Norse Atlantic Airways is proceeding with its planned network launch, after a few delays.
The airline will serve four destinations from Oslo in the first instance, with lead-in fares starting from NOK 995/US$129. These are:
- Flights from Oslo to New York will commence on June 14th ramping up to daily flights from 4th July, with one-way fares starting from NOK 995.
- Flights from Oslo to Fort Lauderdale will commence on 18th June operating three weekly flights with one-way fares starting from NOK 1497.
- Flights between Oslo and Orlando will commence on 5th July operating three weekly flights with one-way fares starting from NOK 1497.
- Flights from Oslo to Los Angeles will commence on 9th August operating three weekly flights with one-way fares starting from NOK 1797.
The airline is planning additional routes from London and Paris.
Norse Atlantic offers two cabin choices, Economy and Premium. You will be able can choose from a simple range of fares, Light, Classic and Plus, that reflect the way that they want to travel.
- Light fares get you one under-seat bag
- Classic fares give you an under-seat bag, a standard carry on bag, a checked bag, a first meal service item and the ability to change your ticket for a fee.
- Plus fares give you an under-seat bag, a standard carry on bag, a checked bag, a first meal service item, priority boarding, seat selection and a changeable/refundable ticket.
These are your typical 31″ seat pitch length with 17.2″ seat width in a 3-3-3 formation.
Meanwhile, in the business cabin, there are three fare types
- Premium Light gives you one under-seat bag, one carry one and two meal services, Premium Boarding, Priority check-in and the ticket is changeable for a fee
- Premium Cassic gives you one under-seat bag, one carry one, one checked bag, two meal services, Premium Boarding, Priority check-in and the ticket is changeable for a fee
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Premium Plus gives you one under-seat bag, one carry one bag, two checked bags, two meal services, Premium Boarding, Priority check-in and the ticket is Changeable/refundable
The premium cabin offers a 43″ seat pitch, with a 12″ recline in a recline-seat style in a 2-3-2 formation.
All seats have an Inflight entertainment system available to passengers.
The airline will utilise Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft in its fleet -with the airline operating both the original -8 and the -9 variants.
In Quotes
Bjorn Tore Larsen, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways said
“This is a major milestone for all of us at Norse Atlantic Airways and a testament to the dedication and determination of colleagues from across the airline who have made this possible. Norse now offers the lowest one-way point to point transatlantic fares in the market. Whether travelling on business, leisure or simply wishing to explore the world, Norse now makes it possible for everyone to explore for less. Our modern, comfortable and more environmentally friendly Boeing 787 Dreamliners are ready to take to the skies and our pilots and cabin crew are looking forward to welcoming customers on board from June,”
“The introduction of affordable Norse Atlantic Airways point-to point flights between Europe and the United States, will benefit both local tourism and businesses. Not only are we directly investing in the countries that we operate by employing local staff we are also supporting job creation across the wider tourism and service industry”.
More routes coming soon
Norse Atlantic Airways is planning more routes from Europe, with the airline stating departures from Paris and London are a priority for them. The airline also is seeking to fly to other destinations in the USA.
Taking advantage of the summer season
With the summer season fast approaching, it was turning into a case of “will the airline actually launch its network in time”. One of the delays was put down to the costs of rising fuel, whilst four of the fleet have found temporary homes with Air Europa.
The summer season for many is key – it is a time when travel demand is high and passengers are willing to pay way above lead-in fares to travel (especially in the busy school summer holiday periods). The perfect period to operate an airline.
For Norse Atlantic Airways, the challenge will be the winter season, when there is less demand across the network. Whilst the initial network out of Oslo should be sustainable with two major cities and two sunshine destinations, it will be interesting to see where the airline goes next.
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It’s never been entirely clear whether or not Norse Atlantic would ever get off the ground – British Airways & American Airlines will no doubt have breathed a sigh of relief hearing this news.
Now it’s first routes from Oslo are available to book, it’ll be interesting to see how long it’ll be until they start operating from the UK… and when it does, yet again BA & AA will be pleased because their joint venture is up for renewal.
Back in 2020 the Competition & Markets Authority began its investigation into a possible renewal – they found that there was not sufficient competition on select routes between Europe and the US. With JetBlue and soon Norse Atlantic, it’ll show that new entrants can enter the transatlantic market and that BA / AA – together with the Virgin / Delta joint venture – are not a block on competition.