Is British Airways or Icelandair better to Europe?

British Airways scores 8.3/10 against Icelandair at 6/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare. On the four dimensions we can verify, British Airways wins 2 and Icelandair wins 1. Service and food are not scored here because they cannot be read off a spec sheet.

Which is cheaper, British Airways or Icelandair?

On the 17 routes where both were priced for the same week (November 8–14, 2026), British Airways was cheaper on 2 and Icelandair on 15. Every pair of fares is the same departure and return date in the same cabin, so the difference is the airline rather than the dates or the cabin.

Does the aircraft change the answer?

Yes. British Airways scores 10/10 on the A350-1000 / 787-10 / 777 (Club Suite) and 5/10 on the 787-8 / some 787-9 (old Club World). Check the equipment on your date before deciding.

Has Jon flown either of these?

Neither, so this page is product facts and fares only. Any review we publish of either will be labeled Researched until that changes.

Head to head

British Airways vs Icelandair

British Airways scores 8.3/10 against Icelandair at 6/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare.

By Jon Miksis · cabin data verified August 30, 2026 · fares for travel November 8–14, 2026

Best product each one flies

Scored on what can be verified. Service, food and ground recovery are absent deliberately: they need someone in the seat, and they live in the reviews rather than here.

One caveat on the Value line, stated rather than buried: the cabin scores describe a business product and the fares behind Value are economy. A carrier that prices economy aggressively generally prices business the same way, but they are different products. Read Value as how an airline prices against its competitors, not as what its business seat costs.

British Airways

A350-1000 / 787-10 / 777 (Club Suite)

Seat: 10/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 5/10
Product score: 8.3/10

Icelandair

737 MAX / 757 (Saga Premium)

Seat: 0/10
IFE: 4/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Product score: 6/10

Dimension by dimension

Seat: British Airways
10/10 on the A350-1000 / 787-10 / 777 (Club Suite) against 0/10 on the 737 MAX / 757 (Saga Premium).
IFE: British Airways
Screens, connectivity and power: 8/10 against 4/10.
Lounge & bags: level
What the fare includes before you board: 10/10 against 10/10.
Value: Icelandair
Median premium over the cheapest carrier on the same route: 5/10 against 10/10.

Where both were priced on the same dates

Every fare is November 8–14, 2026, so a difference between two rows is a difference between two airlines and nothing else. These are economy fares, while the cabin scores above describe the business product — read them as how each airline prices against its competitors, not as what its business seat costs.

Route	Cabin	British Airways	Icelandair	Cheaper
MCO → ARN	economy	$1065	$545	Icelandair by $520
MCO → OSL	economy	$998	$546	Icelandair by $452
JFK → KEF	economy	$700	$600	Icelandair by $100
ORD → ARN	economy	$745	$630	Icelandair by $115
ORD → CDG	economy	$1210	$649	Icelandair by $561
ORD → DUB	economy	$1190	$673	Icelandair by $517
BOS → GLA	economy	$1010	$681	Icelandair by $329
BOS → LHR	economy	$823	$683	Icelandair by $140
ORD → GLA	economy	$931	$690	Icelandair by $241
ORD → LHR	economy	$1707	$699	Icelandair by $1008
BOS → FCO	economy	$735	$713	Icelandair by $22
MCO → GLA	economy	$1211	$720	Icelandair by $491
ORD → MAN	economy	$1217	$729	Icelandair by $488
JFK → OSL	economy	$759	$1007	British Airways by $248
JFK → GLA	economy	$833	$1060	British Airways by $227
BOS → MAN	economy	$1266	$838	Icelandair by $428
JFK → LHR	business	$6051	$2356	Icelandair by $3695

What happens if the aircraft swaps

Both carriers are paying-the-same-fare-either-way propositions on some frames. The worst product each one flies:

British Airways

787-8 / some 787-9 (old Club World)

Seat: 5/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 5/10
Product score: 7/10

Icelandair

737 MAX / 757 (Saga Premium)

Seat: 0/10
IFE: 4/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Product score: 6/10

British Airways: The outgoing yin-yang cabin: eight seats abreast, half of them rear-facing, and window seats requiring a climb over a stranger. A materially worse product at the same fare.

Icelandair: Saga Premium is a wide recliner, not a lie-flat business class: roughly 20 inches wide with about 5 inches of recline. Closer to US domestic first class than to a transatlantic business seat, and the shorter Iceland sectors are what it is built for.

Common questions

Is British Airways or Icelandair better to Europe?: British Airways scores 8.3/10 against Icelandair at 6/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare. On the four dimensions we can verify, British Airways wins 2 and Icelandair wins 1. Service and food are not scored here because they cannot be read off a spec sheet.
Which is cheaper, British Airways or Icelandair?: On the 17 routes where both were priced for the same week (November 8–14, 2026), British Airways was cheaper on 2 and Icelandair on 15. Every pair of fares is the same departure and return date in the same cabin, so the difference is the airline rather than the dates or the cabin.
Does the aircraft change the answer?: Yes. British Airways scores 10/10 on the A350-1000 / 787-10 / 777 (Club Suite) and 5/10 on the 787-8 / some 787-9 (old Club World). Check the equipment on your date before deciding.
Has Jon flown either of these?: Neither, so this page is product facts and fares only. Any review we publish of either will be labeled Researched until that changes.

Join the Club, free

One email a week: the Europe fares worth acting on, the new transatlantic routes, and first look at the tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.