Has anyone tried Norwegian Air?

There are 9 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 4,597 times. The latest Post () was by GlasgowJohn.

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    It seems that most of the airlines flying long haul to Europe are now competing with the low cost airlines such as Europa and Norwegian, allowing hand luggage only and no frills. I noticed this with BA and Iberia, but their flights are significantly more expensive.

    Oddly enough, for a flight to London in March, Iberia wanted around AR$14,000 outbound and a staggering AR$30,000 inbound, which I simply don't understand.

    BA was around AR$29,500 return, but another AR$3500 for one suitcase. Added to which, BA are still using some rather old Boeing 777s. At least they were when I last flew with them in 2017, but they may have upgraded by now.(they didn't have USB ports when we last flew with them anyway)

    Last year we flew Iberia to London Heathrow via Madrid and really enjoyed the amenities of the A380 Airbus, what with good IFE and USB. They had WiFi, but you had to pay for that. I understand most on-board WiFi is Europe and US only at the moment.

    I looked into Air Europa, but they don't fly direct to London Gatwick (via Madrid), but they do use the Boeing 787 Dreamliner with all mod cons. Their price was about the same as BA, again without luggage, for which you pay extra.

    Then I looked at Norwegian Air, who also run 787 Dreamliners and more importantly, fly direct into London Gatwick. They also turned out to be the cheapest at around US$800, by the time I'd added suitcase, food and seat reservation. Anyway, I booked the flight for an 1130 EZE departure, arriving at the ungodly hour of 0330 at Gatwick, which will be a first for me.

    Actually, I'm rather looking forward to experiencing this Dreamliner, as it's said to be a very comfortable ride: higher cabin pressure and quieter inside, apparently making for less jet lag.

    Anyway, I'll be flying in early March to see my grandson, so I'll keep you all updated.

    Oh and here's the seating plan and the seats I've chosen.



    I personally wouldn't fly with them as I have to connect to get back to the auld country. However if EZE/LGW suits you and the price is right then I wouldn't put you off.

    However you have to do the arithmetic first taking into account the cost of extras especially baggage. Plus there's always the chance they might go tits up before you fly if you book well in advance.

    I'm an Avios collector so I don't mind paying extra to fly IB/BA. It's a hell of a long journey so every bit of extra comfort helps. IB/BA seem to be offering pretty decent fares at the moment for travel in March/April including checked bags/meal etc.

    The seat selection looks great. Good choice on your part. Surprising that you could get that so close to flight date - a good omen?


    I’ve also read the predictions of Norwegian’s demise, but not in the immediate future. Relax and enjoy your grandson!

    I think I wrote an extensive review on this forum about Norwegian. BA is better of course, but not by enough to justify the extra cost. Even adding bags etc won't take the price over the other choices (deals aside). As for going tits up, Norwegian is a major carrier, its a budget one but has been around since the 1990s and I think is the second largest low cost airline in Europe. I find BA has just gone too expensive for me to justify when I know I can get back direct for around 800 bucks and without a vast difference in the experience.

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    I suppose there are no connecting flights from LGW to Glasgow then UK Man ? For me, Gatwick is only another 30 minutes on the journey heading west to Glos, so it's neither here nor there.

    My brother has kindly agreed to collect me, even though the flight arrives at 0330. Having said that, I've suggested he doesn't push it that early.

    Another thing; I now hire cars when I go to the UK, as none of my family has a spare car to lend me. There appears to be a huge difference in price (for the same period of time) between hiring one at Heathrow and Gloucester. Almost half, in fact. I usually use Europcar and then tried Travel Supermarket and the hire prices are cheaper again, even though I get a car through Europcar in the end.

    Semigoodlooking I can't find that review of Norwegian. Could you remind me please? A link?


    To be honest, I don't like flying, so if I can manage comfort and mod cons without paying the earth, I'll go for it. I would have gone BA again, but those old planes...

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    Quote from Splinter

    Another thing; I now hire cars when I go to the UK, as none of my family has a spare car to lend me. There appears to be a huge difference in price (for the same period of time) between hiring one at Heathrow and Gloucester.

    Contrary to what common sense (AKA wary-consumer ingrained attitude) suggested, I booked a car in Portugal when booking my flight with Ryanair because it was so darn cheap, but dirty dirty cheaper than any other option booked separately -- I think I recall €7 per day with unlimited mileage.


    You could check out what the cost would be if booking through Norwegian, provided you can collect the car at 4 AM.

    In Europe things are going cheaper, we must be prepared for any surprise that this extreme competition might throw at us.

    In Argentina one loses the faith in finding 'steal deals', but there are some out there, just on the other side of the pond.