Icelandair Flight Change Policy 2026: Fees, Cancellation and Refunds

Last reviewed 2 October 2026 against Icelandair's published fare rules and fee list.

Reviewed by Jack Martin, Senior Specialist at AirFiesta. About AirFiesta

The Icelandair flight change policy depends on your fare. Economy Light cannot be changed, Economy Standard can be changed for a fee charged per ticket, and Economy Flex and Saga Premium Flex have no change fee. A fare difference can apply on top, and you cannot move to a cheaper fare. Changes must be made before the originally scheduled departure. Icelandair's name change rules are strict: only legal name changes are allowed.

Booked with another agency or site? Icelandair says to contact them, since they issued your ticket.

Icelandair change policy by fare type

This Icelandair change flight policy summary starts with the fare types. Icelandair sells Economy and Saga Premium fares, each with a light, standard or flex version, and your fare type decides what a change costs. It is printed on your booking confirmation. From the tightest to the most flexible:

1. Economy Light
   Changes not allowed and non-refundable. A round-trip Light fare can be used as a one-way for the return flight only, for a conversion fee.

2. Economy Standard
   Changes allowed for a change fee plus any fare difference. Non-refundable.

3. Saga Premium
   Changes allowed for a higher change fee. Non-refundable.

4. Economy Flex
   Changes without a change fee, a fare difference may apply. Refundable.

5. Saga Premium Flex
   No change fee and refundable, with seat selection included.

All changes are subject to availability and must be made before departure of the originally scheduled flight. Fees can vary, so Icelandair's current price list on the day you change is the one that counts.

Icelandair change fee: Economy Standard

The Icelandair flight change fee for Economy Standard, also searched as the Icelandair change flight fee, is charged per ticket, not per flight, and depends on the country where your journey with Icelandair begins. The fee is converted using the exchange rate of the currency at the point of departure of your first flight.

If your ticket combines a domestic flight in Iceland and an international flight and you change both, the international fee applies. If you change only the domestic flight, the domestic fee applies.

Saga Premium change fee

Saga Premium costs more to change than Economy Standard. These are Icelandair's listed fees by route.

Economy Flex and Saga Premium Flex have no change fee. If a booking mixes fares, such as Economy Standard one way and Saga Premium the other, the fee of the relevant fare applies when you change one flight, and the higher fee applies when you change both.

Icelandair Economy Light change fee

There is no Icelandair Economy Light change fee, because changes are not allowed on this fare. The ticket cannot be moved to another date or time. Icelandair does allow a round-trip Light fare to be used as a one-way for the return flight only, and that conversion carries a fee and any fare difference. Icelandair lists the conversion fee at the same level as the Economy Standard fee on most routes, for example USD 250 or CAD 250 between North America and Europe or Iceland. The request has to reach the service center at least three hours before the first flight on the ticket departs.

Because Light fares are also non-refundable, a change of plan can mean buying a new ticket. If you are not sure about your dates, compare the price gap to Standard or Flex before you book.

Change fee, fare difference and rebooking fee

A change can have up to three costs. The change fee is the fixed per-ticket charge for your fare. The fare difference is the amount by which the new fare exceeds your current one: Icelandair reprices your ticket at the lowest available fare when you change, and that fare must be at least the same as your current fare, so you cannot move to a cheaper flight. You can accept the new price or keep the booking as planned. Finally, Flex tickets changed after the original flight time carry a no-show fee.

Icelandair does not list a separate rebooking fee. When travellers ask about a rebooking fee, what they pay is the change fee for their fare plus any fare difference.

Which Icelandair fare suits changing plans?

If you are sure of your dates, Light is the cheapest. If you may change once, compare the Standard change fee, USD 250 from the USA for example, with the cost of upgrading to Flex. If you may change more than once, Flex usually wins, because it has no change fee at all. Flex also makes the ticket refundable, which Light and Standard are not.

Cancellation protection is a separate option sold at booking. It repays the part of your fare that cannot be repaid in any other way if you cannot travel, subject to its conditions, and costs per person EUR 29, ISK 4,200 or USD 34 between Iceland and Europe on Economy.

How to change your Icelandair flight or booking online

Using Icelandair Manage Booking

1. Open Manage Booking on icelandair.com.
2. Enter your booking reference and last name.
3. Select the change option and choose your new flights or date.
4. Review the change fee and fare difference, pay, and keep the updated itinerary.

People search for manage booking Icelandair or Iceland Air manage booking; both mean the Manage Booking page on icelandair.com. For a package or tour, contact Icelandair Holidays instead.

If you booked with AirFiesta

1. Use the contact options at the bottom of the page, or email support@airfiesta.com with your AirFiesta booking reference.
2. We read your fare rules and send you the options, listing Icelandair's fee, any fare difference and our US$10 per passenger service fee separately.
3. You approve, we make the change with Icelandair, and your new itinerary arrives by email.

Change booking, change reservation or change ticket: same thing

Travellers describe the same task in different ways: an Icelandair change booking request, an Icelandair change reservation request, an Icelandair change ticket request or an Icelandair ticket change. Icelandair treats them all as one thing, a change to the flights on your ticket, and the fare rules above set the cost. If you want to change booking Icelandair is the airline to ask when you booked directly, and your agency when you did not.

An Icelandair modify booking request covers flights, dates and times, whereas an Icelandair modify flight request that touches the passenger name is refused, because names cannot be changed. The Icelandair rebook flight process is simply a change with the same fee, and Icelandair does not charge a separate fee for the word rebooking.

Reschedule an Icelandair flight and the change date policy

To reschedule an Icelandair flight, you change its date or time, which counts as a change under your fare. An Icelandair reschedule flight request and an Icelandair change flight date request are handled the same way. On every fare except Economy Light you can move to another date before the originally scheduled departure, subject to availability. The price is the fare difference plus the change fee, if your fare has one. Changing the date for the whole trip costs the same single per-ticket fee, whereas a mixed-fare booking uses the higher fee if both flights change.

To rebook an Icelandair flight at the last minute, check availability first, because a seat on your preferred flight may no longer be sold at your fare. Changes made close to departure are more likely to carry a larger fare difference.

Change seats on Icelandair

Whether you can choose or change your seat for free depends on your fare, not on the booking itself. An Icelandair change seat request follows the same fare rules as any other seat choice:

• Economy Light and Saga Premium: no free seat choice; a seat is assigned free at check-in, and you can pay to choose any seat.
• Economy Standard: the rear area is included, while the front and centre areas are paid.
• Economy Flex: all three cabin areas are included.
• Saga Premium Flex: seat selection is included.

You can also pay for More Legroom seats on North American and European flights. After you change flights, check your seat again, since a new flight can mean a new choice.

Icelandair change name on ticket: name change policy and name correction

Icelandair does not allow a ticket to be passed from one traveller to another, and it does not allow the name to be swapped for a different person. The only exceptions are legal name changes, such as a gender reassignment or a change of name through marriage. Match the passport exactly, without nicknames or short forms.

If a name is simply spelled wrong, Icelandair can correct it through its service center, so ask as soon as you notice the mistake. If the traveller changes, you generally need a new booking and may cancel the old one under your fare's rules.

Icelandair cancellation policy and refunds

Refunds by fare

Economy Light, Economy Standard and Saga Premium are non-refundable, although unused government and airport taxes are refundable. Economy Flex and Saga Premium Flex are refundable, and for a partly used ticket Icelandair refunds the fare paid less the one-way fare for the part already flown. Booking fees are not refundable, and a no-show fee may apply.

The 24-hour cancellation rule

If you book through Icelandair's own booking channels, you can cancel without penalty and receive a refund when the reservation was made more than 2 days before departure and is cancelled within 24 hours of purchase. The whole booking must be cancelled, the refund excludes any ticketing fee, and group bookings of 10 or more are not covered. For a booking made with AirFiesta, contact us immediately.

Cancelling a booking made with an agency

Icelandair says that if you booked through an agency or an online travel agency, all changes, cancellations and refund requests must be handled directly with that company. That is why bookings made with AirFiesta are cancelled through us.

Icelandair no-show policy

On Economy Light and Standard, a no-show ticket is not valid for later use or refund, and if you miss a flight without telling Icelandair first, the remaining return and onward reservations are cancelled automatically. Flights on a ticket must be used in order. On Flex fares, changes or cancellations must be made before the original departure time, but you can still change a no-show ticket within 72 hours after the flight time. The Flex no-show fee is ISK 25,000, EUR 250, GBP 200, USD 300 or CAD 300 on flights between Iceland, Europe and North America, and ISK 8,000 within Iceland, plus any fare difference.

Icelandair schedule change policy and flight cancellations

If Icelandair changes your schedule and the delay is at least 5 hours from the original time, and you cannot accept the change, you are entitled to a refund under its refund terms. For smaller changes, ask Icelandair or your agency about your options before you accept a new itinerary.

The Icelandair flight cancellation policy for flights that Icelandair itself cancels is different from the rules for your own cancellation. When Icelandair cancels a flight, you may be entitled to rerouting or reimbursement, and to care such as meals, and accommodation and transport if you cannot be rebooked the same day. Passengers arrange care and claim it back at the end of the journey through Icelandair's claims portal. Compensation depends on the distance of the flight and the rebooking options offered.

EU regulation 261/2004 applies to journeys to the EU, Norway, Switzerland or Iceland on an airline based there, and to flights departing from those countries. A journey that starts and ends outside that area, for example from the USA to Greenland through Iceland, is not covered. For delays, Icelandair lists EUR 250 for a delay of 3 hours or more, with the amount depending on the distance of the flight.

Common mistakes with Icelandair changes

1. Expecting to change Economy Light. It cannot be changed.
2. Forgetting the fare difference. It is added to the change fee and cannot be reduced by moving to a cheaper fare.
3. Waiting until after departure. Changes must be made before the originally scheduled departure.
4. Trying to rename a passenger. Only legal name changes are accepted.
5. Relying on old COVID-era advice. The fare rules I checked list no COVID-specific waivers.

Related guides: Qatar Airways flight change policy, Aer Lingus flight change policy, Norse Atlantic flight change policy.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Icelandair: optional services and fees
• Icelandair: Economy Light fare rules
• Icelandair: Economy Standard fare rules
• Icelandair: Economy Flex fare rules
• Icelandair: refunds and cancellation
• Icelandair: flight cancellation and passenger rights
• Icelandair: flight delay and passenger rights