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Original poster

Norwegian Airline to N Y?

33 replies

BeaLola · 05/02/2019 11:33

Going to New York in April or August for a week & looking for direct flights - 2 adults + 11 year old. Have been to USA only twice before - once BA & once Virgin - considering them again only colleague mentioned her parents went to US with Norwegian & were impressed - anyone used them & have any + or - points ? TIA

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 05/02/2019 12:10

I would actually look at BA or Virgin instead.

My parents went with Norwegian and although they are cheap, they are not always cheerful. TBH in the end they paid just as much had they used BA or Virgin instead once their various charges including those for luggage had been added on.

Norwegian as well do not have a large fleet of aircraft. If something goes wrong with the plane (which happened with their flight) they charter another plane which is like a throwback to the 1980s or earlier.

magimedi · 05/02/2019 12:14

I was just reading that Norwegian have got quite a lot of financial problems atm. I don't know if your travel insurance covers you if an airline goes bust after you have paid for your ticket.

NoraEphronsneck · 05/02/2019 12:54

I flew with Norwegian last year to LA and then home from San Francisco.

It was over £700 cheaper than similar flights. However it was very 'no frills' and legroom was extremely tight.

Staff were very good/helpful on both flights.

thereinmadnesslies · 05/02/2019 12:56

We ruled out Norwegian because their morning flight London to Ny is around 5am. With the time difference we felt we would be just too exhausted to get anything out of the first evening.

peachypetite · 05/02/2019 12:58

Everything that you would take for granted as being included with other airlines isn't. So you need to pack your own headphones, blanket, pillow, loads of food, etc.

Dillyson · 05/02/2019 15:37

We flew to Boston last year with Norwegian, no problems at all. I paid a bit extra to have the meals and choose our seats.

Would use them again.

SJane45S · 05/02/2019 16:10

There was a similar thread last year with a few people predicting they were about to go bust. I was planning to book them for a NY trip so was pretty concerned but when I looked, a lot of the stories were old news and the actual state of play didn't look as dire as some of the comments would suggest. We're using them in October - obviously, hope I don't eat my words but they look (for the meantime anyway) a decent bet - www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2019/01/30/financial-infusion-to-keep-norwegian-air-flying/#68f6aaa117b1

Our flights in October were so much better than the competition, even when you add the one suitcase on we plan to take! Headphones (they charge for them) are cheap on Amazon and rather than pay £25 for a plane meal, we'll buy food at the airport.
Obviously, they're not the luxury option but for 7 hours, for us anyway that's not a problem!

Curlybrunette · 06/02/2019 22:32

I flew back from LA with them last year and it was great. It was a night flight and I slept for about 7 hours solid, I've never slept so well on a plane!

Yes it was no frills, so no meals/drinks/headphones included but I just bought some food and drinks at the airport, and had my own headphones anyway.

The flight was hundreds cheaper than any other airline. I'd definitely travel with them again.

cazzyg · 07/02/2019 21:11

I’d still book by credit card if possible. Their financial health is not the most robust. They are closing bases, reducing costs and seeking finance through an emergency rights issue.

BubblesBuddy · 07/02/2019 23:58

SJane: I’m afraid you are incorrect. I have attached several headlines, the latest one from today, showing they have financial problems. They have new aircraft but have huge debts as a result. They have a rights issue to raise funds to pay it!! BA has decided not to invest in them any longer and is pulling out. Be very careful because they ARE on a knife edge.

Yes, they definitely substitute crap aircraft if one of theirs isn’t available. DD had no water in the loos on the way back from NY last year. It was disgusting. It’s often cheap but it’s risky and has poor departure times. DD was 11 hours late too!

Norwegian Airline to N Y?
ViserionTheDragon · 08/02/2019 00:11

Flew with Norweigian from NY to London on around Christmas 2017. 300 quid cheaper than BA if I remember correctly and it was a very pleasant flight. We brought our own earphones and had dinner beforehand so can't comment on the food. The aircraft was quite clean too.

Bryjam · 08/02/2019 00:11

Norwegian as well do not have a large fleet of aircraft.

They actually have a fleet 4 times the size of Virgin who you mentioned as an option.

CherryPavlova · 08/02/2019 00:29

I flew Finn Air to Hong Kong via Helsinki. Not quite Emirates but not far off and streetscahead of BA who didn’t even offer all passengers direct aisle access. Food on Finn Air was good but no lounge/bar aboard but since an overnight flight it wasn’t an issue.

SJane45S · 08/02/2019 08:29

BubblesBuddy the Forbes article is also from the end of Jan this year - at odds obviously with what you've posted.However, I think it's fair to say I'm being optimistic having booked through them for October (they were about £600 cheaper!). Have just done another Google looking specifically at 2019 (because a lot of the stories are actually from previous years) - it is a mixed bag but on the positive side, it looks like flight sales for 2019 so far are good, I would imagine as a result of all the marketing activity they've been doing. But you do have a definite point and I'd agree I might be choosing to look on the cheerier side so going back on my previous post, I think it's fair to say there's an element of risk & a decent travel insurance policy & booking with a credit card are a wise idea as a precaution.

BubblesBuddy · 08/02/2019 09:45

My quotes were from the Financial Times on line. The Times had similar reporting when BA pulled out. Their business model was to buy new planes and have msssuve debt. They are struggling to service the debt. That is never good news.

They also have one of the worst punctuality records. I think this is due to late departure times which leave them on the cusp of UK airports closing so they delay departure to get a slot the following day. No airport here receives flights on a 24 hour basis. So if you are late and miss your late slot, forget it! You delay until the following day. It’s low frills long haul but it’s struggling.,

BubblesBuddy · 08/02/2019 10:02

They are also selling aircraft and making cuts to services to save money. I would still be cautious of using them unless you really are tight for money. If you book well ahead, we have found deals with BA.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 08/02/2019 10:07

"They actually have a fleet 4 times the size of Virgin who you mentioned as an option".

Overall they do but Virgin Atlantic operate only as a long haul carrier. Norwegian's fleet are made up of both short and long haul planes but their actual number of long haul planes is very low compared to what the likes of VA and BA have.

Bombardier25966 · 08/02/2019 10:11

Book with Norwegian but make sure you pay with a credit card. That way if they do go bust you can claim the cost of a replacement flight from your CC.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 08/02/2019 10:15

Most standard travel insurance policies do not provide protection for insolvency, collapse or default of airlines. A policy to cover this would have Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI) included in the wording and that is going to be expensive.

SJane45S · 08/02/2019 11:10

Not necessarily Attila, I've purchased single trip insurance from Zurich for myself and my daughter - this includes Scheduled Airline Failure of (in the event of the financial failure of the airline) up to £1500. The policy cost £26.51. This would cover the purchase price of our flights.

BubblesBuddy · 08/02/2019 11:26

SJane: You might have some difficulty persuading an insurer they are a scheduled airline. They are not on the BAR list of uk members. They are defined as low cost. Therefore not scheduled.

Stayingput123 · 08/02/2019 11:29

If it’s just a case of getting from A to B and it’s a good saving then definitely do it. We never had a bad experience. Not necessarily going to be glamorous though!

BubblesBuddy · 08/02/2019 11:34

If you look at the Zurich small print, airlines bonded elsewhere are excluded. They are bonded in Norway and have known financial problems.

Norwegian Airline to N Y?
SJane45S · 08/02/2019 12:44

Thank you BubblesBuddy for taking the time to do that! Have just spent the last 30 minutes finding the right people to talk to at Zurich Travel Insurance to clarify & confirm the above. Double checked twice their liability re a)Norwegian potentially not qualifying as a scheduled airline and b) being bonded in Norway. Apparently (and please, do feel free to give them a call - happy to provide the number) we would be liable to claim under Insolvency.

mimbulusmimbletonia · 08/02/2019 13:58

Flew from Gatwick to jfk in November on Norwegian and it was brilliant. We paid for premium and it was fab, economy is very no frills but it's cheap.