New Route of the Day – Americas (21 May 2026): United Airlines between Washington IAD and Reykjavik

United Airlines commenced seasonal flights between Washington IAD and Reykjavik on Thursday 21 May. The 4,505-kilometre service will be maintained daily with the 176-seat 757-200 aircraft. The carrier will compete against 10-weekly Icelandair flights.

Flight UA398 departs Washington IAD at 22:35 local time, arriving in Reykjavik at 08:30 local time the following morning. The return service, operating as flight UA399, takes off at 11:30 local time, touching back down in the US capital at 13:55 local time.

Operations will be maintained until 22 September.

What they said

Amit Badiani, Head of Sales for Africa and offline Europe at United Airlines, said: “We are extremely excited to launch our first flights between Keflavik and Washington D.C., further underscoring Iceland’s importance within United’s international network. In summer 2026, our customers in Iceland will benefit from even greater travel options and seamless connections to more than 50 destinations across the Americas through our Washington D.C. hub. At the same time, US travellers will have more opportunities to visit Iceland and experience the country’s natural beauty, including the Blue Lagoon, the midnight sun, black sand beaches and more.”

Gretar Mar Gardarsson, Director – Airlines & Marketing at Keflavík Airport, added: “We at Keflavík Airport are very pleased with United Airlines’ decision to add a new destination from KEF. Our partnership with United has been highly successful since the airline began flying here in 2018, and we welcome the expansion of its schedule. This move further demonstrates the airline’s confidence in Iceland as a destination. We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with United Airlines even further.”

Four carriers serve US – Iceland market

United Airlines began service between New York EWR and Reykjavik in May 2018 and added Chicago ORD as a destination in July 2021. Washington IAD becomes the airline’s third US destination from Iceland.

During the peak of the 2026 summer season, Reykjavik will boast 187-weekly flights to the US, offering 33,263 seats per week in each direction. Icelandair is by far the largest carrier by available seat capacity, with a share of 72.3% of the market. It is followed by Delta Air Lines, United and new entrant Alaska Airlines, which launches flights from Seattle on 28 May.