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A good sale to Reykjavik from Philadelphia – 30th Street Amtrak Station with availability for Summer travel. Please read below for the logistics of the transfer from Amtrak to United.

United and its partners Air Canada, Austrian, Lufthansa and Swiss Air introduced Basic Economy for travel across the Atlantic this month. There are slightly variations but the one common theme across all these airlines is that with Basic Economy, you will pay $60 each way for ONE checked luggage, more for additional bags.

United’s version of Basic Economy for European travel includes:

• Advance seat assignment
• One normal size carry-on plus one personal item

In contrast, its partners like Air Canada, Austrian, Lufthansa, and Swiss:

• Charges for advance seat assignment
• One carry-on up to 18lbs

In general, it is better to take United’s version of the Basic Economy for European fare versus the partners.  Remember, if the flight has an United flight number but operated by a partner like Air Canada or Lufthansa, the Basic Economy rules of that carrier applies. If you fly on all United planes, the United version is actually reasonable for most travelers even for those with just a carry-on because of the advance seat assignment and normal size carry-on

Here are some practical travel tips to Iceland, another take on Iceland and The Westman Islands, Iceland.

Update 6/20/2018 @ 2:00PM Eastern – fare gone

Sample Travel Date:

• July 12th – 16th

• This is just ONE SAMPLE travel date, for more availability, please follow the “Fare Availability” and “How to Search for Availability” instructions below

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel from July – early October. Must purchase at least 21 days in advance of departure
  • Availability is best starting August.

• Please note that while this fare is valid at time of posting, if this post is more than two days old, the fare is likely gone.

How to Search for Availability:

• This is just to search for availability. To buy your tickets, scroll down to “How to Buy” section of this post

• Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and use the following search criteria:
  • Departing from: ZFV
  • Outbound Advanced Routing Code:
    • Textbox 1: ewr
    • Textbox 2: -overnight
  • Destination:  KEF
  • Return Advanced Routing Code: 
    • Textbox 1: ewr
    • Textbox 2: -overnight
  • (Click on Advanced Routing Codes link to enable advanced routing code input)
  • Select “See calendar of lowest fares”
  • Length of stay “3-10” (This is just a sample, you can use any 7 day date range like 3-10, 7-14 etc)
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

• The ITA search page should be like below when all values are inputted

 

• You cannot buy tickets using ITA. To buy, follow our instructions in the “How to Buy” section below.

Fare Class:

• S

Elite Qualifying Dollars:

• $130

Routing:

• ZFV – EWR (Newark) – KEF (Reykjavik) – EWR – ZFV
  • ZFV is the the airport code for Philadelphia 30th Street Amtrak Station. The ZFV – EWR // EWR – ZFV segment is operated by Amtrak.
  • A few things to remember about fares from ZFV from our reader Sean
    • You do NOT earn Premier Qualifying mileage on the ZFV-EWR and EWR-ZFV segments
    • You MUST take the train to start the reservation
    • In the case of a schedule change, you may be able to drop the ZFV-EWR segment. (Your Mileage May Vary)
    • You can only print out your Amtrak boarding pass the day the train departs from the departing terminal kiosk or ticket desk.
  • United travel vouchers cannot be combined or used with fares from ZFV.
  • Logistics of the train to plane transfer
    • From Newark:
      • Follow sign for AirTrain
      • Take AirTrain to Rail Link Stop (Past Terminal C and P4)
      • And exit using your Amtrak ticket. AirTrain fare is included
      • NJ Transit and Amtrak shares a platform, so look for the right departure platform
    • To Newark from Newark Amtrak Station:
      • The above reversed
  • Luggage do not check through – so you need to carry your luggage from Amtrak to United and recheck. Leave ample time for connection

Stopover:

• Not permitted
• How to Take Advantage of a Stopover

Global Premier Upgrade Fare (for United 1K and GS members):

• W Class
• $639

Mileage:

• Miles Flown: 5,328 miles or 4.2 cents per mile
• Elite Qualifying Miles: 5,180 miles
• Redeemable Miles: 650 miles

How to Buy:

• Support us by using our Orbitz link to book with dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search.
  • Select the $223 fare in the search results, you’ll be presented with the option to upgrade to a regular fare for $28 more (or $251 total roundtrip). The regular fare with checked luggage

 

Accommodations

• TripAdvisor - One of the leading hotel meta-search engines. Find the lowest hotel prices from 200+ sites.

Car Rentals

• Rental Cars - One of the world’s leading car rental agencies. Includes all the major brands like Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise etc.

Activities and Tours

• Viator – The world's largest marketplace for destination activities and tours

Background Information:

• Visa: US Citizens – Not required. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Icelandic Krona (ISK). $1USD = 109 ISK

Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:

• No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards to save on international purchases
• Don’t get hit with Dynamic Currency Conversion
• Get your taxes refunded when shopping
• How to Avoid International Data Roaming Charges

For more of the latest cheap Philadelphia Flight Deals:

• Go to the The Philadelphia Flight Deals page

* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Priceline, accommodation, car rental, activities, or travel insurance affiliate links to make a booking or apply and is approved for a credit card using our link above. Thank you for your continuing support.

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