keflavik airmail

KEF AIRMAIL MAGAZINECheck out our web magazine atwww.kefairport.is/airmail

www.kefairport.com • [email protected]

HV

ÍTA

HÚ

SIÐ

/SÍA

CHRISTMASTRADITIONSIN ICELAND

THE BOYSARE BACK

IN TOWN Meet Iceland’s Xmas clanand the very big Xmas cat

FEAST ON THE FESTIVITIES OF ICELANDEnjoy an Icelandic Christmas dinner

GIFTS FROMTHE NORTH

Pick up bargains for Xmas

BRIGHT LIGHTSAND COLD NIGHTS

Spend a wonderful Christmasin Reykjavík

REYKJAVÍKSKYLINE FIRES UPJoin the New Year Celebrations

NORTHERNLIGHTS GALOREThe Aurora peaks end of 2012

BEST AIRPORTIN EUROPE 2011KEF tops the annual ACI survey, again

210x297

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

KEF_airmail_issu5_210x297.pdf 3 11/9/12 11:01 AM


6 EvEnts to do and sEE

sEasons GrEEtinG from KEf

GUdnY JoHannsdottirBusiness Development Manager

We’re extremely pleased to announce that 2012 has been a successful and record-breaking year at Keflavik International Airport.

During the summer months of 2012, KEF saw a record-breaking increase in passenger traffic, which is still current-ly on the rise as the New Year begins.

In total, KEF saw a 9 percent increase in passenger traffic during its busiest months in 2012 than those of 2011. This trend continued to increase in Sep-tember, and we predict a 19.8 percent increase in passenger traffic by the end of 2012 – with a total of 2.4 million passengers predicted during the whole of 2012.

With this in mind, Isavia has comple-mented this passenger increase by upgrading the Leifur Eiríksson Air Ter-minal. Amongst the upgrades include its terminal waiting areas and access, and its automatic check-in service. Isavia continues to maximise efficiency of its facilities with new pre-boarding lounges and relocating various support functions.

In addition to this, I, on behalf of Isavia, took part in the World Route Develop-ment Strategy Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, between 30th September and 1st October; one of the most important industry events for aviation, tourism, and the route devel-opment community.

My colleagues and I attended the airport conference in order to discuss possible new airline routes for the air-port, as well as to promote new business incentives at KEF. Isavia is looking to expand the airport’s network with new routes and customers who contribute to passenger growth. In order to achieve this, the company offers customers in-centives including discounts on landing and passenger charges for new routes.

An airline that initiates a new route, which is not presently connected by regular flights from Keflavík Inter-

national Airport, will benefit from discounts on the Landing Charge and Passenger Charge. The proposed route is one that will increase the network coverage and passenger traffic volumes and is one that has a commercial benefit to KEF.

Isavia offers a passenger increase bonus to reward airlines contributing to passenger growth for KEF. The bonus is 800 ISK per departing international passenger during IATA Summer Season (excluding June, July, August) and 1600 ISK during the IATA Winter Season, based on the number of passengers for which passenger charge is payable. The company being invoiced passenger charges for the flight (aircraft owner, subsidiary aircraft operator) is the beneficiary for receiving the bonus.

Furthermore, Keflavík International Airport was voted as the best small airport in Europe for the 2011 season by the Airports Council International; the airport was awarded for the category of best airport for 2 million passengers or less, how-ever, KEF actually came out on top in terms of service, but since it was placed in the smaller airports category, was not able to come out on top overall.

As part of the survey, participants an-swered a number of questions about the quality of more than 36 service factors, such as its helpfulness and courtesy of staff, ease of flight connections, cleanli-ness, check-in times, and for the overall customer satisfaction.

On behalf of myself, and everyone at KEF, Happy Holidays! We look forward to seeing you in 2013.

Lighting of the Reykjavík Xmas Tree – On 2nd December, take part in a time-honoured tradition with the lighting of the Christmas tree at Austurvöllur Square in Reykjavik city centre. Fun for the kids, expect carol singing featuring an appearance by the cheeky Yule Lads.

Witness the fireworks at Hallgrim-skirkja – Here, you’ll get to see the night turn to day with thousands of fireworks blasting off all around - it is certainly the most impressive display of fireworks you will ever see.

New Year Bonfire at Ægissíða in Reykjavík – Another New Year’s Eve tradition, this time in Reykjavík’s Ves-turbæjar. Previously visited by Quentin Tarantino, this annual bonfire draws large crowds of people, whereby stories are shared and drinks are had.

Christmas Village in Hafnarfjörður – Just a short distance from Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður is a quaint town home to the popular Christmas Village. Every weekend in December until Christmas, the Christmas Village will be open of-fering a wide selection of gifts, Christ-

mas decorations and delicious foods.

Go Downtown on the 23rd – On the evening of 23rd December, locals flock to Downtown Reykjavík whereby they begin to celebrate the festivities, meet up with friends, and pick up any last minute goodies, as most stores stay open until late.

Harpa’s Icelandic Christmas Concert – Get all jolly with the Icelandic Christ-mas Concert in Harpa on 1st December. This concert is set to feature popular Icelandic Christmas songs by Iceland´s

www.kefairport.com • [email protected] www.kefairport.com • [email protected]

Santa Claus, Chris Cringle, Father Christmas are all synonymous with spreading joy and good will to all around this time of year - but not in Iceland; the country’s very own ver-sion of St. Nick couldn’t be far from it, and when we say Iceland’s own version, we mean thirteen of them!

According to Icelandic folklore, Ice-land’s Yule Lads are thirteen cheeky pranksters who start appearing thirteen days before Christmas and hang around for two weeks, each with their own special characteristics.

The Yule Lads are traditionally said to be the sons of the mountain-dwelling trolls Grýla and Leppalúði, who come once a year to cause a nuisance; steal food; harass livestock; and peep through windows, rather than bearing gifts. Who are they you ask? Let’s find out!

Sheep-Cote Clod – 12th December – He likes to steal sheep’s milk from straight from the source!

Gully Gawk – 13th December – Similar to Sheep-Cote Clod, he enjoys stealing cows’ milk.

Stubby – 14th December – This short-stuff likes to steal leftover food.

Spoon Licker – 15th December - He tends to sneak into houses and lick used wooden spoons after cooking.

Pot Scraper – 16th December - He waits to snatch any pots that haven’t been washed, and lick the food that remains there.

Bowl Licker – 17th December – He hides under the beds of Icelanders, and licks up the leftovers from un-cleaned bowls.

Door Slammer – 18th December – This little swine enjoys making a lot of noise by slamming doors, especially during the middle of the night.

Skyr Gobbler – 19th December - He likes to sneak about and eat any Skyr that’s lying around (Skyr is a popu-lar Icelandic dairy product similar to yogurt).

Sausage Swiper – 20th December - Sausage Swiper by name, Sausage Swiper by nature.

Window Peeper – 21st December - This Lad is not as greedy as some of his brothers, he just likes to peep through windows.

Door Sniffer – 22nd December – Rec-ognised by his huge hooter, he loves to sniff cakes and leaf bread (Icelandic flat cakes) during Xmas preparations, maybe stealing one or two.

Meat Hook – 23rd December – This meat lover arrives on St. Thorlák’s Day, where he uses cunning ways to nick smoked lamb and other Christmas meats.

Candle Beggar – 24th December - On Christmas Eve, Candle Beggar comes out to drink candles, which were, fun-nily enough, in the ol’ days made from animal fat - too much temptation for this cheeky lad.

tHE boYs arE bacK in town: mEEt icEland’s Xmas clan

Photo: Þorgeir Gunnarsson


Iceland is a nation rich in tradition and community spirit, with Xmas practices not too dissimilar to the UK or the U.S. But, of course, Icelanders wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t like to do things their own way.

In total, Icelanders celebrate 13 days of Christmas, starting on 24th Decem-ber and ending on 6th January, which is when all Christmas decorations are removed from the streets and houses.

On 23rd December, Icelanders celebrate Þorláksmessa (Mass of St. Thorlac), in celebration of Þorlákur Þórhallsson, bishop of Skálholt, who was appointed as the patron saint of Iceland in 1984, centuries after his death on 23rd De-cember 1193.

Now, Þorláksmessa has become a spe-cial part of the Christmas celebrations, whereby many people finish decorating their houses and Christmas trees, and

finish purchasing last minute Christ-mas presents. In western Iceland, it is customary to eat buried and fermented skate along with potatoes on Þorláks-messa. The ammonia-infused odor of fermented skate is quite strong, and can normally be smelt seeping from many neighbourhoods.

In contrast to most nations, Iceland celebrates Christmas on the evening of 24th December (6 p.m. to be exact), where the household festivities begin. Here, families get together, enjoy good food, dress up in their best clothes and spend time with each other.

After all the Christmas celebrations have resided, it’s only a few days before Iceland’s party spirit kicks back in until the New Year’s celebrations. But that’s a totally different story.

Gleðileg jól, everybody!

cHristmas traditionsin icEland

www.kefairport.com • [email protected] www.kefairport.com • [email protected]

Gifts from tHE nortH: PicK UP barGains for Xmas

It’s that time of year again where stress levels and credit card bills hit the roof. Luckily though, at KEF, travellers have the special opportu-nity to not only purchase duty-free items in departures but also in arriv-als too – one of only a few airports to do so in Europe.

Keflavik International Airport holds eighteen distinct duty-free shops in its impressive shopping zone. Popular brands, such as Burberry and Calvin Klein, can all be found at incredible prices, some even 50 percent lower than in the majority of retail stores in Reykjavík.

KEF’s duty free zone also specialises in selling and promoting Icelandic prod-ucts and design. Passengers can pickup a selection of traditional Icelandic delicacies, as well as handmade wool jumpers, scarves, and mittens.

Whist in the departures at the Leifur Eiríksson terminal, travellers can also enjoy a range of special Christmas cof-fee blends, Christmas beers, and snacks at the various cafés and food halls.

Additionally, it is now even possible to exchange tax refunds at the main duty-free shop, meaning that visitors can use their Iceland Refund cheques to purchase duty-free and tax-free goods without queuing for cash at the bank.

Iceland is almost unique in Western Europe for still being able to sell tax and duty-free products to both arriving and departing passengers. This allows arriving visitors to stock up on tobacco, liquor, cosmetics, electronic goods and other gift items.

In Reykjavík, Perlan – the large dome building sitting on top of Oskjuhlid hill over looking the city – provides an array of handcrafted gifts, Christmas tree decorations and the local favourite Icelandic folktale ‘Yule Lad’ statues based on Brain Pilkington’s drawings. In addition, The Little Christmas Shop, located on Reykjavik’s main shopping street, Laugavegur, houses a Varity of distinctive present ideas in close walk-ing distance to numerous cafes and bars.


Photo: Hörður Sveinsson

rEYKJavíK sKYlinE firEs UP: sEE in tHE nEw YEar witH a banGFor Icelanders, New Year’s Eve is a very big-affair, especially across Reykjavik. As the clock strikes mid-night, the skies becoming ablaze with fireworks, sparklers, and, of course, Joy!

New Year’s Eve is probably the big-gest party night of the whole year, and Fireworks are certainly the biggest commodities needed. Everyone buys fireworks, and on this night, everyone is allowed to light fireworks. Fireworks are lighted all night long, reaching the peak at midnight, when the sky lights up for a several minutes as the fire trucks and harbored ships ring their bells and blow their horns to welcome in the New Year.

Probably the most popular spot in Rey-kavík to see in the New Year is at the iconic Hallgrímskirkja church. Here,

you’ll get to see the night turn to day with thousands of fireworks blasting off all around - it is certainly the most impressive display of fireworks you will ever see.

After midnight, people gather in downtown Reykjavík to party the night away, often until the early hours of the morning – most bars offer drinks, and provide live music and DJs until at least 5 a.m.

Additionally, the annual Icelandic tele-vision comedy special Áramótaskaupi is an important part of the Icelandic New Year’s celebration. The programme focuses upon events, which took place throughout the recent year from a satirical standpoint, and shows little mercy towards its victims, especially politicians, artists, prominent business-people, and activists.

Fun fact – According to Icelandic folklore, on New Year’s Eve cows are meant to be able to talk, seals take on human form, the dead rise from their graves, and elves even move house!


Nothing brings people together more than food, especially during the fes-tive period. Icelanders have tradi-tional customary treats and dishes shared between family and friends.

In Iceland, it’s customary to eat Christ-mas dinner on Christmas Eve at roughly 6 p.m., however, dishes vary between families. The most common dish is Hamborgarhryggur, which is similar to gammon steak, glazed with honey and mustard.

Other common dishes are roasted game, such as reindeer, ptarmigan and smoked lamb (hangikjöt), and a great variety of steaks such as Duck. Turkey is also eaten by many on Christmas Day or at other occasions during the Christmas period.

Throughout Iceland, and it’s capital Reykjavik, numerous restaurants serve up traditional and non-traditional Christmas Buffets, to give visitors their very-own taste of an Icelandic Christmas. The buffet usually begins in mid-November and lasts throughout December.

Normally on an Icelandic Buffet table there are many different hot and cold courses to try from, including sliced lamb, roasted pork, smoked pork, sweet-ened potatoes, white sauce with pota-toes (icelandic style) and much more. Cold dishes include smoked salmon, marinated salmon, smoked lamb, her-ring, salted cod salad, and reindeer pate.

One notable Icelandic Christmas buffet is at Perlan, the iconic building on the Öskjuhlíð hill. The monument’s restau-rant holds a popular buffet with incred-ible views of the Reykjavik skyline. In fact, the restaurant’s top floor spins on low speed, allowing for an amazing 360-degree view of the city.

fEast on tHE fEstivitiEs of icEland: EnJoY an icElandic cHristmas dinnEr


KEf: votEd bEst small airPort in EUroPE for 2011

Óli Björn Hauksson, CEO of Isavia, the company that operates KEF, said, “We are extremely proud of these impres-sive results and the award confirms that staff members at KEF are world-class professionals. I would like to congratu-late them on their impressive perfor-mance.”

The ACI survey is published quarterly and annually with 186 major airports worldwide taking part, 54 of which are in Europe.

In addition to the latest victory, in 2009, KEF was ranked the best airport in Europe and came in second in the same category for 2010. Furthermore, the air-port was ranked third in terms of best airports in the world in 2004 to a group of airports with less than five million passengers a year.

According to an extensive airport service survey conducted by the Air-ports Council International, KEF has been voted as the best small airport in Europe for the 2011 season.

Keflavík International Airport was awarded for the category of best airport for 2 million passengers or less. The airport actually came out on top in terms of service, but since it was placed in the smaller airports category, was not able to come out on top overall.

As part of the survey, participants an-swered a number of questions about the quality of more than 36 service factors, such as its helpfulness and courtesy of staff, ease of flight connections, cleanli-ness, check-in times, and for the overall customer satisfaction.


briGHt liGHts and cold niGHts: sPEnd a wondErfUl cHristmas in rEYKJavíKSpending Christmas in Reykjavík is a wonderful experience filled with various family-orientated events leading up to and during the festive period.

Celebrate the beginning of Advent and take part in a time-honoured Rey-kjavík tradition with the lighting of the Christmas tree at Austurvöllur Square in Reykjavik City centre.

Every year since 1952, the City of Oslo, Norway, has presented Reykjavik City with a huge Christmas tree for the festive period. The tree will be ceremo-niously lit this year on 2nd December where families can gathering and sing Christmas carols and join-in the festivi-ties - decorated in white light, the tree has become an iconic Reykjavík Christ-mas image.

The Christmas market on Ingólfstorg Square in the heart of Reykjavík City centre is a great place to pick up some authentic and unique giftware from some of Iceland’s finest designers and handicraft masters. Iceland’s Christmas creatures, singers, and instrumental-ists will be frequently visible as well as poets, writers, comedians and artists.

On the evening of 23rd December, locals flock Downtown Reykjavík whereby they begin to celebrate the festivities, meet up with friends, and pick up any last minute goodies, as most stores stay open late.

For the whole family, why not visit the animals in the Reykjavik Family Park

and Zoo, ice-skate around a decorated Christmas tree or talk a nice walk around the Botanic Garden.

The Reykjavik Botanic Garden is a quaint area with beautiful arboretum, ponds, and birdlife. Christmas is widely celebrated at the gardens, where home made hot chocolate, mulled wine, roasted almonds, and open sandwiches are all served.

Experience Christmas like it was in the good ol’ days at the Christmas Exhibi-tion at Árbæjarsafn, a museum/settle-ment dedicated to the interest, un-derstanding, and respect for the city’s cultural heritage.

From house to house, witness the Christmas preparations of olden times where traditional leafbread is cut into decorative patterns before being fried, wool is spun and knitted, hangikjöt (smoked lamb) is being cooked, and pungent skate is bubbling in the pan.

Nestling in the heart of Hafnarfjörður town, the Christmas Village offers a special opportunity to enjoy the festive season. Hafnarfjörður, just a short distance from the capital, is a pictur-esque town set in the lava landscape, with its own relaxed atmosphere. Every weekend in December until Christmas, the Christmas Village in Hafnarfjörður will be open, offering a wide selection of gifts, Christmas decorations and deli-cious foods.


Mother Nature’s greatest show on Earth, the Northern Lights, is set to reach an all time high in activity for this decade by the end of 2012.

NASA researchers have stated that recent coronal mass ejections from the sun are causing supercharged North-ern Lights displays, which are amazing stargazers in Iceland and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere.

Over the past few months, the sun unleashed a coronal mass ejection (CME), sending a huge cloud of charged particles streaking into space at more than 3.2 million mph (5.1 million kph). Once these CME particles collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, these charged particles generate the glowing lights of the Aurora.

The sun’s activity has increased sig-nificantly, producing a greater amount of flares and CMEs, and researchers predict more activity as 2012 becomes 2013.

The natural light displays of the Aurora Borealis occur most frequently in the Arctic Circle, centred within a 2500 km radius of the geomagnetic pole. As Iceland is on the cusp of the circle, the Island in the North Atlantic provides the perfect viewing location for the Aurora Borealis.

Passengers arriving and passing through Keflavík International Air-port have a good chance of catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights due to the airport’s prime position away from the city lights, providing clearer views of the breathtaking Aurora.

nortHErn liGHts GalorE: tHE aUrora PEaKs End of 2012

www.kefairport.com • [email protected] • [email protected]

KEFLAVIK AIRPORT HAS AGAIN BEEN VOTED THE BEST AIRPORT IN EUROPE 2011 BY ACI SURVEY PARTICIPANTS The Airports Council International survey is published quarterly and annually with 186 major airports worldwide taking part, 54 of which are in Europe. Survey participants answer a number of questions about the quality of more than 36 service factors. This is the second time that KEF has received this prestigious award. We are very pleased with the results, but first and foremost, we are proud of all the wonderful staff members at KEF that have worked hard to achieve this title. This would not have been possible without cooperation, ambition and good morale. We would like to thank everyone who participated in the survey.

HV

ÍTA

HÚ

SIÐ

/SÍA
