Norwegian ended 2018 as the the largest non-North American airline to serve the New York and New Jersey area with 2,004,896 passengers boarding its planes. Norwegian edged out all European carriers, British Airways, and other competitors such as Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, and Lufthansa to become the the leading airline in transatlantic traffic in the New York and New Jersey area.
Last year’s record-breaking numbers are just the beginning for Norwegian as the airline continues to expand not only with new or increased flight service in several U.S. cities, but also with new onboard service.
New Routes
Norwegian’s most recent expansions include two new routes through Boston. On March 31, 2019, the airline launched new flight service between Boston and Rome, which is operated four times per week, with fares starting at $299.90 in Economy and $779.90 in Premium one way, inclusive of taxes. The new Madrid service launched on May 2, 2019, and operates three times per week, with fares starting at $199.90 in Economy and $639.90 in Premium one way, inclusive of taxes. Both new routes will be summer seasonal only and are additions to Norwegian’s service between Boston and London, as well as Paris.
Expanding upon its success in New York, Norwegian will launch new flight service between Athens and John F. Kennedy International Airport starting July 2, 2019. The new service will operate four times a week, with fares from $159.90 in Economy and $669.90 in Premium one way, including taxes. With Athens, Norwegian now offers 13 European nonstop destinations from the New York City area for summer travel. Also new for summer 2019 will be flight service between Barcelona and Chicago starting June 7, 2019. The new Barcelona service from Chicago will operate four times per week, with fares starting at $199.90 in Economy and $669.90 in Premium one way, including taxes. Both new routes will be summer seasonal until October 26, 2019.
Increased Flight Service
Additionally, Norwegian will increase the frequencies of its Barcelona route to daily service from Newark Liberty International Airport, while the Los Angeles to Barcelona service will increase to six flights weekly. In total, Norwegian now offers five nonstop routes to Barcelona from the United States with flights departing from Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, New York City/Newark, Los Angeles, and Oakland/San Francisco.
Other routes scheduled to increase their frequency this summer include:
- Denver to Paris will increase to three weekly flights, up from twice weekly.
- Fort Lauderdale to Paris will increase to three weekly flights, up from twice weekly.
- Los Angeles to Paris will increase to daily service, up from six weekly.
- Los Angeles to Madrid will increase to four weekly flights, up from three weekly.
- Los Angeles to Rome will increase to four weekly flights, up from three weekly.
- New York to Madrid will increase to daily service, up from four weekly.
- Oakland to Rome will increase to three weekly flights, up from twice weekly.
- Orlando to Paris will increase to twice weekly service, up from once weekly.
Staying Connected
Norwegian is not only offering American travelers several new ways to reach Europe, but it is also helping them stay connected during the long trip. Norwegian became the first carrier to offer free WiFi on all European routes in 2011 and the first European airline to successfully offer live television in the skies in 2015. Now, as the first low-cost carrier to introduce free WiFi on intercontinental flights, Norwegian customers will be able to stay connected with the rollout of basic and premium high-speed WiFi connectivity on the carrier’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and 737 MAX aircraft.
Norwegian Economy and Premium customers on these aircraft will have the choice of two inflight WiFi packages: Basic and Premium. The Basic option is free and will allow customers to browse the web, stay-up-to-date on social media, send and receive emails and instant messages with friends, family and colleagues by using their personal mobile phones, tablets and laptops on board for the full length of the flight. Fast enough to stream music, movies and television shows on Netflix, YouTube and Hulu among others, Norwegian will offer passengers a Premium high-speed WiFi option with prices starting at $14.95 for a 3-hour package.
Honoring Icons
Since Norwegian’s first aircraft took to the skies in 2002, the airline has always honored iconic figures on the tails of its aircraft, celebrating personalities who symbolize the spirit of pushing boundaries, challenging the norm and inspiring others. The newest figure to grace the tail fin of a Norwegian aircraft is Harvey Milk, making his debut in time for Pride Month in June. As one of the world’s first openly gay officials and a well-known civil rights activist, Milk’s election in 1977 to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors made history. The Harvey Milk aircraft is more than a flying tribute. It is fitted with custom art that depicts the brave life Harvey led so that customers on board will not only see his name but also understand and connect to his life’s work. Norwegian will also support the Harvey Milk Foundation’s annual diversity and inclusion efforts and collaborate to identify how Norwegian can become a stronger advocate for equality, understanding, and inclusion through its workforce.
For more information, visit norwegian.com. To keep up with other airline industry news and updates, click here.
