Icelandair B757-300 economy class LONDON-REYKJAVIK

BACKGROUND Iceland's flag carrier flies from both London Gatwick and London Heathrow to its hub in Reykjavik. This is a review of a flight from Heathrow Terminal 2 to Keflavik international airport, operated by a two-class B757-300 aircraft. Flight FI451 was scheduled to depart at 1310 and arrive in Reykjavik at 1520 local time.

CHECK-IN I checked in online which was simple. Icelandair offers various tariffs in economy. Flex allows ticket changes with no fee, full refunds, a checked bag and seat selection. Standard offers a checked bag and seat selection. Light is the base fare and does not include checked baggage nor seat selection, but all fares allow one carry-on bag (55 x 40 x 20cm; 10kg) and a small personal item.

I squeezed my cold weather apparel into a carry-on case to avoid queues, and I was wearing my bulkiest gear. I also had my laptop and essentials in a backpack.

I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 2 at 1100 and proceeded to security, which took approximately 20 minutes.

BOARDING We headed to Gate 3A at 1230 but the aircraft had not yet been cleaned and required the on boarding of catering. We stood in the queue for about 30 minutes.

Boarding began at 1300 with business class passengers. The queue moved quickly, and we were then crammed onto a bus. It was a welcome relief when we arrived at the aircraft. Passengers in rows 7-24 were advised to board from the front of the aircraft, and 24-41 from the back.