Norwegian Air

Our kids flew from California to LGW this summer. It is a budget airline so you can choose to pay about $59 extra (which we did b/c they were flying with 2 children and wanted to sit together) to choose your seat at time of booking, check a bag and have a meal in flight. Two other things to be aware of are that they don't fly every day of the week so if there is a cancelled flight you might not fly the next day and that they also have no partner airlines.

With all that said, the 4 of them loved their flight, service, new planes and great entertainment systems.

They would recommend Norweigian and use them again if prices are <$999 from the west coast in peak travel season.

Edit: I also had read that they charge for pillows, blankets and ear buds so our group packed ear buds, fleece jackets and socks to be prepared if the plane was chilly. They needed these warm clothes anyway because they spent a week in Scotland too :-)

Thank you, Mona. When I go on line I see there are many complaints but I also see some very positive reviews. Your information is interesting. Thanks so much.

My nephew flew Norwegian Air. It's a budget/discount carrier where everything is an extra. He needed to check a bag. Checked bags are cheaper if paid for on line in advance but the online system wouldn't accept there credit cards. Airport counter would not take cash but his sister's credit card worked.

I've flown with them many times, but only on shorter European flights, never long distance. I've never had anything to complain about, but with all budget airlines you should know what you get, so you're not dissapointed. The cheap ticket prices are only the bare bones basic, if you want anything extra, you have to pay for it. I'm fliyng with them from Copenhagen to Stockholm in 2 weeks and for such a short flight I really don't need coffee, food, a choice of seat or even checked in luggage and with a budget airline I don't have to pay for those extra's that I don't need. On a trans atlantic flight, you might want something extra, but you still get to choose what you need and what you pay for.
One place where I have found that Norwegian differs from other budget airlines like Ryanair, is that they fly from the main airports. An example: Ryanair might say they fly to Paris, but in reality they fly to Paris Beauvais Airport, which is 100 km from Paris.

Sharon, I flew Norwegian Air from Oakland to Oslo and back in October and it was just fine. I was aware that it was a budget airline going in, make myself aware of the things they have and don't have. I brought my own food on from Oakland along with a large water from the airport which lasted the 10 hour flight to Oslo. The crew was friendly (unlike some reviews), the seats no worse than other airlines, and the entertainment system was as good as other airlines also. You were able to order snacks and drinks right from your screen. Carried on my bags so had no problem with luggage charges. My round trip ticket was $438. I am flying Norwegian again for my trip to Sicily in April and paying just $392 all the way to Palermo (from Stockholm this time). Not the best airline I have flown but far from the worst. Have learned more unhappy passengers post messages than satisfied customers usually.

Dan, did you fly coach or Premium Economy (whatever they would call it on their airline)? Do you know how much additional they charge for Premium Economy? The rates you list are amazing!

I flew on Norwegian withiin Europe and was pleased. You just have to do your math to see what is important to you. I would not hesitate flying from Europe to the USA on Norwegian, but once again will need to see the real difference in price.

Just had a look at flights from Oakland California to Europe in the spring, and one way fares were pretty amazing (I look at one way fares first as it might make sense to come back from somewhere else). Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam as low as $295, Vienna $308. Of course the schedule is limited, you pay more for baggage and anything on the flight etc etc, but still, this is such a difference in price structure, its almost a different universe from the major carriers.

We flew Norwegian Air from LAX to Oslo and returned last night. Our experience was very positive. We flew to Oslo for less than $400.00 RT. We paid to take a larger suitcase and took a carryon. Our airfare was airfare only. We took food with us on the plane but should have been more careful to take water. Anytime an airfare seems too good to be true make sure you read the fine print. They explain explicitly what is provided and what extras need to be purchased if you desire. So...take anything you may need on the plane and enjoy the unbelievably great fares!!

Jodyvca, do you know if they have seats with extra leg room - like Premier Economy? We are all set with our trip to the Netherlands and Belgium in May, but we fly to Sweden frequently. I will consider them for a flight. Thanks.

Hi Sharon,

Norwegian offers both premium economy and extra legroom seats. You can see the difference in fare between low fare, low fare+ and premium when you search fares on their site, but I can't find how much it costs to reserve a seat or to reserve an extra legroom seat. I also couldn't find info as to how often they're available. For example, on British Airways customers are allowed to purchase extra legroom seats, but only within 14 days of departure and they're $83 ea. last time I did it.

Norwegian's premium economy includes a lot: US Domestic first class style seat, meals, bags and lounge access in Scandinavia and Los Angeles. It looks like a pretty luxurious way to go.

Nordheim

Hi Sharon - I'm not sure about the legroom in the more premium categories, our seats were rather close together. I do know they have other choices. We were so pleased to get such a low fare we didn't explore other options.

I flew them in August 2014 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Oslo on the new Dreamliner plane. Boarding is a cattle call, but went surprisingly smoothly. The entertainment system was great, and I prepaid for a seat (bulkhead cost was same as every other seat), bag, and meal. Even with all that, my ticket was under $700. I could have gotten by for $550 otherwise. The best part was the timing of the flight - leaving after 10 pm and arriving around 11 am meant no jet lag. I would definitely fly them again.

Speaking of which, as seen today on a deals website, YMMV:

Norwegian Airlines via ShermansTravel offers Norwegian Airlines Roundtrip Flights to Europe from select cities in the U.S. for as low as $339.80. On the ShermansTravel landing page, click on "Norwegian.com" in the main paragraph to see this offer. Book this travel deal by November 30 for travel from January 1, 2016 through February 29, 2016