla Aurora?

AS737MAX · Mon May 18, 2015 8:42 pm

Quoting ANA787 (Thread starter):

No idea. But is this actual inaugural? Was under the idea that it was the departure on the 20th and FI would ferry in a 752.

ANA787 · Mon May 18, 2015 8:46 pm

Quoting AS737MAX (Reply 1):
No idea. But is this actual inaugural? Was under the idea that it was the departure on the 20th and FI would ferry in a 752.

Inaugural KEF-PDX is Tomorrow.
Inaugural PDX-KEF is Wednesday.

KEF-PDX on Tuesdays and Thursdays
PDX-KEF on Wednesdays and Fridays

FI will overnight in PDX twice a week.

G500 · Mon May 18, 2015 9:08 pm

So Icelandair flies to Denver, Minneapolis, and now Portland?

Why not fly to major markets like LAX, SFO instead

What am I missing here?

B747forever · Mon May 18, 2015 9:10 pm

Quoting g500 (Reply 3):
Why not fly to major markets like LAX, SFO instead

What am I missing here?

The 757s cannot reach LAX/SFO. We might seem them in the future as FI will get 2 767s.

cedarjet · Mon May 18, 2015 9:14 pm

Quoting g500 (Reply 3):
Why not fly to major markets like LAX, SFO instead

Why be just another airline in a massively crowded and super competitive market when you can find a niche and have it all to yourself?

SpaceshipDC10 · Mon May 18, 2015 9:24 pm

Quoting g500 (Reply 3):
Why not fly to major markets like LAX, SFO instead

I didn't knew ORD was some sort of back water destination...

Icelandair Announces Chicago (by ANA787 May 12 2015 in Civil Aviation)

What about YVR or YYZ?

IADCA · Mon May 18, 2015 9:26 pm

Quoting g500 (Reply 3):
What am I missing here?

You're missing this:

Quoting B747forever (Reply 4):
The 757s cannot reach LAX/SFO.

The reasons are similar as to why there's no IAH, DFW, etc. Too far to do with a 757 (at least economically) and too much competition from other TATL options at reasonable prices.

ER757 · Mon May 18, 2015 9:34 pm

Quoting g500 (Reply 3):
So Icelandair flies to Denver, Minneapolis, and now Portland

you forgot Seattle

redadeco · Mon May 18, 2015 9:42 pm

Quoting IADCA (Reply 7):
What about YVR or YYZ?

They fly to YYZ, YVR and YEG.

SpaceshipDC10 · Mon May 18, 2015 9:57 pm

Quoting redadeco (Reply 9):
They fly to YYZ, YVR and YEG.

You should have quoted me, and although you are right on that matter, I only cited Toronto and Vancouver in reply to his remarks regarding major markets FI should fly to.

LH707330 · Mon May 18, 2015 10:09 pm

Quoting ER757 (Reply 8):
Quoting g500 (Reply 3):
So Icelandair flies to Denver, Minneapolis, and now Portland

you forgot Seattle

There's a booming fish market here, that's why they've doubled up for the summer.

Portland is a good one too, a lot of carriers pulled out after the GFC, and Delta's shifted it's focus from Portland to Seattle in the PNW.

AndyEastMids · Mon May 18, 2015 10:49 pm

"Hekla Aurora" is scheduled for the PDX inaugural as expected...

http://www.icelandair.co.uk/hekla-aurora/

The long layovers in destinations such as PDX are necessary to allow inbound flights to Icleand to fit into Icleandair's banks of flights at the KEF hub, and they also allow the airline to operate the round trip with a single crew.

For more background on Icelandair, a chat I recently had with the CEO here...

http://www.airteamimages.com/videos.php?id=119&kv

[Edited 2015-05-18 15:54:22]

IADCA · Tue May 19, 2015 1:57 am

Quoting redadeco (Reply 9):
They fly to YYZ, YVR and YEG.

You quoted the wrong person. I didn't say anything you quoted.

BlatantEcho · Tue May 19, 2015 2:05 am

Didn't know this started so soon.

Looking to book a quick trip to Iceland in August, all because it's n/s. Love it

wedgetail737 · Tue May 19, 2015 3:40 am

Quoting B747forever (Reply 4):
The 757s cannot reach LAX/SFO. We might seem them in the future as FI will get 2 767s.

FI tried SFO with a 767-300ER and it failed. Do you think they'll do that again?

ZKOJH · Tue May 19, 2015 4:43 am

As far as i read a few weeks ago - the 2 767's that FI will receive will be solely for the LHR ops as they want to increase their presence but can't get any slots so they upgrade the aircraft. anybody know where the aircraft are coming from yet?

kelvin933 · Tue May 19, 2015 5:12 am

Quoting ZKOJH (Reply 16):
As far as i read a few weeks ago - the 2 767's that FI will receive will be solely for the LHR ops as they want to increase their presence but can't get any slots so they upgrade the aircraft. anybody know where the aircraft are coming from yet?

Since FI only has two slots at LHR (midday and evening) 1x 767 would be enough to take care of that.
I am pretty sure that the 767 will also be seen in JFK, EWR and BOS and the evening slot at LHR may actually be served by their sole 753 most of the time.
The slot problem is not that they are not available, the problem is that the price is so high that
it does not make any economic sense to buy a slot to run a KEF-LHR service.

29erUSA187 · Tue May 19, 2015 5:23 am

Quoting ANA787 (Reply 2):
FI will overnight in PDX twice a week.

Will they perform matinence overnight?

Quoting LH707330 (Reply 11):
There's a booming fish market here, that's why they've doubled up for the summer.

Oh god please don't start this again...

Quoting Kelvin933 (Reply 17):
JFK, EWR and BOS and the evening slot at LHR may actually be served by their sole 753 most of the time.

Don't they already? (when it's not flying to JFK)

kelvin933 · Tue May 19, 2015 5:31 am

Quoting 29erUSA187 (Reply 18):
Quoting Kelvin933 (Reply 17):
JFK, EWR and BOS and the evening slot at LHR may actually be served by their sole 753 most of the time.

Don't they already? (when it's not flying to JFK)

Not really, it does the morning/midday run and then usually does JFK/BOS/YYZ in the afternoon.

bigfoot0503 · Tue May 19, 2015 4:48 pm

Media notice from the Port of Portland:

MEDIA ADVISORY: Icelandair Inaugural Flight

On Wednesday, Icelandair launches the first-ever seasonal nonstop service from Portland, Ore. to Reykjavik, Iceland, continuing through Oct. 21. This flight provides Oregon and Southwest Washington residents a convenient route to more than 20 destinations throughout Europe, with a stopover in Iceland at no additional airfare for up to seven nights.

WHAT: News media are invited to film and observe the celebration at the departure gate
for Icelandair’s inaugural flight, complete with musical performance from
Iceland’s own Beebee of Beebee and the bluebirds, Icelandic food, and a
northern lights-themed light display. Additionally, the inaugural flight will be
aboard the company’s Hekla Aurora aircraft, which showcases the natural
phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis – both inside and out.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 20 at 2 p.m.; flight scheduled to depart at 3:40 p.m.

WHERE: Portland International Airport, Gate D12

WHO: Port of Portland Executive Director Bill Wyatt
Icelandair CEO Birkir Holm Guonason
Geir H. Haarde, the Ambassador from Iceland to the United States

R.S.V.P: As this event takes place at a gate past the security checkpoint, media wishing to
attend the event need to RSVP by Tuesday, May 19 at 3 p.m. to
[email protected] Kindly provide a full legal name and date of
birth for any member of the media wishing access to this event.

ericm2031 · Tue May 19, 2015 5:18 pm

Quoting 29erUSA187 (Reply 18):
Will they perform matinence overnight?

I don't see why unless they had to.

SpaceshipDC10 · Tue May 19, 2015 5:20 pm

Inaugural FI665 is now taxying for takeoff at KEF from runway 20.

http://www.flightradar24.com/ICE665/64c5c07

rwsea · Tue May 19, 2015 5:29 pm

Excellent news for Portland! I hope to use this flight at some point in the near future. Let's hope it does well enough to add additional frequencies.

Vanguard · Tue May 19, 2015 7:13 pm

And it's the aurora boreallis craft, of course!

OA412 · Tue May 19, 2015 7:22 pm

Quoting Vanguard (Reply 24):
And it's the aurora boreallis craft, of course!

Really cool aircraft. I saw it at DEN about a month ago, and it really is stunning.

29erUSA187 · Tue May 19, 2015 7:26 pm

Quoting ericm2031 (Reply 21):

I don't see why unless they had to.

I meant would they intentionally schedule 757's there that are in need of an A or B or whatever check. sorry for not clarifying

Someone83 · Tue May 19, 2015 7:40 pm

Quoting Kelvin933 (Reply 17):
and the evening slot at LHR may actually be served by their sole 753 most of the time.

Quoting 29erUSA187 (Reply 18):
Don't they already? (when it's not flying to JFK)

Quoting Kelvin933 (Reply 19):
Not really, it does the morning/midday run and then usually does JFK/BOS/YYZ in the afternoon.

Their single 757-300 usually operates CPH-KEF-JFK, on FI204/205 and FI614/615 rotations.

Flightaware is currently down, so was only able to check it's flights sine May 12, but except from a trip to CDG, CPH-KEF-JFK is all it has been doing

mjoelnir · Tue May 19, 2015 7:42 pm

Quoting 29erUSA187 (Reply 26):
I meant would they intentionally schedule 757's there that are in need of an A or B or whatever check. sorry for not clarifying

Than Icelandair would rent hangar space and there own mechanics would do the work.

yeelep · Tue May 19, 2015 8:09 pm

Quoting mjoelnir (Reply 28):

Quoting 29erUSA187 (Reply 26):
I meant would they intentionally schedule 757's there that are in need of an A or B or whatever check. sorry for not clarifying

Than Icelandair would rent hangar space and there own mechanics would do the work.

Not necessarily. In the last year or so they have been doing "A" checks in SEA, using third party maintenance.

Viscount724 · Tue May 19, 2015 10:17 pm

Quoting Someone83 (Reply 27):
Their single 757-300 usually operates CPH-KEF-JFK, on FI204/205 and FI614/615 rotations.

I saw it at AMS a couple of weeks ago.

Freshside3 · Tue May 19, 2015 11:26 pm

Other major cities(mainly in the Midwest) that are lacking Europe service, would also be a good choice for FI, despite the fact that there really isn't much of a local(O&D)market. Much as in the case of most of FI's other service in the USA. But they are stepping up to the plate to, and filling the needs.

Europe from CLE/STL/IND/etc. would be a natural fit for some carrier, or other, to use the Dreamliner on for the long/thin routes that this plane was supposed to open up.....but nobody is going for it. I would not be surprised, in lieu of anything else, that FI would "seize the opportunity", and one of these types of markets likely next to be on their agenda.

ANA787 · Tue May 19, 2015 11:33 pm

According to flypdx.com, icelandair will be using gate D12. Ticket counter will be at the north end of the terminal next to virgin america.

VCEflyboy · Tue May 19, 2015 11:35 pm

Question: why so many new FI destinations as of late?
Are they feeling the heat from WOW?

lhpdx · Tue May 19, 2015 11:46 pm

I really hope this route does well.......

Quoting ANA787 (Reply 2):

Quoting ANA787 (Reply 2):
Inaugural KEF-PDX is Tomorrow.
Inaugural PDX-KEF is Wednesday.

KEF-PDX on Tuesdays and Thursdays
PDX-KEF on Wednesdays and Fridays

FI will overnight in PDX twice a week.

Sweet!! I really hoping this route does well and will be expanded next summer........

jcwr56 · Wed May 20, 2015 12:02 am

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Reply 6):
Quoting g500 (Reply 3):
Why not fly to major markets like LAX, SFO instead

I didn't knew ORD was some sort of back water destination... Icelandair Announces Chicago (by ANA787 May 12 2015 in Civil Aviation)

Because those "Coasters" see us that way. Pickup trucks, cold bud and country music....

Now, it's nice to see FI expand, having last flown them back in '84 on the DC8, I look forward to trying them again.

SRQKEF · Wed May 20, 2015 12:07 am

Quoting VCEflyboy (Reply 33):

WOW has nothing to do with it. Tourism in Iceland is booming and as the network on both sides of the Atlantic grows, it's easier to add new destinations. Take this new PDX service: Not only does it bring a nonstop PDX-KEF to the plate but a one (short) stop option to multiple destinations in Scandinavia, mainland Europe and the UK.

WOW serves a different market, and is more of a direct competitor to easyJet in KEF.

Regards!
Sveinn

SpaceshipDC10 · Wed May 20, 2015 12:13 am

Quoting SRQKEF (Reply 36):
Tourism in Iceland is booming

Yes, how many airlines have added KEF as a destination on their networks recently, or simply more frequencies to it?

lhpdx · Wed May 20, 2015 12:19 am

27 minutes till touchdown.....

Freshside3 · Wed May 20, 2015 12:20 am

Quoting VCEflyboy (Reply 33):
Question: why so many new FI destinations as of late?
Are they feeling the heat from WOW?

Personally, I think it is a cumulative thing, from a variety of factors.......

The fact that some of the key hub connection flights had smaller equipment. 767 and 757 used to be normal on transcons, but many are now 319/320/737.......
and in the next set of markets, what used to be 737/319/320 are now RJs.

Then you haven't had any direct service from the USA to BUD in several years.....no more KRK......and to ATH from 5 daily trips, to 2.....two less Moscow......just to name a few. The main Euro hubs of LHR/FRA/CDG/AMS have absorbed the lack of these destinations.

The combination of less to certain European , and smaller equipment on domestic feed, has produced a bit of a volatile/dynamic situation, of combinations of flights that don't match up in availability as often, compared to the past.

For example, there may be a situation of where there are seats on PDX-EWR, but seats from EWR-OSL are sold out.....and the need to search multiple times to find a connection combination that has available seats on all legs, at the time you want to fly.

FI has been able to offer alternative connections to get around the logjam....which was caused by the combination of less flights to certain European markets, along with less capacity on certain domestic routes, over the past few years.

SRQKEF · Wed May 20, 2015 12:20 am

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Reply 37):

I think we have 19 airlines this summer, compared to 7 a few years ago. Not sure on frequencies, but I know KEF pax numbers rose around 100% YoY 1Q this year.

SpaceshipDC10 · Wed May 20, 2015 12:24 am

Quoting lhpdx (Reply 38):
27 minutes till touchdown.....

And 26 minutes early, so far.

http://www.flightradar24.com/ICE665/64c5c07

lhpdx · Wed May 20, 2015 12:42 am

It landed on 28R two minutes ago....I love the livery!!.............

BlatantEcho · Wed May 20, 2015 1:21 am

Someone post pics, I wasn't able to get out there.

BE

bigfoot0503 · Wed May 20, 2015 2:02 am

Quoting BlatantEcho (Reply 43):
Someone post pics, I wasn't able to get out there.

Brief video footage of the arrival at PDX on May 19 2015.
Twitter Link to water cannon salute:

http://t.co/lkUhE0fP6B

ramprat74 · Wed May 20, 2015 2:11 am

The United Club is available for Saga Silver and Gold members, as United has the club contract for this flight.

bigfoot0503 · Wed May 20, 2015 3:39 am

Does anyone know if the RON will be parked at the D concourse at PDX or will it be towed from the gate to a transient stand for the next day departure??? (ICE #664).

[Edited 2015-05-19 20:55:19]

IADCA · Wed May 20, 2015 4:40 am

Quoting VCEflyboy (Reply 33):
Question: why so many new FI destinations as of late?
Are they feeling the heat from WOW?

Several reasons: Iceland and the Scandinavian destinations FI offers good connections to from North America are very trendy destinations now; 752s are cheap on the second-hand market; and network effects economics are powerful for airlines. It's not feeling the heat from WOW. WOW's growth is due to some of the same factors that drive FI.

Natflyer · Wed May 20, 2015 11:19 pm

First landing in PDX:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN7Zs6DuUBE

bigfoot0503 · Thu May 21, 2015 9:19 pm

KGW (Channel 8) NBC Affiliate in Portland, Oregon...news story/video from the innagural PDX-KEF Icelandair flight May 20, 2015.

http://www.kgw.com/media/cinematic/v...ugural-flight-from-pdx-to-iceland/

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