Icelandair has plans to fly to a total of 11 destinations starting June 15th. Since April, the airline has only flown to three destinations: Stockholm, Boston, and London. These trips were backed by the government to maintain air transport to and from the country during the pandemic.
According to Fréttablaðið, the three destinations will remain on the itinerary. However, for the first time since the restrictions were initially implemented, passengers will be able to fly to Copenhagen, Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, Zurich, Frankfurt, Paris, and Oslo.
Ásdís Ýr Pétursdóttir, Icelandair’s information officer, told Fréttablaðið that many people booked flights immediately after the announcement.
Icelandair announced on May 29th that the company plans to start daily flights to Copenhagen on June 15th. “Yes, we can say that bookings have increased rapidly with this news,” she said. It seems that Icelandair’s new destinations have sparked a fresh wave of international tourism.
Managing Director of Sales and Services at Icelandair, Birna Ósk Einarsdóttir, said in an interview with Morgunblaðið that the company has been making plans two weeks in advance. She acknowledged that the 15,000 ISK screening fee has had some effect on people cancelling their flights to Iceland.
The Icelandic Travel Industry Association has voiced their opinion that this screening fee is too high. Jóhannes Þór Skúlason, Managing Director of the Association of Tourism, challenged the government to review the cost of the testing.
If the flights are not booked fully enough, trips may be cancelled. However, it seems doubtful that booking will be an issue, regardless of the screening fee. Six additional airlines have plans to fly to Iceland as well, which will likely breathe life into the tourism industry.
As ever, those looking for more information or advice should go to the Icelandic Government’s excellent COVID-19 help page.
Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!
