Icelandair compensation: how to claim
Icelandair is registered in Iceland, so it counts as an EU carrier and its flights are covered in both directions.
- Registered in
- Iceland (EU carrier)
- Main bases
- Reykjavík (KEF)
- Typical first response
- About 40 days
- Time limit where it is based
- Depends where you claim
Icelandair is registered in Iceland, so it counts as an EU carrier and its flights are covered in both directions.
- Departing an EU airport: covered by EU261.
- Departing a UK airport: covered by UK261.
- Arriving in the EU from outside Europe: covered by EU261, because Icelandair is an EU carrier.
- Arriving in the UK from outside Europe: covered by UK261, which also protects arrivals on EU carriers.
How Icelandair handles claims
Iceland is in the EEA, so the Regulation applies to departures from Keflavík and Icelandair counts as an EU carrier for arrivals into the EU and UK.
Their entire business model is connecting Europe to North America through Keflavík on a single booking, which makes missed connections the most common claim type — measured at the North American destination.
Keflavík has real weather exposure and genuine volcanic disruption. Both can be extraordinary circumstances, and both still require the airline to show it minimised the resulting delay.
A Europe–Keflavík–North America itinerary on one booking is over 3,500 km end to end, so the €600 band usually applies even though each leg is shorter.
What a delay on Icelandair is worth
| Route | Distance | Rules | Per passenger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík (KEF) → Paris (CDG) | 2,241 km | EU261 | €400 |
| Reykjavík (KEF) → Barcelona (BCN) | 2,981 km | EU261 | €400 |
| Reykjavík (KEF) → Rome (FCO) | 3,319 km | EU261 | €400 |
| Reykjavík (KEF) → Amsterdam (AMS) | 2,038 km | EU261 | €400 |
Amounts are per passenger. The distance is the great-circle distance between the airports, which is what the Regulation uses — not the distance flown.
Claiming from Icelandair, by what happened
- Icelandair: delayCompensation is due when you arrive at your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled arrival time.
- Icelandair: cancellationCompensation is due unless you were told at least 14 days before departure, or were told later but re-routed on a flight that fell inside the timing windows set by Article 5(1)(c).
- Icelandair: denied boardingCompensation is due immediately when you are refused boarding against your will — most often because the flight was overbooked — provided you checked in on time with a confirmed reservation.
- Icelandair: missed connectionWhere all your flights were on a single booking, a delay that makes you miss a connection is measured at your final destination.
We draft. You send.
The check is free. If your Icelandair flight appears eligible, the claim letter is £15 flat — you send it to Icelandair yourself and keep the whole payout. If the airline rejects your claim on eligibility grounds, we refund the £15. Forward us their reply and we refund within five working days.
Icelandair: common questions
How much compensation can I get from Icelandair?
It depends on the distance and on which rules apply. Under EU261 it is €250, €400 or €600 per passenger; under UK261 it is £220, £350 or £520. Icelandair is registered in Iceland, so it counts as an EU carrier and its flights are covered in both directions.
Does Icelandair have to pay if the delay was caused by a technical problem?
Yes, in almost every case. The Court of Justice has held that technical problems — including sudden, unforeseen faults — are part of the normal running of an airline and are not extraordinary circumstances.
How long do I have to claim against Icelandair?
The limit is set by the country where you bring the claim, which is usually where your flight departed or arrived. In England and Wales it is six years; in most EU countries between two and five.
Where do I send a claim to Icelandair?
Icelandair takes claims through an online form, and the postal address is Icelandair ehf., Customer Relations, Reykjavíkurflugvöllur, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland. Check the address on the airline’s website before posting — claims departments move.
Can I claim for an old Icelandair flight?
Very often, yes. Most people do not realise claims last several years. Every disrupted flight is a separate claim, for every passenger on the booking.