Norse Atlantic Airways is the next contestant in the bankruptcy-riddled North Atlantic low-cost-carrier market. The airline is basically the successor of Norwegian Air Shuttle’s long-haul division, one of many failed attempts to establish an LCC presence on long-haul routes between Europe and America. On August 12, the carrier celebrated its inaugural flight between New York‘s JFK airport and London-Gatwick.
Please note that Norse’s currency exchange rate is quite high. We advise you to pay in USD. You can change the currency in the top right corner of the website. For the premium economy fare, you would pay around €35 more should you pay in EUR, depending on your bank’s currency exchange rate.
The positive side of such airlines is the possibility to book cheap one-way fares. Such an example is tickets starting at US$158 (~€148) for the eastbound oneway. Premium economy fares start at US$341 (~€320), which includes a carry-on bag and a checked bag.
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price. It will forward you to Norse with your preselected flight dates. For premium economy availability, you can check the calendar on Norse’s website. If you’re willing to take risks to save a few bucks, you can also pay USD144 by booking through Momondo.
The airline uses ex-Norwegian Boeing 787-9 aircraft on the route, with a 3-3-3 configuration in economy. In premium economy, the seating is 2-3-2 with a pretty good recline.
Search & Book
It seems like these fares are part of Norse’s sale which runs until February 22, 2023 for flights between March 2 and June 14.
You can use our availability calendar above which will forward you to Norse’s website. Their website also has its own price calendar which shows you both economy and premium economy fares. It is also possible to book these flights on Momondo for US$144 (~€135).
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Bags, Food & Mileage
Norse Atlantic Airlines does not offer a frequent flyer program. Further, the airline is not affiliated with other airlines’ programs. You will earn zero miles in any case.
They are also a low-cost airline, which can come with serious setbacks. While travellers got used to no allowed checked bags and paid seat selection on Transatlantic flights, we are pretty much used to a carry-on bag, an okay meal and a satisfactory pre-landing snack. Unfortunately, Norse offers none of them: as a low-cost airline, you will only be able to bring a small backpack and you have to pay US$30 (~€28) for a main meal and a whopping US$20 (~€19) for a pre-landing snack.
In true ULCC fashion, the prices can get pretty confusing upon adding extras. It is possible that it would have been cheaper to select the more expensive fare. Here are some of the add-on prices and fares:
Cover Picture: © Norse Atlantic