Hi!
I'm in bad need of a vacation and am planning a very last-minute trip to Barcelona for 5-6 days. It seems that the most reasonably priced option I'm finding is on Norwegian Airlines for $950 in late July. British has an itinerary for $1250. Has anyone flown these budget airlines? I don't need a lot of frills, but I would like the ability to drink water, eat a meal and have a safe flight! Please let me know your thoughts -- thank you!
All the flights are safe. Norwegian Airlines is a no frill (in all aspects). I think water and restrooms are free but everything else has a fee. British Air is a standard airline with the normal services. Not familiar with WOW but believe it is another budget airline.
Instead of budget I would call Wow and Nowegian low cost airlines. I have flown both in the last two months most recently Norwegian London to Chicago and Wow Air Chicago to Berlin. All you do is buy your water before you board at a store in the terminal pass security or fill a bottle up if there is a fountain like I did at London Gatwick. Just don't forget the bottle. On Norwegian you can prepay for your TV dinner or order a la carte from a touch screen or once again just buy your food at a restaurant before you board and carry it on ; this new way makes the old bloated legacy carriers like British look like a rip off considerig the food quality versus what you can buy and just carry on. I
Thank God Nothing stays the same but British is trying to buy Norwegian to mess a good thing up.
And no airline would get approval to fly in 1st world airpspace from IATA the old international power structure if it was unsafe. Don't forget that. Not unless you are speaking from your flying experience living somewhere else outside of that.
These three threads might be helpful:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/norwegian-air-weight-limits-yikes
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/norweigan-primera-wow-airlines
I have flown WOW and recommend them. I posted about them on the last thread above. I have three friends who have flown on Norwegian many times and like Norwegian very much. Because of their positive experiences, I’m flying Norwegian in a few days from Oak-Paris R/T. Can’t beat the price. I like à la carte pricing, don’t like paying for what I don’t need. I hear the planes are very nice, and seating in lowest level is comfortable.
“British is trying to buy Norwegian to mess a good thing up.”
Jazz+Travels, that is terrible news... 😢
One other note read and follow the dimensions rules for your carry on bag. People who are use to the legacy carrier way of doing things have thought the requirements unreasonable on Norwegian and Wow but they just did not read this beforehand.
Don't feel bad about BA buying Norwegian. The new head of BA came from a budget airline and if anything is trying to turn BA into a low cost carrier.
I've read elsewhere that Norwegian is bleeding money, and although they've been on quite a tare in past few years (buying lots of new planes, expanding worldwide, basically red-hot) to many analysts that does not appear to be sustainable. British Airways does seem very interested in acquiring them.
I also read that Norwegian's current plan is unsustainable, they are in a lot of debt and are continuously throwing money at the company in the hope that it will soon break even and become profitable. I'm not sure that such cheap airfares are sustainable.
I also wouldn't describe British Airways as a budget airline.. It used to be one of the best national carriers but has rapidly gone downhill since Alex Cruz took over. He is of the opinion that it should be operated in line with other budget carriers but without the budget prices. The man is a disaster and I cannot understand why he is still in position.
No one has mentioned the distinct downside to Norwegian and Wow which is lack of options in the case of irregular operations. They are not part of airline alliances which means if a flight is cancelled or experiences a major delay, there are no easy transfers to another airline to continue your trip. In fact, you may need to wait two days until the next scheduled flight out on their airline and hope that space is available.
Most flights go as scheduled. However, if yours is the flight that gets cancelled, you may end up feeling less happy with these airlines.
That is a good point Carol. But I recently got stranded in DC for a night because Lufthansa part of the Star Alliance also uses a ground service contractor at IAD cancelled a flight and could not find another airline to put us on either. The ground service at IAD told us in Economy class that we had to call Lufthansa ourselves because they had no power to rebook us. They also ran out of affordable hotel space leaving us to scramble to find a place to stay. Some ended up sleeping at the airport. I know DC so I was able to get a hostel bunk.
Similarly when it happened to me on Wow at CDG 6 months ago their ground service contractor (something like Swissport) put us in a hotel for 2 nights with meal vouchers because they only had one flight a day and no other alliance airline they could put us on. But we did not mind being stranded in Paris for 2 nights given the hotel was one I normally could not afford to stay in and the food vouchers. Moreover since it occurred in the EU for reasons not related to weather or a strike I currently have a claim for compensation as Wow is dragging it's feet.
So my point is maybe if you need to absolutely be somewhere you should fly one of the airlines well allied but then again maybe not.
"Options" are few and far between no matter who you fly with.
In the 80's I was active duty Air Force and we always preached carry-on only travel so you were able to jump on another flight if you experienced a delay or cancellation. In those days, a stand-by seat was pretty much as good as a confirmed seat. It was rare not to find a seat. Today, planes fly full and if you don't have a confirmed seat, you might as well forget it. I fly carry-on only now but because I much prefer it.
I have flown WOW twice and liked it. I did get stuck in Iceland once, because weather closed the runway, they paid for hotel and meals, during the delay, without having to arm-wrestle customer service - I really appreciated that. The best part about flying through Iceland is you get your Schengen stamp there, which takes no time at all, and can walk right to ground transportation when you arrive at your destination (if it's Schengen).
I've flown BA and liked it too. They used to be one of the best. They've trimmed their amenities and service quite a bit since then and are like any other airline now.
I haven't flown Norwegian.
People on TripAdvisor are complaining about Norwegian just now because they are substituting A340's for the 787's that people booked (something to do with engine problems on the 787). The substitute plane seats fewer passengers, so some people will be not be on the flight they booked, and no one seems to be able to get any information about the new seating configuration. I don't know the time frame of this issue but you might be able to find more information in this discussion:
The bankers and stocks and shares types who would be needed to make the tie-up between IAG (owner amongst others of Iberia and BA) and Norwegian have pushed all sorts of panic buttons about the deal. If the financial types don't want it to happen it probably won't.
I wouldn't bet on the merger/acquisition going ahead at the moment.
I think BA is the best because they have a day flight to Europe from Boston. That's my criteria. Haven't found another airline that matches up to that.
I almost always fly Norwegian to Europe and within Europe. Great fares, comfortable planes/seats, and good entertainment system. Food is terrible so bring your own. I've always had good experiences with them.
I had a choice coming down to either Norwegian or BA going from SFO/OAK to London. Price was a major factor but not the only one....I choice BA, the price beat Norwegian
Fred, I think that’s unusual. Norwegian usually beats most airlines unless you are lucky and find a one-off deal.
What’s nice about Norwegian vs Wow (which I like) is Norwegian is non-stop Oak-Paris/London. Wow might be cheaper but you have to change planes in Keflavek, and for me, that’s a negative.
I just flew Norwegian between Boston and London and have no complaints whatsoever. It was incredibly cheap even with one checked bag. They are quite strict with enforcing the carryon weight and size requirements but all the information is on their website. The planes were Dreamliners, pretty comfortable. I hope they keep operating.
Cynthia
JG, I’ve only flown Wow round-trip once... SFO-Paris CDG... but there was no issue getting in and out of Keflavek. I think “divine intervention” is an unfair exxageration. We had their regular economy seats and they were not uncomfortable and I’m not skinny. And paying for a checked bag is not expensive imo... even w that added, their prices to fly SF-Paris is low.
I liked Wow. Nice clean planes, nice flight attendants, and very low cost.
The Seattle Times newspaper travel section this morning (6/3) has a reporter who answers complaints from travelers. One traver has waited six months for a claim he submitted after WOW cancelled their family’s flight and had no other flights for three days and could not book them on another airline nor pay for their hotels and food as required by EU regulations. He contacted the airline but was not getting any
Assistance. The reporter contacted the airline and they paid the claim the next day. Coincidence? I am not will to take a chance with that airline.
To see a more accurate account of what Charlie posted:
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/travel-troubleshooter-his-consumer-protection-claim-is-in-process-what-does-that-even-mean/
And it sounds like the same flight I was on in January Wow is dragging on my claim for 1200 euros
@ Susan...On the price issue, BA turned out cheaper than Norwegian, dep from OAK, r/t for $500. I had considered Norwegian as an experiment, trying something different. I chose BA, turned it was the right decision.
If the reports of Norwegian's financial straits are true, I wouldn't risk flying with them. Many times over the years, airlines in financial difficulties have continued to sell seats right up to the moment when the receivers are called in, leaving people having to cancel holidays, scramble to book new (and usually much more expensive) flights or, even worse, stranded overseas and facing a long battle to get their money back.
Given this is a "last minute" trip however, perhaps the risk is small. Personally, I wouldn't risk it.
