History

Scandinavia’s largest airline is also Europe’s eight biggest, Norwegian Air Shuttle, more commonly known just as Norwegian. Norwegian first started flying in 1993 with a focus on Scandinavia and nearby European destinations but in 2013 embarked on long haul flights, particularly to the US. Between 1993-2002 Norwegian operated on behalf of Norway’s now defunct domestic carrier Braathens. When SAS bought and absorbed Braathens, Norwegian relaunched as a fully independent low cost carrier with their first service connecting Stavanger and Newcastle. Between 2002-10 they operated a hub in Warsaw. In 2007 Finnair received 5% of Norwegian’s shares in return for taking over Swedish based FlyNordic which was then observed into Norwegian. In 2007 the airline ordered new Boeing 737s to replace their fleet of ancient jets which had previously been used. In 2012 Norwegian placed a further massive order for over 200 Boeing and Airbus’s and embarked on aggressive global expansion. In 2016 the airline expanded to the US and now has an extensive network connecting many US cities to European destinations, such as Los Angeles to Paris and New York to Dublin etc. In 2017 they expanded to South America launching Norwegian Air Argentina and have expanded to Asia commencing services between to Singapore from London.

On-Board Service

Low cost airlines frequently offer unpredictable service and Norwegian is no exception. Their casual staff range from fun and cheerful or rude and unhelpful.

Network

Norwegian must be making more established airlines nervous as their network is constantly expanding. Firstly they have an extensive domestic network spanning all across Norway. Secondly they have a comprehensive network connecting Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki to the rest of Europe, and increasingly US cities and thirdly the airline is expanding long haul services internationally such as in Argentina. Despite its name most services do not involve Norway such as London to Bangkok etc. In New York the airline uses Newburgh Stewart Airport which is a 90 minute bus ride from Manhattan.

Price

The airline is cheap and it pays to watch their website constantly as fares fluctuate with unbelievable bargains ready for the taking.

Catering

Meals are available for sale at the time of booking on-line. The airline’s catering comes in a box and is essentially standardised uninspiring airline fare. Meal sizes are modest and compare unfavourably to full service airlines. Premium passengers receive a free meal with their seat, however it is the same as that served to paying Economy passengers.

Entertainment

Premium passengers have an individualised inflight entertainment system in their seat arm which offers a modest choice of options while Economy passengers have no entertainment. The drop down TV screens are essentially there for safety videos and advertising.

Ground Service and baggage

Check-in facilities are reasonably efficient with passengers required to pay for check-in bags. At the time of booking on-line its important to specify exactly how many bags are being checked in as it costs more at the airport. Their bag fee is less than many other airlines but is pretty standard for a low cost carrier.

Premium Classes & Lounges

Norwegian has a Premium class on long haul flights which is not too bad. Passengers receive priority check-in, access to a partner airline lounge and priority boarding. The actual premium cabin has a generous seat size, entertainment and a free blanket. However the catering is equal to a average Economy meal.

Economy Class

Considering how cheap their fares are Norwegian Economy passengers receive a good deal. The seat is more spacious than many other low cost carriers, the airline is reasonably punctual and reliable and aircraft are new. There are no extras, however passengers don’t expect to receive any.

Frequent Flyer Programme

The airline has a loyalty programme called Norwegian Reward where travellers receive CashPoints. It works like other programmes and CashPoints can also be earned on car rentals, hotels etc. However as Norwegian isn’t part of any airline alliance membership is reasonably pointless unless you are an extremely frequent traveller.

Corporate Culture

Low cost airlines typically have managers with the lowest ethics and Norwegian would seem to be no exception. Cutting costs requires cutting corners and keeping wages low. Norwegian seeks to avoid every expensive regulation by outsourcing everything they can to the cheapest location. Norwegian is able to offer cheap fares because they follow this practice. While not as bad as others in the industry, such as the notoriously bad easyJet and Spirit, Norwegian’s managers are often hated by their staff and don’t really care.

Safety

While Norwegian has not experienced any significant incident the conditions exist for spectacular failure. The airline seeks to skirt European and US regulations by hiring pilots through Asian agencies and as a result employs the least experienced crew. The airline’s fleet is new but all maintenance is carried out by the cheapest sub-contractors to the lowest standards possible. Norwegian follows potentially unsafe practices which undoubtedly will only become fully known when a catastrophe strikes.

Norwegian - Rating

If you can ignore the potential safety issues then Norwegian is one of the better low cost carriers.

www.norwegian.com