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Icelandair to Begin Service at Philadelphia International Airport

Despite its name, Iceland isn’t actually a country covered in ice. While it is a bit chilly most of the year (temperatures range between 30 degrees Fahrenheit and 60 degrees Fahrenheit), the country is beautiful and the locals are friendly, which makes it a great place for a vacation. Luckily, Icelandair is making it easier to get there via Philadelphia. Here’s the latest article by the Philadelphia Business Journal:

“The newest air service out of the Philadelphia International Airport will make it easier to travel and see the famous Northern Lights and other parts of Scandinavia and Europe.

It was announced Wednesday morning that Icelandair would begin seasonal service between PHL Airport and the city of Reykjavik, beginning May 30, 2017.

“We are proud to increase our nonstop international service out of Philadelphia, because it supports Philadelphia-area companies as they do business in the worldwide marketplace,” Chellie Cameron, president and CEO of the PHL Airport, said Wednesday at a press conference.

This will be the fifth foreign carrier to be added at the PHL Airport and the first in almost three years. Qatar Airways in 2013 officially began its daily non-stop service at the airport. This will be Icelandair’s 18th destination in North America.

Icelandair will operate four weekly nonstop flights from PHL Airport with its B-757 aircrafts that can accommodate 185 passengers.

Its flights will depart from PHL Airport on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8:35 p.m., arriving nonstop to Icelandair’s hub at Keflavik International Airport the following morning at 6:10 a.m. Total flight time is five hours and 30 minutes.

Return service departs Keflavik at 5 p.m. with same-day arrival in Philadelphia at 7:15 p.m.

The new air service also enhances Philadelphia’s visibility worldwide, said Cameron, who has had Iceland on her bucket list of travel destinations for some time.

This new service is important for Philadelphia because of the growing demand, and this will fuel that growth, she added.

There could be potential for more travel to Philadelphia, adding to the record visitation figures Philadelphia has already experienced in the past year.

“Air travel is interlinked with tourism, and it’s a very important thing for Philadelphia and for our city, which in my mind deserves and needs more international visibility and profile; this is a great thing,” said Xiang (Robert) Li, professor and Washburn Senior Research Fellow at the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple.”