Norse Atlantic Airways is trying something very new – operating long-distance services out of Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
The airline will launch services from Berlin to New York JFK and Los Angeles.
Berlin-New York JFK will operate daily from the 17th of August. with lead-in fares starting from €160/US$120 one-way. Meanwhile, Berlin-Los Angles will operate three times a week from the 19th of August with lead-in fares starting from €189 and $138
As usual, Norse Atlantic Airways will offer a two-class service (Economy and Premium), with three fare types (Light, Class and Plus) in those cabins to allow you to select the experience you want aboard.
The Premium cabin is set up in a 2-3-2 configuration, with a 43″ seat pitch. Meanwhile, economy class is packed with a 30″ seat pitch in the classic Dreamliner 3-3-3 configuration.
Ticketing is open at https://flynorse.com/.
In Quotes
Bjorn Tore Larsen, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways.
“We are very excited to announce these two new routes from Berlin to New York and Los Angeles. For far too long the vibrant and culturally diverse city of Berlin has been subjected to poor direct transatlantic connectivity. Our extremely competitive fares and direct flights will allow customers to now finally enjoy affordable and convenient travel between Germany and the US.
These two new routes will provide a direct and cost effective option, saving both money and time, for local and international businesses when choosing to travel to and from the US or taking advantage of our cargo services,” said
On point to point operations, he adds
“The introduction of affordable Norse Atlantic Airways point-to point flights between Germany and the United States, will benefit both local tourism and businesses by supporting job creation across the wider tourism and service industries,”
Wow. Long haul services out of Berlin.
I’m filing this under “That’s taken long enough”.
When Berlin Brandenburg was being built, it was built with a home airline in mind, as well as long-distance services running out of it. Initially, Lufthansa ran a New York service, which was handed to Eurowings, and has since been discontinued (with Lufthansa only operating services to its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich).
Other long haul carriers operating out of the airport include El Al, Iraqi Airlines, IcelandAir, Play, Qatar Airways and United Airlines.
Out of those, Norse’s move will put Play, Icelandair and even United Airlines under pressure – with them competing for passengers. No doubt, direct services are a benefit to passengers who need them.
It’s then a matter of demand – and if it exists out of Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
Could this be the move that finally convinces more airlines to consider Berlin as a long haul market base?
We’ll have to see.
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This is going to be a tough sell for Norse – Berlin is far down most Americans’ European-cities-to-visit list, and has a small business market compared to Frankfurt or Dusseldorf. The lack of feed on either end makes the situation worse.
If the tourist authorities for Berlin and the nearby states started a concerted advertising campaign it’d help, as most Americans don’t know how much Berlin has to offer. I haven’t been there, but it’s high on my list of European cities to visit, I’d definitely go there before Paris or Rome. But I used to work for a German company and met lots of Germans who talked up Berlin and Munich…which is even easier to do when you’re sitting in Frankfurt. .