Icelandair Taps Into International Visitation to the South

We met with Heidi Walters, Director of Partner and Industry Relations with Visit North Carolina, to see how the expansion of a daily, year-round international flight from Reykjavik has impacted and added another dimension to travel to the South. 

Q: What direct flights to North Carolina are available on Icelandair? 
A: The flight is daily, year-round. Raleigh Durham International Airport is the entrance to the Southern USA. The only other Icelandair flights are Orlando and Boston.

Q: Recently, these flight schedules were extended. How did this come to be?
A: Icelandair has been aggressive with implementing continued changes over the past year.  Their one year anniversary for the flight is this month.  Their load factors for the coming months are in the mid-high 80s, so they are finding the flight to be successful.

Q: What impact have you seen so far because of the extended options?
A: Visit North Carolina has seen a real interest from tour operators in Denmark and Norway where we haven’t in the past.  They are interested in new itineraries in and around North Carolina.
Stateside the residents are very excited about the lift not only to Iceland, but also to European destinations due to the lower fares.  

Q: Have you seen an increase in connectivity from other countries that are connecting through Reykjavik to NC?
A: The Icelandair connection is a great lower-cost entry from Europe.  We see great interest from the German and Nordic markets.  Their layover policy lets you stay over in Reykjavik for a few days, extending your holiday and seeing another destination. 

Q: Overall, what is the greatest opportunity this flight has afforded the tourism industry?
A: The Southern USA has wonderful flights into the region with ATL, CLT, Dulles being hubs, but this flight adds to that and brings another dimension and visitors we may not have reached prior.