Icelandair has announced changes to two of its services, wherein the airline will be extending its services to Orlando, thereby making it a year-long service, and the carrier’s planned return to Pittsburgh has been brought forward by a month.
This announcement comes just after fellow Icelandic carrier PLAY Airlines announced a series of plans for its own network expansion.
Orlando becomes a year-round service
While the airline operates flights to Orlando International Airport
(MCO) from its hub in Keflavik International Airport
(KEF), these services are usually seasonal and limited to certain days of the week. Past data on the route from FlightRadar24.com shows that the carrier does not operate flights on this route during certain times of the year.
Data shows that the service was not operated during the months of June, July, and August in 2023 and 2024.
However, according to a post on X by Ishrion Aviation, this is about to change as the carrier will operate this service all year round starting next month.
Additionally, the carrier will also be increasing the number of direct flights offered on this route per week. Overall, according to data from Cirium, Icelandair will operate a total of 28 flights in each direction on this route using its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8
and Boeing 757-200
aircraft.
|
Service |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flight Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
FI689 KEF-MCO |
17:15 |
21:15 |
8 hours |
|
FI688 MCO-KEF |
18:30 |
06:00(+1) |
7 hours 30 minutes |
Overall, the carrier will be offering 4,848 seats in both directions throughout October 2024.
Bringing forward Pittsburgh service
The airline’s service to Pittsburgh International Airport
(PIT) was
launched earlier this year as part of the carrier’s summer schedule and is meant to be operated until the end of October
. While the airline previously planned on returning it in May 2025, the latest report by Ishrion Aviation indicates that it will be brought forward to April 17th, 2025.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
As per the current booking availability, the airline, starting April 17th, will be offering direct service between KEF and PIT on the following four days:
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Sunday
The itineraries will be as follows:
|
Service |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flight Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
FI689 KEF-MCO |
16:55 |
19:20 |
6 hours 25 minutes |
|
FI830 PIT-KEF |
20:30 |
06:25(+1) |
5 hours 55 minutes |
The carrier will be using its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 for this service.
Simple Flying has reached out to Icelandair to know more about its network expansion plans and if there will be any potential expansion to the airline’s European route network. Any response received will be updated in the article.
The competition is also expanding
A major competitor for Icelandair is its fellow carrier, PLAY airlines
, also based in Iceland. The carrier recently signed a multi-year agreement with Global Distribution System (GDS) provider Sabre, which allows the airline’s itineraries to be more accessible to all travel agencies partnered with the service provider.
This partnership was announced as a way of increasing the airline’s visibility and presence in two of its most important markets – North America and Europe.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
While the carrier is currently planning to slow its expansion into the Americas to focus on profits and increase fleet size, PLAY has already announced plans to expand its network within Europe, Northern Africa, and the Mediterranean regions.
The airline has also recently launched a Transatlantic stopover program for passengers wishing to explore Iceland when flying across the Atlantic, thereby improving its competitive advantage in offering services between Europe and North America.