eNewsWire

The Airports Council International surveys the quality and passenger services of 127 different major international airports. There are some 30 different aspects of customer service which are included in the survey. In the latest quarterly report, Keflavik International Airport in Iceland maintains its first class standing, providing exceptional passenger services. Keflavik was named as Europe’s second best gateway in the most recent survey.

Keflavik airport is located in Iceland, an island nation in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. Its central location between North America and Europe provides a very convenient stopover for transatlantic flights as well as private aircraft and fuel stops. Read more…

Icelandair, the airline connecting Europe and North America through Iceland, began its new Stavanger to Reykjavik route today. This means Stavanger now has good value and easy connections to seven top cities in the USA and Canada – as well as to Iceland itself.

Today, Icelandair began its new twice-weekly flights to Stavanger from Reykjavik. To celebrate the event, the Mayor of Stavanger, Leif Johan Sevland and the Director of Stavanger Airport, Leif Lorintzen welcomed Birkir Holm Gudnason, Icelandair CEO, and other passengers at a reception ceremony in Stavanger.

Icelandair operates a daily service to the Norwegian capital, Oslo, and has dome for many years. The airline also started flights to Bergen on the west coast of Norway two years ago. This summer there will be daily flights from Oslo, four times a week from Bergen and two times a week from Stavanger.

“The Icelandair business idea is to use the geographical location of Iceland between North America and Northern Europe for profitable airline operations,” Icelandair CEO Birkir Holm Gudnason says, pointing out the potential of the increased services to Norway.

“These west Norwegian communities, Bergen and Stavanger, each have a similar population to Iceland, they have strong economies and highly developed tourism, especially in the cruise business. There are also strong historical and social ties between Iceland and this area, and a large number of Icelanders live there. This fits our model and strategy. We are confident that we can build up a very convenient service with sales in all our markets – in North America, in Iceland and in Norway. Icelandair can now offer quite superior connections to and from the region and North America,” he continued.

Icelandair is Iceland’s biggest airline and offers passengers flights between 18 European cities and Iceland – with quick and convenient connections on to North America. The airline even offers travellers the chance to stay in Iceland for a few days at no extra cost.

Icelandair’s newly redesigned planes offer a high tech and comfortable twist to the North Atlantic’s best value airline.

More details about flights to Stavanger and all other Icelandair destinations are available at www.icelandair.com

Icelandair, Iceland’s biggest airline has launched its new and improved website to help travellers make the most of Iceland and Icelandair.

The oldest and largest Icelandic airline, Icelandair has spent much of 2008 totally overhauling its services. Icelandair planes now have a chic new look, featuring leather seats and seat-back entertainment screens, as well as a variety of little Icelandic touches, inspired by the country’s nature and culture.

New services mean that passengers can now check in for flights at self-service kiosks in the airport, or even using internet enabled mobile phones. And now, the airline has unveiled a fresh new website design and easier navigation as well.

Icelandair.com has now become Icelandair’s international homepage, with Icelandair.us and Icelandair.ca as the new national homepages for the USA and Canada.

The websites features a clean new style and easy navigation to help visitors access the information the need with as little effort as possible. The website is inspired by clear blue skies, and tries to appear bright and uncluttered. All unnecessary features have been hidden in order to make the homepage a pleasant and welcoming introduction to Icelandair – a feeling Icelandair is keen to maintain at all stages of its dealings with customers.

Icelandair connects Reykjavik with 23 of the biggest destinations in Europe and North America and flights to Iceland are great value for those interested in winter breaks in beautiful Iceland: the Land of Fire and Ice.

In addition to this, Icelandair has consistently always offered some of the cheapest transatlantic flights, using Iceland as a convenient stopover – with or without a few days to explore Iceland at no extra cost.

The weakened Icelandic krona now also means that Iceland has become a much cheaper place to visit. Foreigners are now visiting Reykjavik on shopping trips, taking advantage of the ability to spend dollars, euros and pounds.

For further information on Icelandair, or to book tickets to Iceland, please visit www.icelandair.com

Budget airline Iceland Express is sponsoring a monumental project to reassemble one of Reykjavik’s best-loved cultural institutions at the Frieze Art Fair in London.

Sirkus was a tiny ramshackle shed of a bar. It had a unique odour, was often overcrowded and was kitted out with the strangest collection of fittings and furnishings since Fifth Cousin Donald passed away and left you his First World War trench mop collection and his favourite stuffed emu.

The house itself was decorated by two large puffins and had the word ‘Sirkus’ on top in big light-bulb-covered letters—most of which never worked. It had a unique odour, was often overcrowded and was kitted out with the strangest collection of fittings and furnishings since Gertrude – one of those “family friends” you were always forced to call Auntie against your will – passed away and left you her wicker owls and gold-plated dentures.

Despite, or possibly because of, its many flaws, Sirkus was the premier drinking venue of almost everyone who makes Reykjavik life so vibrant, fun and creative. Bjork even shot a video in there.

As the days tick down to the building’s total destruction, the hardcore Sirkus devotees still hope for a miracle reopening. It ain’t gonna happen, but a collective of Icelandic artists, Kling og Bang, is trying to do the next-best-thing.

Kling og Bang will pay tribute to Sirkus, the Reykjavik bar, landmark, and hub of the alternative arts scene, by saving its facade and interior and re-erecting it at the Frieze Art Fair – “like a circus moving to another town”, the event’s website states. “A zany nomadic act reflecting the drive of Icelandic art, producing a situation of one circus within another for artists to respond to.”

The Frieze Art Fair happens each autumn in London’s Regent’s Park and has become one of the biggest contemporary art events in Europe. This year’s fair is from 16th to 19th October and around 30,000-40,000 people are expected to attend on each of the four days.

The Sirkus project will generate huge attention for Icelandic art – both in Iceland and abroad – and Iceland Express have decided to sponsor the project with 90,000 kroner worth of flight credits.

Iceland Express is a budget airline offering cheap flights to Reykjavik from 14 other major European cities.

Visit the Iceland Express website for more information or to book cheap flights to Iceland.

Icelandair’s Special Children Travel Fund recently gave around 100 children with cancer a dream day out in Sweden.

Nearly 100 Icelandic children suffering from cancer and their families were recently taken on a day trip to a theme park in Sweden by Icelandic national carrier Icelandair.

Thanks to Icelandair, the children were back home in Iceland the same evening after a memorable day out at Scandinavia’s biggest theme park.

Arriving in Gothenburg at 11 in the morning, it was off to Liseberg Amusement Park for a day of family fun, and then back on a flight to Iceland in time for bed.

The trip was funded by Icelandair’s Special Children Travel Fund and by the generosity of Icelandair staff and customers.

Since 2003, Icelandair has offered passengers the chance to contribute towards the company’s Special Children Fund. The fund gives seriously ill children and their families the chance to go on dream trips that they could otherwise not afford.

Usually the fund tries to help around 20 families go on extensive holidays to Florida and other Icelandair destinations each year. The day trip to Swden for 100 Icelandic families was a new and successful experiment.

All the Icelandair staff involved gave their time for free, so only the flights and entrance fees came from the Special Children Fund.

“It is precious for the children and their family to find that they are not fighting this alone. Many of these children just finished a cancer treatment or are still in a tough treatment. This kind of a trip gives them a change to think about something else than the illness for one day.” says Oskar Orn Gudbrandsson, manager of the Organisation for cancer sick children (SKB).

Icelandair is the biggest airline in Iceland, connecting Iceland with 24 destinations in Europe and North America.

For more information on flights to Iceland and the Special Children Travel Fund, visit www.icelandair.net

Two fuel-efficient Boeing 737 aircraft will begin flying for low fares airline Iceland Express from September.

Icelandic budget airline Iceland Express signed an agreement this week which will see the introduction of two Boeing 737-700 aircraft on its scheduled flight service connecting Iceland and 14 European cities.

Iceland Express says the new Boeing planes are more environmentally friendly, economical and reliable than the MD90 aircraft currently in use. The 737 aircraft are expected to use up to 40% less fuel per hour, greatly reducing the airline’s fuel consumption and carbon footprint.

The agreement marks a turning point for Iceland Express, as in the future all planes flying for the company will either be Boeing 737 or 757 models. The airline says this will help improve its ability to maintain its aircraft and train its crew.

Astraeus Airlines, Iceland Express’ associate company, will own and operate the new aircraft that will replace the MD90 aircraft which have been operated for Iceland Express up until now.

Emphasising the importance of the event, Mark Norris, sales director for Boeing in Europe, came to Iceland especially to sign the agreement. CEO Shaun Monney signed on behalf of Astraeus Airlines and CEO Matthias Imsland for Iceland Express.

Iceland Express is Iceland’s only budget airline and connects Iceland with 14 European cities, including London, Berlin and Copenhagen. This year the airline began flights to Warsaw, making it the first airline to operate non-stop scheduled flights from Iceland to Poland and Eastern Europe.

Visit the Iceland Express wesbite for more information on booking cheap flights to Iceland.

Iceland‘s two biggest names in music are holding a joint outdoor concert in Reykjavik at the end of June.

Bjork and Sigur Ros are performing at a free outdoor concert in Iceland on Saturday 28th June.

The goal of the concert is to raise awareness on environmental issues in Iceland and will feature Bjork, Sigur Ros, Olof Arnalds as well as a number of secret foreign guests.

Icelandic low cost airline Iceland Express is celebrating the unique by offering cheap return flights to Reykjavik, Iceland from a number of European cities.

Return tickets are available from ₤148, €195, DKK 1489 and SEK 1828 including taxes from the following destinations: London, Copenhagen, Paris, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Eindhoven, Friedrichshafen, Gothenburg and Basel.

The special offer is available for select flights from 25 June to 2 July 2006. Booking is possible now until midnight GMT on Monday 9th June.

Visit the Iceland Express website for more information and to book cheap flights to Reykjavik, Iceland.

The Director of Icelandair Group has revealed a young, but experienced new CEO of the Icelandair airline.

Icelandair, the national carrier of Iceland, has named Birkir Holm Gudnason as its new CEO, charged with growing the business in a difficult global aviation market.

Birkir Holm Gudnason has worked for Icelandair for many years and was previously the head of the company’s Nordic countries department, based in Copenhagen.

Director of Icelandair Group, Bjorgolfur Johannsson, said he is proud of his new appointment. Johannsson plans to use the opportunity to reduce his own responsibilities with Icelandair. He will to use the extra time to concentrate on his duty to the Icelandair Group as a whole, which includes 11 other companies besides Icelandair.

Johannsson says he believes Gudnason will make an excellent CEO at a time when the airline is challenged by high fuel prices and the uncertainty on world financial markets.

Gudnason says he looks forward to taking up his position as CEO, “I have worked in a wide variety of areas within the company and know just how many great colleagues I can look forward to working with. The big task ahead is for us to grow the company’s profitability in the difficult trading conditions we are now faced with. It’s an exciting task which will be fun to engage in with such great staff.”

Icelandair Group is one of Iceland’s biggest companies and holds an important place in the nation. Icelandair has played a huge part in the country’s tourist revolution, and has enabled Icelandic business interests to travel Europe and North America with a growing network of scheduled flights to Iceland.

Gudnason is 34 years old and holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Alaborg University, gained in 2000. He has been with Icelandair ever since.

For more information on Icelandair, visit the Icelandair website.

22 new flight attendants, drawn from over 800 applicants, will provide much needed reinforcement to the Icelandic airline’s summer timetable.
Icelandic low cost airline, Iceland Express, recently celebrated the graduation of 22 new flight attendants who have been studying on the company’s own training programme.

Icelandic newspaper Vidskiptabladid reports that the new recruits will start work in mid-May, coinciding with the start of Iceland Express’ summer schedule.

The 22 coveted places in the company are being filled by the successful few among the 800 people who applied for the course last winter.

The Iceland Express flight attendant training course has never attracted as many applications as it did this year – a sign of the airline’s increasing popularity and reputation as a good employer.

Included in this year’s training were sessions with the police on how to identify and prevent trouble onboard aircraft from violent or dangerous passengers.

The group of bright young graduates consists of three men and nineteen women.

Visit the Iceland Express website for more information on cheap flights to Iceland.

Low cost airline Iceland Express hopes to sell more flights on news that Iceland is now a cheap(er) place to visit

Iceland‘s weakened currency is offering visitors better value for money as their foreign currency stretches further.

Iceland Express, the country‘s budget airline, says that there has never been a better time to book flights to Reykjavik, Akureyri or Egilsstadir.

Iceland Express is responsible for making Iceland cheaper to get to than ever, but the favourable exchange rates are just a stroke of good luck for the traveller. Indeed, a big, frothy helping of Iceland‘s notoriously pricey beer cost comparatively the same or even less than in Copenhagen, Paris or Berlin in the first week of April.

Away from the bars and clubs, the discounts continue. For example, three nights in Reykjavik‘s Hilton Hotel costs EUR 441.90, GBP 334.10 or DKK 3,341 on 1 January, but only EUR 351.30, GBP 275.80 and DKK 2,618 on 4 April.

The savings extend from restaurants, car hire and clothes shops all the way to Iceland‘s famous whale watching tours, costing (on 4 April) EUR 9.10, GBP 5.80 and DKK 72 less than at the beginning of the year.

Take a look at Iceland Express’ website for more info on cheap holidays to Iceland.