One of the world’s coldest spots just made a bet on hot Miami. Airport adds new flights

Make way for the real snowbirds coming to South Florida.

Iceland, where temperatures hover in the 50s — in the summer — is the newest place drawn to the 305.

Icelandair, the flagship carrier of the country with just 394,000 people, will start operating three flights a week from Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik to Miami International Airport. The airline will fly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

“Florida is a popular winter destination for Icelanders,” the company said in a Jan. 30 statement. For decades, Iceland Air has offered non-stop flights to Orlando.

Here are details of the new Miami connection:

When do the new flights start?

The service starts Oct. 25 and will run until the end of March 2026. It’s the only way to travel non-stop between Reykjavik and Miami.

What type of plane?

Icelandair will fly a new Airbus A321LR aircraft. In December, the carrier obtained its first plane from Airbus in its 87-year history. The plane seats 187 passengers, 22 in Saga Premium and 165 in Economy.

How long is the flight?

Flight time is just under eight hours. That is shorter than flights from Miami to Buenos Aires or to São Paulo.

How much is the fare?

Icelandair is offering an approximate initial fare of $549.

Where else does Icelandair fly?

The new flights mark Icelandair’s 19th destination in North America. They include Nashville, Denver, Portland and Raleigh-Durham. Worldwide, the airline flies to over 60 locales. For South Florida travelers, you can spend up to seven days in Iceland before connecting elsewhere for no additional fee.

Are there partnerships with other carriers?

The service to MIA comes on the heels of a partnership Icelandair signed with Southwest earlier in January. Travelers can fly from Iceland to Baltimore, Nashville or Denver and then connect on Southwest. Or vice versa.

It already has miles-sharing agreements with JetBlue and Alaska Airlines.

Icelandair will also start a code-sharing agreement with Air Greenland by the middle of 2025. Members of the new Trump administration or some of his supporters may find that useful.

Is this the first Miami-Iceland flight connection?

There has been a prior attempt to connect Iceland and South Florida. Another airline from Iceland, WOW Air, flew between 2012 and 2019 before being forced to shut down. It had flights to MIA and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

What about the airline?

Icelandair, founded in 1937, incurred a net financial loss of $20 million in 2024, a worsening from the $11 million profit it posted in 2023.

But the airline saw some improvement the last three months of last year. Over the full 2024, it transported 4.7 million passengers, a record and 9% more than in 2023.

What is Iceland known for besides the cold?

Iceland, near the Arctic Circle, is known for the northern lights, steaming geysers and observing whales.

But in 2018, Iceland stunned the world, qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia for the first time. Then it tied Lionel Messi-led Argentina 1-1 in group play. It was the tiniest nation to ever play in the quadrennial tournament. The United States didn’t even qualify.

Iceland’s national team then played a friendly at Fort Lauderdale against Guatemala in 2024, the first European men’s team to play at the Broward stadium, temporary home of Inter Miami.

Farther north, Iceland-native Dagur Dan Thorhallsson plays for Orlando City.

And the country is still in the running to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will have matches held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.