Norwegian Announces 3 US Routes From Paris

a red and white airplane on a runway

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Low-cost carrier Norwegian has announced that it will be commencing service to 3 US cities from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport. I’ve written about the Scandinavian carrier a few times already, notably when they’ve posted some good fares across the Atlantic to New York and when they announced more flights to the US out of London Gatwick (their new base).

Now it seems than the carrier is set to expand its horizons beyond London Gatwick and commence flights from Paris to New York, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale.

norwegian-paris-to-usaImage courtesy of Norwegian

Operations from Paris CDG are scheduled to commence on 29 July 2016 with a flight to New York, followed by a flight to Los Angeles the following day and with the Fort Lauderdale service joining the Paris network on 4 August.

Paris CDG – New York JFK (4x/Week)

Schedule from 29 July 2016

DY7019 CDG 20:15 – 22:30 JFK (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)
DY7020 JFK 23:59 – 13:25+1 day CDG (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)

Paris CDG – Los Angeles (2x/Week)

Schedule from 30 July 2016

DY7097 CDG 15:30 – 18:15 LAX (Tue & Sat)
DY7098 LAX 20:15 – 15:55+1 day CDG (Tue & Sat)

Paris CDG – Ft. Lauderdale (1x/Week)

Schedule from 4 August 2016

DY7047 CDG 17:15 – 21:00 FLL (Thursday service only)
DY7048 FLL 23:00 – 13:40+1 day CDG (Thursday service only)

Aircraft

Based on the scheduling it looks like Norwegian intends to serve all three routes with a single aircraft – a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – and that doesn’t leave them much room for error should the aircraft have any sort of mechanical issues.

The 787-8 Dreamliner comes with 259 Economy Class seats and 32 “Premium” seats….but I wouldn’t get too excited about the premium seats – they’re just wider reclining seats with a bit more leg room and cost a lot more.

In fairness to Norwegian the aircraft are very new and the cabin look fine….

Dreamliner Interior 4 HRNorwegian 787-8 Dreamliner – Image courtesy of Norwegian

Dreamliner Interior 5 HRNorwegian 787-8 Dreamliner – Image courtesy of Norwegian

…and, with 31″ of seat pitch and 17″ of seat width, passengers are no worse of than they are in quite a few long haul, so-called “full-service” airlines (I’m looking at you American Airlines).

My issue with Norwegian doesn’t have anything  o do with their aircraft….it comes with their prices:

Pricing

Norwegian has announced the three new routes with the following headline prices….

  • New York JFK: From €179 one-way
  • Los Angeles: €179 one-way
  • Fort Lauderdale: From €199 one-way

…but, for a lot of the time, it cost’s rather ore than that:

New York in August for Example:

Screen Shot 2016-02-21 at 16.10.25

Or October:

Screen Shot 2016-02-21 at 16.10.55

And that’s before you take into account the extra fees that can very easily be racked up.

Your carry-on bag must be 10Kg or under if traveling on non-flexible fares (you are allowed a personal item too) and checked bags start €35 one-way.

None of that may seem too bad to you but let’s not forget that the premise is that this is a low cost option…and I don’t think it really is. During peak months, and if you book early, Norwegian may provide the cheapest fares but, if you’re willing to look around a bit, don’t be surprised to find lower fares on regular “full-service airlines”.

Bottom Line

I’m all in favor of more airlines flying routes between Europe and the US – the legacy airlines have become far too complacent recently and could do with a swift kick up their rear-ends to remind them than they’re not running a monopoly just yet.

But just because someone tells you that something is “low cost” doesn’t necessarily make it so…..so do your research before you jump on a “cheap flight”. I booked a Copenhagen – Los Angeles – London trip, for travel on American Airlines earlier this month, at a cost of just $415 and I’m willing to bet that Norwegian wouldn’t have been able to beat that price. Shopping around is the only way to be sure you’re getting a good deal…so don’t be scared of putting in a little work and don’t expect low cost carriers to always be the cheapest option.

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