There are 15 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 5,261 times. The latest Post () was by UK Man.
According to many, having several escape routes planned from Argentina is a wise precaution. Kudos to Norway for helping to fill the need.
Does anyone know if they have expansion plans for more destinations yet?
Does anyone know if they have expansion plans for more destinations yet?
This service is operated by the UK division of Norwegian
Their plan to start Argentine domestic market operations and a fully fledged local airline has been postponed from June until Q4.
Partly because of the economic situation in Argentina and partly because of the company's financial problems.
IAG , the owners of Iberia and British Airways , have built up a 5% stake and are alleged to be mounting a full bid.
Watch this space as they say....
We opted for Iberia in the end and changed our flight to August due to the World Cup in June/July. It also worked out cheaper to leave EZE on the evening flight and arrive at Heathrow at 1700. Besides, the Iberia A340-600s are very comfortable, according to the video reviews I've seen.
While I was looking for my flight to Italy, I also browsed on Iberia's website and I noticed that some strikingly low airfares included the transatlantic flight on Level, Iberia's low cost. This meant that the airfare looked cheap, but you couldn't carry any baggage (except a carry-on), you would have no meal, no blanket, no entertainment.
I am not at all convinced it was fair to include these flights in their main results. If I am looking on Iberia.com, I am expecting to fly 'economy' class, not low-cost-stripped-class.
I wouldn't be so picky for domestic or short flights, but on an intercontinental flight, there is no room for greediness.
In the end, I have booked with LATAM for the usual €1200 round trip from Aeroparque to Malpensa and back. Best solution for me: the closest airport in both instances, a 20' car ride to both homes, a reasonably short flight with a stop-over in Sao Paulo (flights stopping over in Madrid are 40' shorter, though), two checked bags of 23 kg each. I will be back before the final match of the World Cup, just in case Argentina makes it.
We opted for Iberia in the end and changed our flight to August due to the World Cup in June/July. It also worked out cheaper to leave EZE on the evening flight and arrive at Heathrow at 1700. Besides, the Iberia A340-600s are very comfortable, according to the video reviews I've seen.
We use Iberia. Despite the rantings you read about them we've always found them to be reliable. We always choose the midday departure from Madrid for the return leg as the evening arrival time into Ezeiza means we can go straight to bed as normal. We fly from the UK the day before and stay overnight in Madrid to do some shopping. The A340 is great for a couple especially the window pair seats.
More on Norwegian Air Argentina from Condé Nast Traveler’s Katherine LaGrave today:
“The airline says it will have "at least 50 planes in its [Argentina] fleet within 12 years," reports Airline Geeks.
Where will the new airline fly? To start, there will be two daily flights between Buenos Aires and Cordoba, a trip that would take seven hours by car. They’ll also have one daily trip between Buenos Aires and the city of Mendoza, in the heart of Argentina's wine country, which is 13 hours from the capital by road. Tickets will go on sale in early September, said Norwegian Air CEO Bjørn Kjos, but there’s no word yet on what fares will be, reports Air Journal. The airline is also planning to operate in the port city of Rosario, and Salta in the country's mountainous northwest, reports Flight Global.
Then where to in 2019 and beyond? Norwegian Air Argentina has permission to fly 153 routes, including 73 domestic and 80 international, reports the Centre for Aviation. Among the others that Norwegian plans to launch are Buenos Aires to Bariloche (18 hours by car) and Buenos Aires to Iguazú (a 15-hour drive). The carrier also plans to add flights to Lima, Peru; Montevideo, Uruguay; Natal, Brazil; and Santiago, Chile, all from Buenos Aires, reports Airline Geeks. Kos has also teased long-haul flights from Buenos Aires—to places like Istanbul, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, and Milan—but Argentina’s Department of Transportation hasn’t approved these routes just yet.”
Norwegian Airlines would certaintly help to improve the touristic potential of Argentina, and for me is an excellent notice. There is a lot of people who likes nowadays to visit unspoiled countrysides, and Argentina (as Australia, New Zealand, etc. etc) has that kind of places.
I used Norweigan in May and again in July. Nothing to complain about. I will give a quick review for people looking into the airline.
Firstly, the price is much lower than any other direct option to London. I opted for the basic ticket "Lowfare" heading to London as I was not taking any hold luggage with me. I had the carryon allowance with a laptop bag and was buying clothes in the UK so could fly out light.
The Lowfare is absolute barebones, there is no hold luggage allowance, no on-flight meals, and any other no seat reservations. For the flight back, I went with Lowfare+, which adds a hold luggage allowance of one bag and meals. I don't eat on flights, no matter how long they are, so the meal on the way back was not needed. The upgraded ticket was simply for the bag allowance.
For those two selections I paid £796, but it would have been cheaper if I had the standard Lowfare flight back. Again, this would mean no hold luggage.
It is also worth noting that if you play around with the date calendar and book the ticket at the right time, you can get a ticket for less. A woman I talked to on the flight out said she got her ticket and return all in for under £500. I am not sure I believed her, but you can certainly get it to under £600. If you want Lowfare+ with a bag, then anything around £700-800 is a solid deal.
I did not have any delays on either inbound or outbound so cannot say about that.
The plane is brand new and very nice... it's one of those Dreamliners. On board the seats are decent but certainly not the best, I would suggest slightly more cramped than BA (the only other BA-London direct I have flown). Overall the plane is better than the frankly awful Aerolineas Arg I flew from Madrid, and on par with the Iberia I used to the same destination in previous years. I am 6,2, so in some situations I am in for a hellish flight no matter what I do. On the way to London both times I was in the middle seat and it was horrible. On the way back both times I had a window seat on a row all to my self... wonderful and a proper sleep was enjoyed.
In-flight entertainment is solid with a decent selection of movies and shows. The staff are also good.
All flights left on time and landed early (although only 10 mins).
In summary, I guess Norwegian will become my airline of choice back to London from now on. I would say British Airways is better,in terms of direct options but it is just not worth the £400 (minimum) extra cost to fly with them.
Norwegian aren't much use to me as London isn't my final destination in the UK.
Good to see more competition to the UK though.
Norwegian aren't much use to me as London isn't my final destination in the UK.
Good to see more competition to the UK though.
It's not my final destination in the UK either, but there are no direct flights from Argentina to any regional airport in the UK, unless I have missed something? Obviously the most common non-direct option is through Madrid and then to a regional airport. This is more expensive than Norwegian and involves 2 planes, more time, and the wonderful experience of navigating through Madrid airport.
Sure, there are other non-direct links too, such as in Rome and Frankfurt. Still, I would rather land in London and then take a Nat Express, train, or another flight within the UK to get to Cardiff (from a cost perspective). I used National Express last time, £5 for a trip to Cardiff is fine by me. This means I got back to my final destination for £800. That would not have been do-able on another airline. As I also avoided the transfer and waiting I also got back in Cardiff earlier than what I would have an in-direct route.
How do you get to where you live in the UK if a direct flight into the country is not much use to you?
Aren't there direct flights from São Paulo /Rio de Janeiro for you, Semigoodlooking and UK Man?
I found SP very easy to navigate, with large corridors and plenty of seatings and food places in the terminal. On my four times through Barajas I remember quite a crowd, especially for the European leg of the flight which happened in the morning, in my case. At night and for the intercontinental flight I remember something similar to SP as far as space and food options, though.
I'd rather have the shorter leg in South America and then land directly into my destination because of time of my flights (I leave in the late evening from SP, so there is not much crowd), whereas a change of airport in the morning in Europe could result in queues and long waiting time.
serafina - yes there are flights from Brazil, but that's not direct either. Norweigan is the least expensive of the bunch and is direct. I am sure the only other BA-UK direct is with British Airways.
All other flights are more expensive. So if cost is important, Norwegian is the best bet. Btw, I think (although have no experience of it), the wait in Brazil is usually quite long. I think when I was searching before some connections had 11 hour waits.
Besides, UK Man suggested his final destination in the UK was outside London. My point is, there is no direct to a regional airport in the UK from Buenos Aires (Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol etc.). If the direct flight to London is not convenient for him, he is left with flying somewhere in Europe and then connecting to whichever regional airport he needs.
I would rather fly into the UK and travel to my regional location within the country rather than (example) fly to Madrid and then wait for a connection to Cardiff at more cost and more time. Of course, if cost is less important to UK Man, he may already have a route he takes which works for him.
I understand. Now I feel very lucky I can fly directly to Milan 
It's not my final destination in the UK either, but there are no direct flights from Argentina to any regional airport in the UK, unless I have missed something? Obviously the most common non-direct option is through Madrid and then to a regional airport. This is more expensive than Norwegian and involves 2 planes, more time, and the wonderful experience of navigating through Madrid airport.
Sure, there are other non-direct links too, such as in Rome and Frankfurt. Still, I would rather land in London and then take a Nat Express, train, or another flight within the UK to get to Cardiff (from a cost perspective). I used National Express last time, £5 for a trip to Cardiff is fine by me. This means I got back to my final destination for £800. That would not have been do-able on another airline. As I also avoided the transfer and waiting I also got back in Cardiff earlier than what I would have an in-direct route.
How do you get to where you live in the UK if a direct flight into the country is not much use to you?
I live here not the UK so I only go back to see family and friends and stock up on goodies.
I have to get to Central Scotland so either Glasgow or Edinburgh does me. Iberia have a flight to EDI from Madrid which connects nicely from the Buenos Aires flight. If the flight from EZE arrives late I am protected so Iberia will have to get me to Edinburgh.
Hence why Norwegian is not much use to those whose final destination is a fair distance from London. Personally the last thing I want after coming off a 13 hour flight is hours and hours of faffing about just to save a few quid.
KLM is an option to Glasgow or Edinburgh via Amsterdam of course but as I collect BA/Iberia Avios I would lose out.
