Icelandair Is Getting Rid of Premium Economy
The only Iceland-based full-service carrier, Icelandair, is getting rid of its premium economy product. As of April 7, 2018, Icelandair will reportedly quit offering its Economy Comfort product to flyers.
Icelandair has long offered passengers three different products: economy, Economy Comfort (premium economy) and Saga Class (business class). However, as reported by Wandering Aramean, Icelandair sent out the following note to travel agents:
"In order to remain innovative and competitive, Icelandair is excited to announce changes to our Booking Class Structure, effective 07APR18.
We will be discontinuing our Economy Comfort product in order to offer our customers more fare options for a travel experience that best suits their needs."
If you have a ticket booked in Economy Comfort prior to this announcement being made, Wandering Aramean is also reporting that Icelandair will upgrade you to Saga Class at no additional charge.
I flew Icelandair's Economy Comfort product in February, and found it to be wildly inconsistent. Officially, the product is more like an intra-Europe business-class seat. You get an extra inch of seat pitch, priority check-in, lounge access and free onboard food and beverage, however, the product itself is officially nothing more than a blocked out middle seat.
Where the product is inconsistent is with what seat you actually get. On flights with lighter Saga Class loads, Icelandair seems to seat Economy Comfort passengers in Saga Class seats, but you still get the Economy Comfort service. So, by booking, it's not been clear exactly which of the two seats you'll actually get. Check out the full Economy Comfort experience in my TPG review.
The move is an interesting one from Icelandair. Doing away with Economy Comfort leaves it with only two options: economy and Saga. With the added economy seats available in the cabin thanks to no more middle seats being blocked off, it could mean Icelandair could introduce more bare-bones fare classes in order to compete with its low-cost counterpart, WOW Air. Last year, Icelandair added its Economy Light ticket in order to better compete, which excludes a checked bag. Going forward, it's entirely possible Icelandair could add a stricter basic economy fare with a la carte options in order to better compete with the low-cost carriers dominating the transatlantic market, especially to Iceland.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.