Icelandair is adding St. Louis to its network. The Icelandic carrier will launch nonstop flights between Reykjavík-Keflavík and St. Louis Lambert International Airport on 14 May 2027, making the Missouri city its 16th U.S. gateway and expanding its partnership with Southwest Airlines, the largest carrier at the airport.
Up to four flights a week on the 737 MAX 8
The seasonal service will operate up to four times a week from 14 May to 24 October 2027, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Icelandair will fly the route with a Boeing 737 MAX 8. According to The Points Guy, the aircraft is configured with 16 business-class recliner seats and 144 economy seats.
The flights are already on sale. Local broadcaster First Alert 4 confirmed that the first published departure from St. Louis leaves on 14 May at 8:45 p.m. for a flight of about six and a half hours to Iceland. The St. Louis Partnership said the route will offer the Midwest connections to more than 35 destinations in Europe via Icelandair's hub.
St. Louis is also Icelandair's first new North American destination announced for 2027, The Points Guy reported. Separately, according to AirlineGeeks, the airline said it will resume service to Madrid in 2027, with two to three flights a week during the summer.
A new Southwest gateway
The route builds on Icelandair's interline partnership with Southwest, which allows travellers to book connecting Icelandair and Southwest flights on a single itinerary. St. Louis joins the existing Icelandair-Southwest gateways of Denver, Baltimore, Nashville, Orlando, Pittsburgh and Raleigh-Durham, according to AirlineGeeks.
"We're very pleased to add St. Louis to our network next summer," said Tómas Ingason, Icelandair's Chief Commercial Officer. "St. Louis is an exciting addition, particularly in light of our growing partnership with Southwest Airlines, which will create convenient connections between destinations across North America, Iceland, and Europe."
The partners say the link works in both directions: North American travellers can connect via St. Louis to Iceland and onward to Europe, while travellers from Iceland and Europe can connect through St. Louis to destinations across the United States.
Lambert's third European airline
Icelandair becomes the third European carrier at St. Louis after British Airways and Lufthansa, both of which began flights to the city after the pandemic, according to The Points Guy. St. Louis Public Radio reported that British Airways flies daily to London and Lufthansa five times a week to Germany.
It is not the first time St. Louis has had a nonstop link to Iceland. WOW Air briefly flew between Lambert and Keflavík before the low-cost carrier collapsed in 2019.
Local leaders welcomed the return. "Having Icelandair as the latest international carrier to begin service at St. Louis Lambert International Airport shows that St. Louis is truly a global destination," said St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page added: "This flight goes both ways. Our residents gain a direct connection to Iceland, and their travelers gain an easy way to discover St. Louis."
Ambassador Kevin F. O'Malley, chair of the St. Louis County Port Authority, said the authority had been "working tirelessly to connect St. Louis to key international partners" over the last few years. Acting Airport Director Jerry Beckmann credited the airport's Air Service Development Department and regional partners for securing the route.
Growing in the U.S.
Icelandair currently serves 15 U.S. destinations, including New York JFK, Washington Dulles, Chicago O'Hare and Seattle, alongside flights to Canada, Greenland and Europe. According to Cirium schedule data cited by The Points Guy, the airline is flying 15% more seats to the United States this year than it did in 2019.
Passengers on the new route can also use Icelandair's stopover programme, which allows a stay of up to seven days in Iceland at no extra airfare on the way to or from Europe.
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