Icelandair Stopover Pass: A boarding pass that thinks it’s a gig ticket

To celebrate their 80th anniversary, Icelandair has launched a new free service: the Icelandair Stopover Pass on their London to New York via Iceland route. This service transforms the boarding pass into a ticket to enjoy live entertainment while in the air with opportunities to experience gigs, backstage passes to music festivals and even the odd football match during a stopover.

Why are Icelandair offering so much entertainment?

A new trend report asserts that fliers consider long flights as wasted time. A global study of 9,000 air passengers revealed that one third would be more likely to choose an airline which offered free live entertainment as part of their in-flight programme.

In response, Icelandair has curated a series of performances given by airline staff who underwent stage school training to enhance customer service. Staff were immersed into theatre techniques to add to their repertoire of skills, improving anything from boosting the mood to active listening, thinking on their feet, calming restless children and reassuring scared passengers.

Onboard, a three-act show aims to transport passengers from 1937 right through to the future, all on one transatlantic flight from London to New York via Iceland.

Research findings also revealed 52 per cent of fliers end up bored whilst on a flight and almost four in ten view the time in the air as wasted time. A staggering 78 per cent of fliers admit the people on their plane with them, such as cabin crew, can make or break a journey. Four in ten even said a cabin crew member has gone out of their way to entertain them on a flight, by doing things such as telling jokes, amusing children and even teaching them some of the local language of their destination and they crave more of this.

Birkir Hólm Guðnason, CEO at Icelandair, comments:

In our 80th anniversary month we’re proud to introduce our free performance series, Icelandair Stopover Pass. The research findings show there is an opportunity for us to transform wasted time into time well travelled. We’ve always put customer service at our heart, and now we’re looking to pioneer a new service to delight and entertain our customers, starring our talented staff.

Some passengers will be accompanied to these events by a Stopover Buddy. The Buddies are employees who have excellent local knowledge and will provide an authentic experience for passengers.

These include exclusive access to a live lounge session in the airport, a seat at the chef’s table as part of Iceland’s Food & Fun festival, backstage passes to meet an Icelandic band before they go on stage.

This service runs till March 2018.

More information: Icelandair.co.uk/stopover-pass.