Booking a flight with Iceland’s flag carrier? Knowing the Icelandair baggage policy before you reach the airport saves you money, time, and a lot of stress at the gate. Because Icelandair connects North America and Europe through its Reykjavík hub, your allowance shifts depending on whether you’re flying transatlantic, domestic, or to Greenland. This guide breaks down everything—carry-on rules, checked baggage allowance, weight limits, and excess baggage fees—so you can pack smart and fly without surprises.
Icelandair Carry-On Baggage Allowance
Every passenger, regardless of fare type, is entitled to one carry-on bag plus one personal item free of charge. All Icelandair passengers bring one carry-on bag plus one personal item free of charge, regardless of fare type.
Here’s what the Icelandair carry-on size limits look like:
- International flights: 1 carry-on bag at 55 x 40 x 20 cm (21.6 x 15.7 x 7.8 inches), max 10 kg (22 lbs)
- Domestic Iceland flights: 1 carry-on at 55 x 30 x 20 cm, max 6 kg (13 lbs)
- Greenland flights: 1 carry-on at 55 x 40 x 20 cm, under 10 kg
The Icelandair carry-on size permits maximum dimensions of 55 x 40 x 20 cm including handles and wheels, with a 10 kg weight limit for international flights.
Your personal item (a handbag, laptop bag, or small backpack) must not exceed 40 x 30 x 15 cm and needs to fit under the seat in front of you. One important note for travelers: domestic Iceland and Greenland flights restrict carry-on weight to just 6 kg instead of the international 10 kg allowance.
A quick warning—Icelandair is known for sizing cabin bags at the gate, especially at Keflavík. If your carry-on doesn’t fit their sizer, you’ll likely have to check it. Weigh and measure before you leave home.
Icelandair Checked Baggage Allowance by Fare
Icelandair uses the piece concept, meaning your checked allowance is set by a number of bags tied to your fare class rather than a pooled weight. Here’s the breakdown of the Icelandair checked baggage allowance:
- Economy Light: Carry-on only—no checked bag included
- Economy Standard & Economy Flex: One checked bag up to 23 kg (50 lbs)
- Saga Premium & Saga Premium Flex: Two checked bags up to 32 kg (70 lbs) each
Economy Light includes carry-on only, with no checked bag, while Economy Standard and Economy Flex each include one 23 kg checked bag, and Saga Premium and Saga Premium Flex include two 32 kg bags.
Every checked bag must stay within the size limit. Each piece of checked baggage must not exceed the total combined linear dimensions of 158 cm (62 in), including handles and wheels. A standard large suitcase usually fits, but measure length + width + height first.
Saga Premium Flex passengers also get a boosted cabin allowance: two cabin bags instead of one, each measuring 55 x 40 x 20 cm and weighing up to 10 kg—a combined 20 kg in the cabin plus the personal item.
Icelandair Excess & Extra Baggage Fees
Need more than your fare includes? You can buy additional checked bags, and buying ahead saves real money.
An extra checked bag runs from about $60 online and varies by route, with airport prices roughly 20 percent higher. You can buy up to three extra bags per passenger. Extra bags can be added through the Manage Booking tool on Icelandair’s site up to 7 days before departure.
A few key rules on Icelandair excess baggage fees:
- Overweight bags (24–32 kg): An overweight bag between 24 and 32 kg can only be paid for at the airport and cannot be prepaid online.
- The hard limit: Bags exceeding 32 kg are not accepted on Icelandair flights under any circumstances.
- Oversized/odd-sized bags: Baggage exceeding the maximum combined linear dimensions of 158 cm is classified as “odd-sized” and incurs additional excess baggage fees at the airport.
One detail that catches stopover travelers off guard: extra bags and heavy bags are charged per flight segment when travelling with a stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland. So a single extra bag on a connecting itinerary may be billed twice.
Sports Equipment, Instruments & Special Baggage
Heading to Iceland with ski gear, a surfboard, or golf clubs? Icelandair accommodates special items, but advance booking matters. Most sports equipment counts as an extra bag with the same pricing and 20% online discount.
For musical instruments, small ones can ride in the cabin if they fit size limits and travel in a hard shell case with advance permission. Large instruments may need to be checked as excess baggage, and only hard shell cases are acceptable—soft bags are not permitted for checked musical instruments.
Bicycles require pre-registration, and approved child seats travel free if the child uses it during the flight. If you’ve purchased directly from Icelandair, golf and ski equipment can be added online for the discount, while heavy bags and weapons are payable only at airport check-in.
Saga Club & Amex Cardholder Baggage Perks
Frequent flyers get a little extra. Saga Gold and Saga Silver members each receive one extra checked bag in addition to their fare allowance, with the weight set by the cabin and fare. Holders of the Icelandair American Express also get one extra 23 kg bag.
One catch worth knowing: the status bag and the card bag do not stack, so frequent flyers with both still get only one extra bag.
Tips to Avoid Baggage Fees
A few smart moves go a long way under the Icelandair baggage policy:
- Weigh at home. A cheap luggage scale can save you a steep overweight charge at the counter.
- Prepay online. Adding bags through Manage Booking saves roughly 20% versus airport rates.
- Pick the right fare. If you know you’ll check a bag, Economy Standard is often cheaper than Economy Light plus a paid bag.
- Account for stopovers. Remember fees apply per segment on Reykjavík connections.
Final Word
The Icelandair baggage policy is straightforward once you match your fare to your trip. Economy Light suits light packers traveling cabin-only, while Standard, Flex, and Saga fares scale up for longer journeys and heavier loads. Always confirm your exact allowance in your booking confirmation, since route and fare determine the final numbers. Pack within your limits, prepay where you can, and you’ll breeze through Keflavík.
