Before Icelandair sent its 737 MAXs to seemingly everywhere that would accommodate them, there was - and still is - the 757. Icelandair has operated 32 of Boeing’s iconic narrowbody twinjet over the years, now down to 10 as it replaces the type with the A321LR and XLR. Once German carrier Condor retires their last 2 757-300s in November, Icelandair will be the last major European operator of the Atari Ferrari. With Portland as one of an ever-decreasing number of FI 757 destinations, a trip on its seasonal route from the city to Iceland was a must-do.
Server: Solo
Airline: Icelandair
Aircraft: Boeing 757-200
Origin: Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon (PDX)
Destination: Keflavík International Airport, Suðurnesjabær, Iceland (KEF)
Flight Number: FI664
Route: KPDX-BIKF
Seat: 6F (Saga Premium)
Time En Route: 7 Hours 21 Minutes
Boarding at Gate D10 on a partly cloudy afternoon in Portland. Our aircraft today is a 27.9-year-old 757-200 registered as TF-FIN and named Eldborg after the iconic, perfectly circular volcanic crater. Iceland isn’t the Land of Ice and Fire for nothing.
Pushing back from the D Gates. The construction equipment is from a comprehensive overhaul project that just wrapped up within the past month, making PDX easily the best airport in the Pacific Northwest in terms of its interior (plants, plants as far as the eye can see) and convenience (best one I’ve been through in an airport of that size).
Single-engine taxi past the 123rd Fighter Squadron’s alert barns and the Eagle nest. When they scramble, everything else comes to a stop as the deadliest fighter aircraft ever built (104:0) roar out in full burner and often pitch straight up for an unrestricted climb. Quite a spectacle to see, I’ve been told.
Even though we’re not an Eagle, we’re able to do a rocket-like takeoff of our own, owing to the Pencil’s absurdly high thrust-to-weight ratio for its class. An A321LR or XLR with a similar load would likely ony have just slipped the surlies where we are and would take until the end of the runway to retract the gear. Another reason we’ll be missing the 757 in FI colors!
Climbout along the Columbia River to our initial cruising altitude at FL330 and a northeast turn near a quiet Mount Hood
Several hours later, we’ve ascended to 35,000 feet and we’re crossing Hudson Bay near the Canadian Arctic. We’re tucked in under a blanket provided to Saga Premium passengers for evening flights after a very good meal. So far, it’s been great up here, even though the cabin is noticeably louder than the 737 MAX we took to Minneapolis back in June. Still, flying on a 757 is increasingly becoming a rare treat, and we’re definitely savoring this one!
Pre-dawn light making the cirrostratus clouds glow pink as we descend over the Denmark Strait
Landing at Reykjavík and the reversers have gone to work, slowing us down extremely rapidly
Deplaned at the main terminal. Even though they’re definitely showing their age in some areas, Icelandair’s 757s definitely still have it, and if fuel costs weren’t a problem and the RB.211 was a tad bit more efficient, they’d probably stick around until 2030.