Iceland Trip Report - Part 2 of 12

THURSDAY AUGUST 23rd - DEPARTURE

I arrived at the Atlanta airport roughly 2 1/2 hours before my departure. I was travelling by Delta to Boston for my connecting flight to Iceland. I'd contacted Delta earlier about possibly checking in my bag all the way to Iceland and they had indicated it might be possible as long as I had my Icelandair ticket receipt. However, once I got to the airport, I found out that wasn't going to be possible. I'd have to check my bag, retrieve it in Boston and recheck it in Boston. Good thing I had a 2:45 layover in Boston. My 55 pound bag also cost me an additional $25 with Delta but I had little option. Breezing through security and taking the slow walk to the gate, I still had almost 2 hours to kill before my flight (better safe than sorry). While at the gate in Atlanta, I received a call from my brother in New York, he was ready to leave for the airport for his flight to Boston.

The flight to Boston was non-descript and I arrived in Boston just a couple minutes late. Signage in the Boston airport was terrible but with the help of an information desk I found my way to IcelandAir check in. I took the longer walking route instead of the shuttle bus which caused a little confusion as one walks through a parking structure, but I got there. At about this time, I received a distressing phone call from my brother. Apparently his plane was delayed into Boston and had no signs of getting off the ground any time soon. I checked in and asked how close he could cut it. They indicated about 45 minutes before flight. My brother called a second time to inform me he wasn't waiting anymore and would switch airlines. However, it was going to be a real close call. I gave him the best rundown of what to expect in Boston as I headed to the gate. I waited at the gate fully expecting to have to make the journey to Iceland without my brother. My only concern was that he had all the vouchers for use in Iceland and that might make my first day a little difficult. I kept checking my watch waiting for a call. Finally about 70 minutes before the flight I get a call that his flight had landed. It was going to be REAL close. Finally at 8:55 my brother arrived at the gate, 35 minutes before our flight departure. Boarding had just started.

The flight to Iceland was very pleasant. We had really nice seats with plenty of legroom. The flight attendants were very nice and very pleasant on the eyes. We both hoped to sleep most of the flight but ended up with less than a hour a piece. It was also a little odd to be served a dinner at what was around 11:00PM EDT or 3:00 AM Iceland time. The food, lamb meatballs, was relatively good. However, the fish slaw was a little disturbing to my palette, tasting a little too much like sour fish. It is especially surprising if you are expecting it to be cole slaw!