The Air Up There

Is Greenland the summer’s stealth travel destination?

May 11, 2007—Itching to hop a flight to Greenland but reluctant to deal with the layover? Yeah, neither were we, but it turns out there's never been a better time to pay the area a visit. For one thing, the country's breathtaking glaciers aren't getting any bigger. For another, Air Greenland is about to launch nonstop service to the United States. Starting May 24, the airline will run 757s from the East Coast to Greenland's Kangerlussuaq airport twice a week. The trip takes five hours (during which you're shown nature docs about Greenland to get you pumped for the adventure ahead), and can be combined with one of the airline's 30 domestic routes on airline-run expedition packages. Our recommendation: Hop a short flight to Ilulissat, home of the Hotel Arctic on the Disko Bay. In addition to 66 well-appointed rooms, the property boasts five insulated "modern igloos" with views of the (for now) largest icebergs in the Northern Hemisphere. And who knows, the expected influx of thrill-seekers could even help transform the destination into another Reykjavík. Which, when you think of it, might just be the best reason yet to get there now.

Flights from Baltimore Washington International to Kangerlussuaq, from $1,100 to $2,600, start May 24, Air Greenland, 011-299-34-34 -34, airgreenland.com; Hotel Arctic, Box 1501 DK-3952 Ilulissat, Greenland, 011-299-94-41-53, greenland-guide.gl/hotel-arctic/; rooms from $185 per night.