28 | FROM DUBLIN TO NORTH AMERICA
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Icelandair from Dublin to North America: The Saga Premium Class experience BY GLENN LINDSAY
WHEN travellers look towards North America from Dublin they tend to automatically think of direct flights. I must admit that would usually be me but a recent search engine result threw me a curve ball… Now I am 58, and have travelled extensively around the world. I must admit for the long haul, if I can get a deal in business class (which these days can be harder to find), I would normally take it but invariably I am comfortable in premium economy, certainly for North America.
On the day I searched for my trip to Chicago it brought up Icelandair as the cheapest option. In fact it was well south of the competitor fares, even those involving a stop in London or elsewhere in Europe. A check on Icelandair’s site revealed that luckily I had chanced upon a sale period. It also revealed the Saga Premium class
offering as potentially superior to
standard premium economy offerings so I pressed the book button. Icelandair’s Saga Premium Class connections to North America seem to offer on two levels: a strategic Reykjavik transfer (with added
generous no-
extra airfare stopover options as well as connecting lounge access ) and a truly premium experience on board your flights. So what was my experience? At Dublin, my check-in was smooth. With my two free bags checked in, I breezed through security courtesy of my included fast track access. No lounge is included at Dublin unless you opt for the Saga Premium
pages of it!
Flex which is more expensive but carries flexibility options as the name suggests. When the flight was called Saga Premium customers were invited to board first. Turning left to the front of the cabin I was immediately taken by how plush the wide premium seats were and how much leg room each seat had! The recliner seats were in a 2-2 configuration either side of the aisle. Having experienced many premium economy carriers worldwide these were undoubtedly
superior.more akin to American domestic First Class. I am 6 foot and had acres of legroom. A bottle of cold Icelandic water was already at the seat and I was immediately offered
This included two white and two red wine options, all excellent and poured from the bottle. Three sparkling options including a Cremant, and then beers, various high end spirits as well as soft drinks of course. The standout though had to be on the last pages where a gin library listed five Icelandic and one European gins together with premium tonic options. To be honest this outstripped any business class offering I have seen in my travels to date!
Before long our food service was offered
on the short connecting flight, comprising a wonderful tapas selection plate with small toasts and a main of cold sweet chilli chicken skewers & salad. All wonderful ! Refills on drinks were offered regularly throughout the flight. In Saga Premium you also benefit from free WiFi access for up to 2 devices throughout the flight.
The entertainment offering was a little limited
however
it did offer some classic movies and I took the opportunity to refresh myself on one. I guess these day if you are like me, you have already loaded what you want
to watch or
read to your personal device/s so not really a big issue.
it
Before I knew we
had landed
pristine noise cancelling headphones. We were soon in the air and the drinks menus were handed out… I was in shock- 6
in Reykjavik and were whisked to the terminal where I headed to the lounge which is included
with the Saga fare I had chosen. The lounge is luxuriously impressive with
November/December 2025
lighting, furniture and art pieces to match the Icelandic surroundings. The food and drink options were plentiful and offered the chance to try some Icelandic specialities. The 2 hours flew by and again before I knew it we were boarding for Chicago for a just over 6 hour flight.
Everything was pretty much the same… except that a comfy blanket and soft pillow were awaiting me on the seat. Again the food and drink options were outstanding. I enjoyed king prawns, black garlic chicken and a lovely tiramisu-like dessert.
Drinks were replenished and additionally snack options were walked through the cabin. The flight flew by and I arrived comforted that I had undoubtedly made the right choice in Icelandair Saga Premium Class for my leisure trip.
So my impressions overall... Saga Premium is not a lie-flat business product but I think the service offering does make it a business standard offering. So if you can accept a large comfortable reclining seat with a stop instead of a lie-flat bed direct option… then this is definitely for you. In my opinion the experience is definitely superior to other carrier premium economy standards and indeed some carrier business food/drink offerings,which have been scaled back over time. The flight crews went a long way to making the experience, they were genuinely invested in the experience delivery. Routing through Iceland adds a stop compared with direct Dublin-North America services, which may matter to business travellers where time is the key consideration. However if you are a leisure traveller and comfort / experience / price points matter more, then I would not hesitate to recommend Saga Premium by Icelandair who serve up to eleven USA destinations all year round, with six seasonal routes. This compliments three Canadian yearly routes, with an extra seasonal trip.
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