Low-cost carriers Ryanair and Wizzair already removed the included overhead cabin bag from their fares in 2018, and now Norwegian is doing the same: For all bookings from January 23rd onward, their lowest fare LowFare will only include a personal item (38 x 30 x 20 cm), that has to be stowed under the seat. The overhead cabin bag, that had been included until now, has been removed.
If you still want to travel with a personal item and a trolley (55 x 40 x 23 cm), you’ll have to pay a surcharge of roughly €5 to €10 in each direction – even on long-haul flights!
This change only affects the lowest fare LowFare. The LowFare+ (with checked baggage & seat reservation) and Flex (refundable, Fast Track, …) fares still allow you to bring one small and one large carry-on.
Bookings that were made before January 23rd are not affected by the change.
The combined weight of your carry-on is limited to a maximum of 10 kg, but you’ll be granted 15 kg now in the Flex-fare. Until now, Norwegian has been checking the carry-on weight quite vigorously. The following table will give you an overview of Norwegian’s three fares:
Surcharge for Carry-On Makes the Flights More Expensive
The prices of the Norwegian flights that we’ve checked have remained unchanged. Just as with Ryanair and Wizzair, this is simply a move to make the prices increase without the customers noticing it right away. People see low prices when using search engines – but if a small backpack isn’t enough for them, they’ll end up having to pay extra.
Luckily, this has not yet happened often for long-haul flights. After the Wow-Air bankruptcy, Norwegian has remained as the only airline (that we know of) that charges you for taking a carry-on on a transatlantic flight. At least the prices are quite fair: e.g. for a London – New York flight, you’d be paying €9 in each direction.
The problem: Just like other low-cost carriers, Norwegian will probably also end up raising the surcharge. Wizzair, for instance, is already charging €30 in each direction for Wizz Priority – which includes nothing more than one big carry-on. That often leads to the flight’s prices doubling.
Checked Baggage has Also Been Changed
There has also been a change concerning Norwegian’s checked baggage – this one, for once, being positive. Instead of 20 kg, your luggage is now allowed to weigh 23 kg. Apparently this also applies to previous bookings.
Source: Fly4free
Cover Picture: © David Peacock