Transatlantic airline, Icelandair welcomes its first new Boeing 737 MAX 8 with a unique celebratory flight 'Iceland By Air' that took a special route over some of Iceland's most stunning landscapes and sights.
All Icelandair planes are named after Icelandic volcanoes or areas of Iceland's spectacular natural beauty. The new Boeing 737 MAX 8, named Jokulsarlon, took a special flight to Akureyri where Icelandair was founded in 1937, from the air, passengers were able to see Eyjafjordur, the mountains of the Trollaskagi peninsula and Hvalfjordur by Reykjavík
Hosted by top Icelandic landscape photographer, Páll Jokull, guests on board the celebratory flight were provided with an in-air tutorial to learn how to take the best aerial photographs from the newly designed windows for better viewing. Pall's photography tips helped passengers to get the perfect shot: using the aircraft's new LED lighting system to light the photo and the better-designed cabin windows to help frame it. "Capturing a good photo from the Boeing 737 MAX is a combination of the light available and the composition of what you see out there, landscape/sky, and will be made easier with the new redesigned windows," advises Jokull.
Passengers toasted the new plane with Icelandair's special-edition 737 Transatlantic Icelandair Pale Ale, available on board and in the Icelandair Saga Lounge at Keflavik International airport for a limited time. The beer contains an ABV of 7.37% and is made with hops from the Pacific Northwest (where Boeing planes are made) and European malts as homage to the journey these planes will make.
Icelandair's new Boeing 737 MAX 8 provides an improved customer flying experience with a redesigned cabin interior and customizable LED lighting. The enhanced cabin features a Boeing Sky Interior, fitted with modern-sculptured walls that cleverly lead your eye to the window. Additional thoughtful touches have been added, with larger overhead cabins to give passengers extra space to store their carry-on luggage more easily.
Icelandair's newest plane also sets new standards in fuel-efficiency and performance with up to 20 percent more fuel-efficiency* and increasing its range by up to 3,515 nautical miles. The 737 MAX 8 incorporates the latest quiet engine technology to reduce the noise footprint of the airplane by up to 40 percent.
The carrier will add a total of 16 new Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to its fleet over the next four years, enabling the airline to further bolster its growing network. The new plane will complement Icelandair's existing fleet of 757 and 767, all perfectly suited for mid-range flights and the airline's operation of transatlantic and European routes.
Bjorgulfur Johannsson, President and CEO at Icelandair comments, "Welcoming 16 new aircraft into Icelandair's fleet over the next four years marks our commitment towards continually improving our customer experience. The Boeing 737 MAX family will enable us to continue to strengthen our route network and offer our customers choice and flexibility in this highly competitive environment."
In early summer 2018 the airline will start five new North American routes in addition to commencing flights between Dublin and Reykjavík. Icelandair has also recently simplified its on board product to offer two travel classes: Saga Premium and Economy to best suit their customers' travel needs. In addition to investing in its product in the air and strengthening its network, the customer online experience has been updated too with a newly launched website that's available in 16 new languages and easier than ever to navigate.
All passengers on board the Boeing 737 MAX 8 over the next month can take part in capturing the perfect photo from the air using #IcelandByAir to enter with the winning photos to be featured in Icelandair's in-flight magazine and showcased on Icelandair's website. To check out photographer Pall's tips to, to find out more about the competition or book with Icelandair please visit: www.icelandair.com.
ABOUT ICELANDAIR
Icelandair offers service to and from Iceland through Icelandair's hub at Keflavik International Airport serving 23 destinations in North America and more than 25 destinations in Scandinavia, the U.K., and Continental Europe. Icelandair also allows passengers to take an Icelandair Stopover, in Iceland, for up to seven nights at no additional airfare.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader