Icelandair Bets on St. Louis
Icelandair adds St. Louis as its 16th US city from 14 May 2027, giving a mid-sized Midwest market a one-stop path to Europe and a free Iceland stopover.
Icelandair is pushing deeper into secondary US markets. The airline will fly nonstop between St. Louis Lambert International Airport and Reykjavík-Keflavík from 14 May 2027, up to four times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) through 24 October 2027, according to the airport. Icelandair‘s website lists St. Louis as its 16th US destination, St. Louis Public Radio reports.
For the airline, it is a familiar model: a narrowbody link from a mid-sized city that feeds its Keflavík hub and onward European network. The airport says the route will use the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Icelandair is also expanding its partnership with Southwest Airlines, the largest carrier at Lambert, to connect North American travellers through St. Louis to Iceland and Europe.
Why St. Louis
The announcement makes St. Louis a three-gateway transatlantic airport. British Airways flies daily to London and Lufthansa five times a week to Germany, St. Louis Public Radio notes. Lambert last had an Iceland link through WOW Air, which collapsed in 2019.
“St. Louis has long been known as the gateway to the West,” Icelandair chief commercial officer Tómas Ingason said at the announcement. “Starting next May, it also becomes the gateway to Iceland and onward to Europe.”
Local tourism officials are selling it as inbound capacity too. Brad Dean, president and CEO of Explore St. Louis, cited Amadeus data showing hotel bookings in St. Louis and St. Louis County up 12% over the past year, and said the organization plans to advertise the new flight in the US and abroad.
The business read
A four-times-weekly summer schedule is a test, not a commitment: the season ends in late October, and how it performs against BA’s daily Heathrow service will decide whether it returns for 2028 or grows.
For advisors
- Who to pitch: Midwest clients in Missouri, southern Illinois and beyond who would otherwise connect through Chicago, Atlanta or Dallas for Europe.
- Sell the stopover. Every Europe booking routes through Keflavík, so a stop in Iceland turns the trip into a two-destination itinerary with Iceland hotels and touring to book; check Icelandair’s current stopover terms when quoting.
- Book the shoulders. May, September and October departures pair well with Iceland’s quieter months and northern lights from late in the season.
- Watch for: the published flight times, which decide how cleanly St. Louis connects to Icelandair’s European banks at Keflavík.
Sources
Jeff Cameron is a chief operating officer who writes about the business of travel: operations, pricing, loyalty and the decisions behind the trips, seen through an executive lens.