Northern lights shine on Icelandair plane

It's a treat to witness the astronomical phenomenon known as the aurora borealis, or northern lights, but you have to travel to the right part of the world at the right time to see it.

And even then, it's not a sure thing

But passengers who fly on Icelandair's new aurora borealis-themed plane are promised a northern lights experience every time.

As part of a marketing campaign to remind travelers heading to Europe that Icelandair offers passengers a free stopover of up to seven nights in Iceland, the plane has been given a colorful aurora borealis-like livery and the plane's main cabin has been fitted with LED mood lighting offering a northern lights-like show.

Here's a "making of" video that shows artists transforming the plane:

The plane has also been renamed the Hekla Aurora. Hekla is a traditional Icelandic girl's name and the name of a volcano, while Aurora references the northern lights, the airline explained in a release.

Hekla Aurora started flying last week and its schedule over the next few days includes stops in Reykjavik, Amsterdam, Seattle and London. No schedule beyond that has been released, but the airline plans to keep the livery on the plane for an indefinite time.

Icelandair currently flies to Iceland from 10 cities in the United States, including Boston, New York-JFK, Washington, D.C., Seattle and Denver, with seasonal service from Newark, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando, Portland and Anchorage.

Harriet Baskas is a Seattle-based airports and aviation writer and USA TODAY Travel's "At the Airport" columnist. She occasionally contributes to Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog.