Norse Atlantic: experiences and opinions?

[TravelDream]

BA flies LGW to Bangkok in the winter with very competitive fares too

They used to fly year-round from Heathrow, but I think they just struggled to make it work financially.
The Gatwick planes are denser with a lower cost base.

It's a market with huge demand. But the demand is very price sensitive and it makes it harder for airlines to fly routes profitably. It's also a 12 hour flight from London vs. 9 to Miami. Not *that* different, but enough to make a differnece when yields are tight.

Thai flies twice daily to Heathrow still of course.

 

[Watershed]

I suspect there's more than a passing connection between this and their new wet/damp lease arrangement with IndiGo, operating flights between India and Bangkok.

 

[najaB]

Though it should be even easier to Miami given they don't compete with an ocean of fare dumping capacity. Buyer beware.

On my flight out with them last year I was speaking with someone whose return flight had already been cancelled so they were caught between cutting their holiday short by a few days or having to extend their accommodation -at their own cost.

I suspect there's more than a passing connection between this and their new wet/damp lease arrangement with IndiGo, operating flights between India and Bangkok.

As in they have to get aircraft and crew out there anyway, and possibly rotate them back to home base for maintenance?

 

[Topological]

IF Norse have sorted their hand baggage ideas then I might consider using them again.

Flew Gatwick to New York with a backpack that Ryanair take with no questions. I ended up having to empty a lot out to get the soft handle to fold into the luggage gauge. It is really stupid because the backpack fits under the seats with no issues. Of course I fit most of it about my person and placed it back in the bag as soon as I was away from check-in. For the return flight the New York gate staff spotted I had refilled my bag but realised the stupidity of stopping me boarding with it. In the end got three seats to myself.

Budget is one thing, but customer service is important for success.

 

[Watershed]

On my flight out with them last year I was speaking with someone whose return flight had already been cancelled so they were caught between cutting their holiday short by a few days or having to extend their accommodation -at their own cost.

In the first instance, you have a legal right under UK261 to be rebooked "at the earliest opportunity", not when and as it suits the airline. If that means them stumping up the money to rebook you on a competitor, so be it.

If you are refused this and are told you must wait until several days later to return, you would be entitled to claim back the cost of your hotel and meals during the meantime.

Of course, airlines rely on obfuscation and denial tactics to try and discourage people from claiming what they're entitled to. I would be surprised if Norse are any different in that respect.

As in they have to get aircraft and crew out there anyway, and possibly rotate them back to home base for maintenance?

Exactly. Haven't looked at the timings but it could even be that they're operating them as a LGW-BKK-India-BKK-LGW circuit, as a 12 hour flight doesn't otherwise work particularly well with the tight fleet utilisation that the likes of Norse will want to achieve. Flights of up to around 10 hours work best, since you can fly there and back in under 24 hours - hence the efficiency of 7-9 hour transatlantic flights.

 

[Tetchytyke]

In the first instance, you have a legal right under UK261 to be rebooked "at the earliest opportunity", not when and as it suits the airline

But only if the flight is departing from the UK or is arriving into the UK and is being operated by a UK or EU airline. Norway isn’t in the EU; whilst EU261 applies to Norway due to the trade agreement between the EU and Norway, a glance at the UK legislation suggests that doesn’t follow through here.

It’s the same of you come back with AA or Delta instead of BA or VA: no UK261 rights.

(ETA: scrap the above if Norse are operating out of the UK on a UK operators licence)

It doesn't exactly look good that Norse can't sustain a route like Gatwick-Miami when Virgin connects Manchester and Florida successfully.

Virgin has a thriving package holiday business and Norse does not.

Be interesting if they have the same issue with Thailand tbh

 

[Watershed]

But only if the flight is departing from the UK or is arriving into the UK and is being operated by a UK or EU airline. Norway isn’t in the EU; whilst EU261 applies to Norway due to the trade agreement between the EU and Norway, a glance at the UK legislation suggests that doesn’t follow through here.

Norse's UK operations are under their UK-registered and licensed entity, all of whose flights therefore fall under UK261.

 

[TravelDream]

On my flight out with them last year I was speaking with someone whose return flight had already been cancelled so they were caught between cutting their holiday short by a few days or having to extend their accommodation -at their own cost.

I was thinking more of them going bankrupt and taking all of my family member's cash with them.

But this is another important issue. They should have checked their rights under UK261 as it is now. Though a lot of that depends when Norse cancelled and I guess it was far out.

 

[najaB]

In the first instance, you have a legal right under UK261 to be rebooked "at the earliest opportunity", not when and as it suits the airline. If that means them stumping up the money to rebook you on a competitor, so be it.

If you are refused this and are told you must wait until several days later to return, you would be entitled to claim back the cost of your hotel and meals during the meantime.

Of course, airlines rely on obfuscation and denial tactics to try and discourage people from claiming what they're entitled to. I would be surprised if Norse are any different in that respect.

The issue there was that they were on a two-week holiday and the return flight was cancelled a couple of days before the outbound.

UK261 only protects you from cancellations with less than 14 days notice.

In any case, since Norse offered to book them onto a return flight a few days earlier than the original, that would meet the "at the earliest opportunity" requirement.

 

[Watershed]

The issue there was that they were on a two-week holiday and the return flight was cancelled a couple of days before the outbound.

UK261 only protects you from cancellations with less than 14 days notice.

In any case, since Norse offered to book them onto a return flight a few days earlier than the original, that would meet the "at the earliest opportunity" requirement.

UK261 compensation only applies if the cancellation is done within 14 days of departure but all other provisions apply regardless of the notice given.

Rebooking you on a completely different day does not fulfil the "at the earliest opportunity" requirement. Indeed the passenger can also choose to be rebooked on a date of their convenience so again this doesn't meet the UK261 requirements.

 

[takno]

IF Norse have sorted their hand baggage ideas then I might consider using them again.

Flew Gatwick to New York with a backpack that Ryanair take with no questions. I ended up having to empty a lot out to get the soft handle to fold into the luggage gauge. It is really stupid because the backpack fits under the seats with no issues. Of course I fit most of it about my person and placed it back in the bag as soon as I was away from check-in. For the return flight the New York gate staff spotted I had refilled my bag but realised the stupidity of stopping me boarding with it. In the end got three seats to myself.

Budget is one thing, but customer service is important for success.

Ryanair have relatively generous underseat dimensions. If Norse have inherited theirs from Norwegian then they are almost the worst.

I've never known it to be a problem with Norwegian because I've never been to the check-in desk, and they almost never have the guages out at boarding. For the kinds of flights that Norse run though I think I'd want something closer to a full hand luggage

 

[najaB]

Rebooking you on a completely different day does not fulfil the "at the earliest opportunity" requirement.

To my limited mind, Monday is earlier than Thursday. That's one for the lawyers to thrash out, I guess.

 

[Watershed]

To my limited mind, Monday is earlier than Thursday. That's one for the lawyers to thrash out, I guess.

If you take the interpretation that literally, then if your flight in 6 months' time we're to be cancelled today, they should rebook you for today/tomorrow. Obviously that's not the case; the planned day of travel has to be considered.

 

[Topological]

Ryanair have relatively generous underseat dimensions. If Norse have inherited theirs from Norwegian then they are almost the worst.

I've never known it to be a problem with Norwegian because I've never been to the check-in desk, and they almost never have the guages out at boarding. For the kinds of flights that Norse run though I think I'd want something closer to a full hand luggage

My understanding was that the planes are newer 787s and from travelling with various airlines on 787s there was nothing particularly different about the Norse version. The bag in question fit under the seat with no problem at all. Indeed, as with most airlines I could put my feet on top of the bag (which helps with the comfort too).

For my flight, Gatwick to JFK in October, they insisted on me going to check-in. Indeed it seemed everyone had to. So many people were having to take things out of bags that would normally not cause any concern at all.

I understand overhead bin space is limited. I am perfectly ok with airlines tagging bags and then charging for any with an underseat tag that then appear in the overhead bins, but Norse just seemed to be determined to make money from people carrying things they would have been fine with on other airlines.

The whole thing was pointless, and would certainly cause me to advise anyone never to travel with Norse.

 

[najaB]

If you take the interpretation that literally, then if your flight in 6 months' time we're to be cancelled today, they should rebook you for today/tomorrow. Obviously that's not the case; the planned day of travel has to be considered.

Agreed that the planned travel date needs to be taken into consideration, but it would be up to the lawyers to argue if a return flight two days earlier counts as "the earliest opportunity" or not.

 

[najaB]

Norse Atlantic is getting a little smaller:

Long-haul operator Norse Atlantic Airways has handed back all its three Boeing 787-8s to their lessors, to focus on its 787-9 fleet.

The aircraft had originally been delivered to the Scandinavian carrier in 2022 and were dry-leased to Spanish operator Air Europa.

Norse Atlantic adopted a revised business plan last year which involves simplifying its fleet structure to concentrate exclusively on its 12 787-9s.

Source: https://www.flightglobal.com/airlin...n-as-it-hands-back-787-8-fleet/162130.article

 

[Cowley]

Thread reopened for @najaB to add to

 

[najaB]

Thanks.

In news that surprised me, Norse expects to post a profit in 2026!

New Norse Atlantic Airways chief executive Eivind Roald believes the revamped carrier reached a turning point in December as it predicts posting a profit for the coming year.

Norse outlined its profit hopes as it on 26 February reported a narrowing of its losses for 2025. The carrier cut its full-year operating loss to $20 million from $97 million, while it more than halved its net loss for 2025 to $62 million from $135 million the previous year.

The improvements come after a shift in strategy to develop a dual ACMI and network model in a bid for profitably, notably under which it is wet-leasing six of its 12 Boeing 787s to Indian carrier IndiGo.

Norse Atlantic eyes 2026 profit as new chief sees turning point

New Norse Atlantic Airways chief executive Eivind Roald believes the revamped carrier reached a turning point in December as it predicts posting a profit for the coming year.

www.flightglobal.com

Turns out that the secret to making a profit as a long-haul, low-cost airline is to stop being a long-haul, low-cost airline and operate AMCI instead.

 

[Class73Electro]

What is AMCI? Thanks

 

[najaB]

What is AMCI? Thanks

Oh, sorry. It's a business model where an airline provides Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance for another airline. Basically flying someone else's flights.

 

[Class73Electro]

Oh, sorry. It's a business model where an airline provides Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance for another airline. Basically flying someone else's flights.

Ahh OK - thanks

 

[cactustwirly]

They are not very low cost though

They are undercut by BA, for example with luggage included BA are almost £100 cheaper on LGW BKK

 

[najaB]

They are not very low cost though

They are undercut by BA, for example with luggage included BA are almost £100 cheaper on LGW BKK

That's a relatively recent development. Certainly a few years ago they were significantly cheaper than BA heading out to the Caribbean. I don't remember the exact amounts, but when I flew with them in Jan 2024 they were about £200 less than BA.

 

[Mag_seven]

Had my first flight with Norse Atlantic this week, flying Gatwick to Barbados. I can't say that I was overly impressed with the experience. Though, I guess that's low-cost for you.

On the positive side, the flight was more or less on time and the aircraft was clean and comfortable with nothing obviously broken.

However, I find it odd that they want you to pay to choose your seat even at the check-in counter where most other airlines offer free selection at check-in. And the lack of even free water on an eight hour flight doesn't strike me as a good idea.

As to their longer-term viability, while one flight isn't a trend, it's not a good sign that even as low as £200 one-way a flight to Barbados, in winter, was way less than half full. I really hope the people next to me at check-in were on the LAX flight because they paid £28 each to reserve seats and there were whole rows empty!

Adding to questions about their long term prospects, they're chopping and changing their network, which suggests that they haven't found routes that work.

Simple Flying article: More Cuts: Boston & Washington Dulles Exit Norse Atlantic's Network

Thread reopened for an update from @najaB

 

[najaB]

Recent article from DJ's Aviation points out that Norse is still holding on, just about:

Norse Atlantic Airways’ search for a buyer, merger, or other strategic partner after weak second-quarter financial results shows how deep the airline’s trouble runs.

The long-haul, low-cost Boeing 787-9 operator now faces limited financial flexibility, despite strong aircraft loads and record unit revenue, heightening concerns about its outlook.

The Norwegian carrier reported USD 132 million in second-quarter revenue, down from USD 202.6 million one year earlier, and posted a USD 70.6 million net loss.

Source: https://djsaviation.net/norse-atlantic-airways-is-in-trouble

I don't know how deep their investor's pockets are, but I can't imagine that they are bottomless - a $70M annual loss and no signs of a turnaround despite the fact that load factors are up. What are the odds that they'll still be around this time next year, especially if the Iran war debacle drags on much longer?

 

[mpthomson]

Should be pointed out that Barbados in July/August is very definitely low season as it’s the wet season there.

Would by interesting to compare loadings with say Jan/Feb, which is their peak period for tourists.

 

[YorkRailFan]

To make matters worse for Norse, Indigo is ending their lease agreement with Norse effective this October:

IndiGo (INGL.NS), India's largest airline, said on Friday it would discontinue its wide-body operations from October 25 and conclude its damp lease agreement with Norway's Norse ‌Atlantic Airways (NORSE.OL), on October 31, scaling back a programme launched last year to support its long-haul ambitions.

https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-largest-airline-indigo-end-norse-atlantic-widebody-lease-2026-07-31/

It was a relatively stable income source for Norse that wasn't dependent on seasonal travellers like their Caribbean services. It kept aircraft in the air making money.

 

[najaB]

Should be pointed out that Barbados in July/August is very definitely low season as it’s the wet season there.

If you're referring to my opening post, that was posted in January 2024, so very much high season.

I go home every year, usually with a full-service airline, but choose Norse on that occasion because they were quite a bit cheaper.

Would by interesting to compare loadings with say Jan/Feb, which is their peak period for tourists.

I know that anecdote isn't data, but my cousin who works at the airport said that at the time that their flights were rarely full.