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Given the long distances involved in reaching Iceland, flying is by far the quickest and cheapest option. Iceland's newly revamped and extended international airport, Keflavík, is where all planes from the US and most from the rest of Europe land. Between May and September it's also possible to reach Iceland by sea onboard the new Faroese superferry Norröna, which performs a once-weekly circuit of the North Atlantic calling at Lerwick in Shetland for UK connections.
Since there are neither direct air nor ferry links between Ireland and Iceland, all routes from Belfast and Dublin to Reykjavík lead first to London or Glasgow. Flights from Australia and NewZealand also go via London. There are direct flights from the US but travellers coming from Canada will need to go via the US.
Airfares always depend on the season, with the highest being around June to August, when the weather is best; fares drop during the "shoulder" seasons – September to November and April to June – and you'll get the best prices during the low season, November to March (excluding Christmas and New Year when prices are hiked up and seats are at a premium).
You can often cut costs by going through a specialist flight agent – either a consolidator, who buys up blocks of tickets from the airlines and sells them at a discount, or a discount agent, who in addition to dealing with discounted flights may also offer special student and youth fares and a range of other travel-related services such as travel insurance, rail passes, car rentals, tours and the like.
If Iceland is only one stop on a longer journey, you might want to consider buying a Round-the-World (RTW) ticket. Some travel agents can sell you an "off-the-shelf" RTW ticket that will have you touching down in about half a dozen cities; others will have to assemble one for you, which can be tailored to your needs but is apt to be more expensive.
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