Quantcast

Icelandair offers only true "time-traveling" transatlantic flight for winter 2025/2026

Airline Stocks Led The Travel Industry's Record 2024 Rally. Here's What's Next.
It’s beginning to look like another record for holiday travel
Qatar Airways cleans up at the World Travel Awards
Qantas engineers walk off job on one of the busiest travel days of the year
South Korea to safeguard competition after Korean Air, Asiana merger
China Southern returns to Adelaide
Global Airline Industry Revenues Forecast To Top $1 Trillion For First Time In 2025
EasyJet to launch six new routes from the UK next year with £24 flights
Here's Why Analysts Say It's a Good Time to Buy Airline Stocks
A No-Frills Airline Is Getting Into the Premium Game
TAKING OFF: Major airline introduces new inflight service rules with less time to order your drinks
2 Delta flight attendants fail breathalyzer test before flight to JFK
EasyJet reveals plans for new flights from regional UK airport next summer
Airlines not switching quickly enough to green jet fuel, study says
Alaska Airlines tech issue briefly grounds planes in Seattle, disrupts bookings on Cyber Monday
US Senate panel criticizes rising airline seat fees, will call execs to testify
Spirit’s Demise Is a Lesson in ‘Airline-o-nomics’
Inside BA’s new first-class suites: £800 an hour for most private seat
Focus: US airline flight crews confident and angry as unions seek richer contracts
Hawaiian Airlines Eliminates Widebody Route Amid Alaska Airlines Merger
US budget airlines are struggling. Will pursuing premium passengers solve their problems?
Delta CEO says the Trump administration will reverse government ‘overreach’ seen under Biden
Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy: How will it affect your travel plans?
British Airways yet to identify cause of latest IT meltdown
Delta Airlines Will Start Serving Shake Shack Cheeseburgers Next Month
United Sees Nearly 30% Surge in Travel to European Christmas Markets
Budget airline Israir to launch flights between Israel and NY, ending wartime monopoly by flagship carrier El Al
Asia's airlines blame supply chain woes for disrupted operations
Qantas and Qatar Airways: Planned partnership in the Australian aviation industry under the microscope
Spirit Airlines delays release of Q3 financial results as debt restructuring talks heat up
Icelandair offers only true "time-traveling" transatlantic flight for winter 2025/2026
Policy
Webp ice
Bogi Nils Bogason, CEO and President | Icelandair

So-called "time-traveling" flights refer to routes where the arrival time at the destination is earlier than the departure time from the origin, due to differences in time zones and flight duration. This phenomenon occurs when the scheduled flight time is shorter than the time zone difference between the two airports.

For the upcoming northern winter season of 2025/2026, which runs from October 26 to March 28 according to IATA slot seasons, data from OAG covering more than 3,000 airport pairs between Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas shows that only one long-haul transatlantic passenger route fits this "time-traveling" definition.

The only such route this winter will be operated by Icelandair, flying from Keflavik to Vancouver. During the winter season, Icelandair will operate this service four times a week using its 160-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which is its lowest-capacity jet. The higher-capacity Airbus A321LR will not be used on this route during winter.

Get the Newsletter
Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

On most occasions, flight FI697 is scheduled to depart Keflavik at 17:15 and arrive in Vancouver at 17:05 local time, arriving ten minutes before its scheduled departure. This occurs because the flight's block time is 7 hours and 50 minutes, while the time zone difference is eight hours. On three dates—December 20, December 27, and January 3—the flight will arrive twenty minutes before it leaves, with a schedule of 17:50 departure and 17:30 arrival.

Another notable example involves Icelandair's daily winter service from Keflavik to Seattle. The most common schedule for this route is a departure at 17:00 and an arrival at 17:00 local time, meaning the block time matches the time zone change. The Airbus A321LR will mainly serve this route, with occasional use of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Boeing 757-200.

Other Icelandair routes come close but do not meet the "time-traveling" criteria. For example, flights from Keflavik to Portland depart at 16:50 and arrive at 17:00, while flights to Minneapolis depart at 16:45 and arrive at 17:25.

Looking beyond Iceland, several mainland European airports have flights that arrive shortly after they depart. Most of these are operated by KLM, with examples including Amsterdam to Calgary (12:40-13:40), Edmonton (14:10-15:10), Portland (10:25-11:25), and Vancouver (13:10-14:10). However, none meet the maximum one-hour difference required for inclusion as a "time-traveling" flight.

The closest non-Icelandic entry is Air France's service from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Vancouver, operated by an Airbus A350-900. These flights usually depart at 10:20 and arrive at 11:25 local time during the winter season.

There are no other non-Icelandic long-haul transatlantic passenger markets that meet the one-hour or less difference between departure and arrival times this winter.

Organizations Included in this History
More News

Delta Air Lines will introduce new in-flight menu options created by celebrity chef José Andrés starting November 4.

Oct 25, 2025

The Blue Sky partnership between United Airlines and JetBlue launched today, allowing members of both airlines’ loyalty programs to earn and redeem points across the two carriers.

Oct 25, 2025

Air Canada is set to expand its presence at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) by introducing four new nonstop routes to the United States in 2026.

Oct 25, 2025

United Airlines has announced it will add 10 new destinations from its Chicago O'Hare International Airport hub starting next year.

Oct 25, 2025

The partnership between United Airlines and JetBlue, known as Blue Sky, has officially launched.

Oct 25, 2025

American Airlines will introduce its new Airbus A321XLR aircraft on December 18, marking the first time a U.S. airline operates this model.

Oct 25, 2025