Is Icelandair or KLM better to Europe?

KLM scores 8/10 against Icelandair at 6/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare. On the four dimensions we can verify, Icelandair wins 1 and KLM wins 2. Service and food are not scored here because they cannot be read off a spec sheet.

Which is cheaper, Icelandair or KLM?

On the 13 routes where both were priced for the same week (November 8–14, 2026), Icelandair was cheaper on 8 and KLM on 5. 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. KLM scores 10/10 on the 787-9 / 787-10 / 777 (World Business Class) and 5/10 on the A330-200 / A330-300. 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

Icelandair vs KLM

KLM scores 8/10 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.

Icelandair

737 MAX / 757 (Saga Premium)

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

KLM

787-9 / 787-10 / 777 (World Business Class)

Seat: 10/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 4/10
Product score: 8/10

Dimension by dimension

Seat: KLM
0/10 on the 737 MAX / 757 (Saga Premium) against 10/10 on the 787-9 / 787-10 / 777 (World Business Class).
IFE: KLM
Screens, connectivity and power: 4/10 against 8/10.
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: 10/10 against 4/10.

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	Icelandair	KLM	Cheaper
BOS → ARN	economy	$496	$609	Icelandair by $113
BOS → HEL	economy	$570	$587	Icelandair by $17
BOS → CDG	economy	$594	$750	Icelandair by $156
ORD → ARN	economy	$630	$745	Icelandair by $115
BOS → AMS	economy	$649	$1226	Icelandair by $577
ORD → AMS	economy	$655	$1292	Icelandair by $637
BOS → GLA	economy	$681	$890	Icelandair by $209
JFK → ARN	economy	$1116	$691	KLM by $425
JFK → OSL	economy	$1007	$774	KLM by $233
JFK → GLA	economy	$1060	$840	KLM by $220
ORD → HEL	economy	$915	$876	KLM by $39
ORD → BER	economy	$1047	$941	KLM by $106
JFK → AMS	business	$2404	$11981	Icelandair by $9577

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:

Icelandair

737 MAX / 757 (Saga Premium)

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

KLM

A330-200 / A330-300

Seat: 5/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 4/10
Product score: 6.8/10

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.

KLM: 2-2-2 lie-flat: the window seat requires stepping over a neighbor.

Common questions

Is Icelandair or KLM better to Europe?: KLM scores 8/10 against Icelandair at 6/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare. On the four dimensions we can verify, Icelandair wins 1 and KLM wins 2. Service and food are not scored here because they cannot be read off a spec sheet.
Which is cheaper, Icelandair or KLM?: On the 13 routes where both were priced for the same week (November 8–14, 2026), Icelandair was cheaper on 8 and KLM on 5. 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. KLM scores 10/10 on the 787-9 / 787-10 / 777 (World Business Class) and 5/10 on the A330-200 / A330-300. 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.

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