LATVIA: Primera Air To Commence Low Fare Transatlantic Flights

When Norwegian Air Shuttle launched its first flights between London and New York in 2013 with one-way fares sometimes as low as $99, it upended a market that until then had been dominated by legacy airlines charging four to five times as much.

How did it manage to undercut the competition? By utilizing new, fuel-efficient aircraft, such as the Boeing 787 and more recently, the Boeing 737 Max; by charging extra for almost everything, from meals to checked bags to assigned seats; by offering low transatlantic fares; and by aggressive expansion.

Now, Primera Air, which will begin offering service between Boston and New York (Newark) and London, Birmingham, England and Paris this spring, hopes to succeed by using the very same strategy.

Initially, Primera Air, which began life as JetX in Iceland, operated charter flights for major Scandinavian tour operators. But the airline gradually started selling surplus seats as flight-only tickets on some of its fixed charter flights.

Primera Air continued to increase both the number of routes and flight frequency, resulting in a mixed charter/scheduled carrier business model.

Since those early days, the airline has turned its business model upside down, according to Anastasija Višņakova, Primera’s vice president and chief commercial officer. The majority of its flights are now scheduled.

The carrier has already shown it intends to be aggressive, announcing its plans to expand by offering flights between Europe and Canada before it’s even acquired its first aircraft capable of transatlantic flights.

We plan a fast-paced expansion, said Visņakova. This is the way to go – very aggressive.

Primera is the third airline with Nordic roots to offer low-cost transatlantic service. Like WOW, it traces its roots back to Iceland. And like Norwegian, it promises to provide nonstop service across the Atlantic, as opposed to WOW flights that require a stop in Reykjavik.

Maybe there’s something in the air to explain why Nordic-based carriers have entered the low-fare transatlantic market, Visņakova said.

Or, more likely, it’s what Visņakova described as a revolution in aircraft design, with the introduction of the Airbus 321 NEO and the Boeing 737 MAX. Both aircraft offer a range that makes intercontinental flights possible.

Primera will launch its transatlantic service using the Airbus321 NEO, the first of which is due to arrive in early 2018. By year’s end, the airline plans to have eight A321 NEOs, including two long-range variants.

On board, there are 198 seats in three cabins. The standard economy seat pitch is 30 inches. There is also an Economy Comfort cabin offering 32 inches and 16 Premium Economy seats in a 2-2 layout with a pitch of 49 inches.

There is no in-flight entertainment system, but Wi-Fi is free and there are power ports available throughout the aircraft.

The airline also has an order for 10 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and is scheduled to be the launch customer for the new aircraft in 2019. Visņakova said the airline expects to eventually expand its fleet of 737 MAX9s to 20 aircraft.

While they would appear to be direct competitors, Norwegian and Primera have slightly different strategies.

With both carriers offer ultra-low fares for bare-bones service, they differ in how they deploy their aircraft.

Norwegian flies its single-aisle 737 MAX8 aircraft, with a seating capacity of 189 passengers, from secondary markets in the US, such as Providence, R.I., Hartford, Conn. and Newburgh, N.Y., to Ireland and Scotland, as well as seasonal service to Norway and Northern Ireland.

Primera, on the other hand, will fly directly from Boston and New York’s Newark to the United Kingdom and Paris, a decision, Visņakova said, that will give the airline a competitive advantage.

In London, however, Primera will base its flights from Stansted Airport, rather than more popular Heathrow or Gatwick.

Visņakova said Stansted gives the carrier the opportunity to grow its UK operations as opposed to already crowded Heathrow and Gatwick. She said Stansted was also located in an attractive catchment area, with industries and education facilities similar to those located in Boston and New York.

We’re in this for the long haul, said Višņakova, explaining one of the reasons behind the decision to establish a base in Stansted. The airline is looking to the future, she commented.

And Visņakova sees a growing opportunity in Birmingham, as other carriers have announced they’re suspending service to England’s second largest city. Birmingham booking numbers are very, very good, she said.

Visņakova said bookings so far exceed the airline’s expectations. We’ve had a great reception in Europe and an increasingly warm reception in the US, she said.

She said the carrier is relying mostly on online marketing to get the word out about its service in the US. It must be working: Visņakova said between 60 and 65 percent of current bookings are coming from the US.


Tourism Observer

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airline Luxurious Suite

If you’ve ever dreamed of flying at the height of luxury on Singapore Airline’s legendary first class suite, the month of August presents an extremely rare opportunity to do so at an affordable price.

From now until Aug. 23, Norwegian Air will operate one of its daily London Gatwick to New York JFK routes on a leased A380 jumbo jet that formerly belonged to Singapore Airlines.

That means that some passengers who book seats in its premium cabin will get a mega upgrade, elevating their experience from the extended legroom and amenities of a normal Norwegian premium ticket to a private suite with lie-flat beds.

Singapore’s premium product is recognized by many as the best in the industry, so flying it for just over $600 one-way is a steal.

Why is a low-cost airline known for its hyper-efficient aircraft operating a route on the four engine A380 super jumbo jet?

Like several other major transatlantic carriers, Norwegian has been heavily affected by the engine problems of some Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

This issue with the Rolls Royce-manufactured Trent 1000 engine has caused airlines to create workarounds while their aircrafts are inspected for safety.

In the case of Norwegian, the airline has entered a wet-lease contract with an airline called Hi Fly, which has a business model of providing a fully-equipped aircraft—crew, maintenance, insurance and all—when an airline cannot operate a route on its own aircraft and doesn’t want to cancel flights.

Hi Fly operates all manner of aircraft, and it acquired the 12-year-old A380 it is using on this route in July.

Amenities and aircraft configuration on these wet-leased flights can differ significantly from what are advertised on Norwegian’s website at the time of booking.

But in this particular case, that divergence could be a win for passengers. Even those who don’t end up in the suites will find the business class cabin a notable upgrade compared to Norwegian’s premium economy product.

According to a statement from Norwegian given to The Points Guy, the aircraft will be used on its evening London-New York and overnight New York-London services.

In the booking portal on Norwegian’s website, you should see - Operated by Hi Fly where you’d normally see the aircraft type.

So what are the odds of snagging a suite after purchasing a premium ticket?

Rather than allowing customers to choose between the 12 first class suites or 60 lie-flat business class seats, they all cost the same, and Norwegian is randomly allocating the suites to premium passengers, according to reports.

So if you buy a premium ticket on one of the A380s, you have a 16.67% chance of getting seated in the first class cabin, according to aviation blogger Sam Chui, and you’re guaranteed to at least get a lie-flat seat.


Tourism Observer

NORWAY: Norwegian Air Expanding So Fast

Fast-growing, low-cost European carrier Norwegian just announced four more new U.S. routes coming in 2018, leading some to wonder if the ambitious airline is growing too fast for its own good.

The company’s latest plans include new service from Los Angeles to Milan Malpensa; and from LAX to Madrid beginning July 15.

It will operate four flights a week on both routes. From New York JFK, Norwegian will operate new service to Amsterdam starting May 7, with four weekly flights; and to Madrid July 18, with three flights a week. All the new routes will be served with 787-9s.

No-frills fare, high fee fares from LAX will start at $229 one-way, while New York fares will begin at $199 to Amsterdam and $229 to Madrid.

Premium cabin fares start at $729 and $739 from LAX to Madrid and Milan respectively, and at $619/$649 to Amsterdam and Madrid from JFK.

These four routes are just a part of new Norwegian service already announced for 2018.

Other new routes and starting dates include Oakland to Rome; Newark to Paris; Chicago to London; Austin to London; Denver to Paris; Oakland to Paris, and Boston to Paris;

All that is on top of 25 U.S. routes that the carrier inaugurated in 2017. And look for more new service in the months ahead: Norwegian said it has just acquired another 28 weekly takeoff and landing slots at London Gatwick, available starting next summer.

Planning work is now underway to allocate the newly acquired slots, and will be announced at a later stage, the company said.

This explosive growth is leading some investors in the company to worry that the airline might be overextending itself, considering its financial performance.

Norwegian’s fleet added 32 aircraft in 2017, for a total of 145; and will keep growing to 193 planes by the end of 2019.

The report said Norwegian had a second-quarter operating loss of $104 million, while its unit costs rose by 6 percent in the third quarter.

The company’s share price has plunged 40 percent this year, the report said, while its European competitors’ stock has been rising sharply.

Norwegian has new aircraft coming online so fast that it can’t absorb them all, so it has started leasing some to other companies and selling older ones.

It also quoted a senior banker in Norway as saying that Norwegian is in trouble. They are over-extended and it’s clear that they have to do something.

Have you flown Norwegian or benefitted from its impact on transatlantic fares this year? Say something here


Tourism Observer

DENMARK: Primera Air Orders First Long-range A321neo Narrow-body Plane

Primera Air, a specialist in holiday flights from Denmark run by Icelander Hrafn Thorgeirsson, aims to take delivery of the first long-range version of the A321neo narrow-body plane in October and use the extra miles to offer trans-Atlantic flights that are normally the preserve of larger twin-aisle aircraft.

Primera isn’t alone in targeting the low-cost long-haul market from Europe’s far north.

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA has pioneered heavily discounted U.S. flights with a fleet of Boeing 787s and is also a future customer for the Airbus LR model, while Wow Air Ehf specializes in transporting cash-conscious travelers prepared to change planes in Reykjavik en route to North America.

In all three cases the airlines have looked south to find a market. Primera commenced flights from London Stansted to Newark last month and will also operate from Paris and Birmingham, with services to Boston, Toronto and Washington.

Norwegian has a major base at London Gatwick and also operates 787s from Barcelona, Paris and Rome, as well as deploying single-aisle 737s at the limits of their range from Britain and Ireland to the eastern US. Wow connects 21 European locations with 15 in the US and Canada via Iceland.

Thorgeirsson said the airlines are being forced to look beyond their Nordic heartlands partly as a result of subdued demand at home, drawing parallels with the economic pressures that stoked the Viking invasions of northwest Europe more than a thousand years ago.

It’s stagnant, the chief executive said. The number of charter passengers out of Denmark is almost unchanged over the last five years, and that’s true across Scandinavia.

We saw the same thing in 800 AD. Norway became overpopulated and because of inheritance laws only the oldest sons could inherit. So they started sailing in their long-ships to Ireland, England, Scotland and France.

Stansted alone has a catchment area of 26 million people, according to Primera, which has established a headquarters in Riga, Latvia, to minimize costs.

That’s about the same as the combined populations of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Larger airlines are awake to the threat, and have begun operating their own lower-cost inter-continental services.

At the same time, the challenge of funding trans-Atlantic operations may push the fledgling operators into the arms of rivals.

Norwegian, struggling with a stretched balance sheet from hundreds of jet orders, has had at least two takeover approaches from British Airways owner IAG SA, while Wow CEO Skuli Mogensen says his company may seek an industry investor or initial public offering to finance direct Europe-U.S. flights and services to Asia.

Primera’s two A321LRs, equipped with extra fuel tanks to give a 4,000 nautical-mile range that’s the longest for any current single-aisle model, will be sourced from U.S. lessor AerCap Holdings NV in order to gain first-mover advantage.

From 2019 the fleet will also be swelled with as many as 20 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets.

For a small carrier like us it’s vital to get a head start, Mr Thorgeirsson said.

The low-cost market across the Atlantic is just going to grow. People are unsure about it but that was the same 25 years ago when Ryanair and EasyJet started.

As a consumer, if I think the product is safe, comfortable and accessible and goes to the right airports, I’m going to go with the best price.


Tourism Observer

USA: Norwegian’s First 737 MAX Delivery Postponed

Boeing has postponed the delivery to Norwegian Air Shuttle of its first 737 MAX 8, originally set on June 13. This is the third delay experienced by the low-cost carrier, which was expecting to receive its first MAX in late May.

While the reasons behind the decision were not disclosed, the initial delivery date was postponed due to quality control issues found on the CFM International LEAP-1B engines earlier this month.

These issues halted the flights of its 737 MAX fleet during three days, slipping by one day the delivery to Malindo Air, which took place on May 19.

Norwegian’s inaugural 737 MAX flight was supposed to take place on June 15th from Edinburgh to Stewart International Airport in New York. However, the new delivery date has now been set “to the end of June.” The inaugural flight and initial flights between Edinburgh and Stewart originally planned to be operated by the MAX, will be now be served with a Boeing 737-800.

The ETOPS 737-800s will be limited to a payload capacity of 150 passengers, below the 189 passenger capacity of the MAX. According to Norwegian, none of the initial flights have been booked over 150 passengers, so no there’s no raccommodation of passengers.

In a statement, Norwegian said ““Boeing has informed us that the delivery of our first 737 MAX is postponed until the end of June. This will not affect our operation or our passengers, as the upcoming launch of transatlantic routes between the U.S. East Coast and Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Norway will be operated by another aircraft type.”

Boeing later issued its own statement, “On occasion delivery processes runs into minor issues – whether for maintenance or other reasons. In this case, we and our customer decided to reschedule this delivery in order to resolve a minor technical issue. We fully expect to deliver later this month and look forward to the MAX entering revenue service with Norwegian.”

Norwegian plans to receive six 737 MAX 8 in 2017. Of these, four will be based in Stewart and two in T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island.

The main celebrations will be at Stewart on the 15th and Providence on the 16th as it kicks off several new routes from these two airports. The new routes of the long-haul low-cost European carrier from Providence to Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh and Shannon are the first-ever year-round European routes for Rhode Island’s largest airport.

From Stewart, Norwegian will be the first carrier to provide European service with four routes to Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh and Shannon.

Norwegian will also operate one route from Bradley, New England’s second largest airport, to Edinburgh.

Norwegian also has more than 20 Dreamliners on order, which will be used to fuel the carrier’s expansion to main US cities. London flights from Denver and Seattle will begin in September, and flights to Rome from Los Angeles and Newark will start in November. Flights from Oakland to Rome will start in February 2018.

As these Dreamliners join the fleet, Norwegian is considering new European destinations from the USA. Madrid, Amsterdam and a German city like Dusseldorf, Munich or Berlin, and has plans for seasonal services to Budapest and Prague.

The European expansion from the United States does not end there. Norwegian believes that the 737 MAX and the Airbus A321LR open up a plethora of new opportunities and destinations, enabling the airline to launch unserved routes that would not be profitable with the Dreamliner, but suitable for a narrowbody.

Norwegian is seeking to deploy its MAX fleet to Nice, Lyon and other cities in France from the northeastern U.S.

Next week, Norwegian will start serving Barcelona from the United States. According to the airline, booking has been “really good.” Paris and London have also been performing well, with booking well over 90%.

NORWAY: Norwegian Air To resume Guadeloupe Islands Flights

Norwegian Air will resume its seasonal winter service to the Guadeloupe Islands for a third consecutive season. Nonstop flights from New York (JFK), Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Providence (PVD) to Guadeloupe (PTP) will begin on October 29th 2017.

Service will be significantly increased out of New York with six weekly flights (everyday but Wednesday). Flights will operate three times a week out of Fort Lauderdale and twice weekly out of Providence to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.

Tickets are now available for purchase at norwegian.com/us with fares as low as $79 one-way, taxes included.


New York (JFK): EVERY DAY BUT WEDNESDAYS – Departure time JFK – PTP: 2:10 pm
Fort Lauderdale (FLL): Tues. Thur. and Sat. – Departure time FLL – PTP: 3:35 pm
Providence (PVD): Thur. and Sun. – Departure time: 4:55 pm

S7 Airlines and Cyprus Airways have concluded an agreement for the performance of codeshare flights.

Now, passengers of S7 Airlines will be able to travel by codeshare flights of S7 Airlines and Cyprus Airlines from Saint Petersburg to Larnaca. The flights will be performed beginning from 8 June 2017 three times a week.

On Wednesdays and Fridays, the flights will depart from the Pulkovo airport at 05:05 and arrive at the Larnaca airport — at 09:45, on Sundays — departure at 01:50, arrival — at 06:30.

The flights from Larnaca will depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 20:10 and arrive in Saint Petersburg at 00:55.

This schedule will be convenient for passengers from Saint Petersburg travelling to Cyprus for a vacation.

An early arrival at the Larnaca airport and evening departure to Saint Petersburg will allow the passengers to get the most of their time in Cyrpus, without losing the day of departure and arrival.

The concluded codeshare agreement will also enable passengers from Saint Petersburg to travel to the Greek Islands of Rhodes or Crete with a connection at the Larnaca airport, the hub of Cyprus Airways.

The flights will be performed on the Airbus A319 modern aircraft of the Cyrprus Airways fleet. The aircraft is designed to carry 144 passengers in a comfortable economy class cabin.

The Icelandic airline WOW, on June 2, 2017, launched a direct route linking Reykjavik with Belgian capital, Brussels.

WOW flies from Reykjavik to Brussels seven times a week. Passengers will board an A321 aircraft for a flight that lasts 3 hour and 30 minutes. Roundtrip ticket prices start at 190$ including airport fees and transaction costs.

WOW air is a low-fare, long-haul airline based in Iceland. The airline was founded in November 2011 and serves 33 destinations across Europe, North America and Asia.

easyJet Launches Tours

easyJet has launched a new partnership offering customers tours and excursions alongside its low air fares.

In partnership with Get Your Guide, easyJet will offer customers more than 16,000 activities across Europe including destination tours and excursions via a dedicated site.

Activities will also be featured within the easyJet app and through the partnership easyJet has negotiated exclusive offers for its customers.

All tastes are catered for from fast track entry to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, an ancient Rome walking tour to tickets to Harry Potter world at the Warner Bros studios near London all covered by a best price guarantee.

There have now been more than 20 million downloads of the easyJet app and for its users the tours will be completely integrated - allowing customers to browse the best options after booking a flight.

For ultimate ease, most of the tickets are paperless, so customers simply scan a QR code at the tour or activity to gain entry.

Push notifications will also act as a reminder of the booking.

Andrew Middleton, head of ancillary revenue for easyJet, commented: “We are excited to bring together easyJet’s low fares and award-winning digital platforms with GetYourGuide’s comprehensive range of activities to help our customers get the most out of exploring Europe.”

easyJet tours and activities is available to book now, on the app, after flight confirmation, or via the dedicated site - activities.easyJet.com at any time.

Tao Tao, chief operating officer, GetYourGuide, added: “Travel tours and activities are one of the main reasons people book flights, which is why it makes so much sense for GetYourGuide and easyJet to become travel partners.

“By joining forces, we now provide easyJet travellers with an easy way to book amazing experiences both before they go or when they are in destination.

“GetYourGuide looks forward to innovate with easyJet to provide their customers’ with the best travel experiences.”

The Norwegian Group board of directors has approved the launch of Norwegian Air Argentina’s plans of operation.

The commencement of routes is dependent on government approvals.

Ole Christian Melhus, chief executive, Norwegian Air Argentina said: “Argentina is an interesting market with great potential that fits Norwegian’s global strategy very well, combining affordable domestic and international flights.

“I am looking forward to continue working on realizing our plans of establishing new bases, hiring many new colleagues in Argentina and not least offering low fares to the people.

“We have been very well received by Argentinian authorities and look forward to a fruitful relationship going forward.”

The Norwegian Group established an Argentinian subsidiary in January 2017 and has applied for an Argentinian Air Operator’s Certificate, which is currently pending approval before the Argentinian government.

In the application, Norwegian outlines plans for a considerable operation, including domestic and international flights.

Following the board’s approval, Norwegian will immediately begin to hire administrative staff in Argentina. Recruitment of crew will commence in late summer.

Pending government approval, the first new routes will be announced and available for sale by year-end 2017.

NORWAY: Norwegian Launches Cheapest Transatlantic Flights

Norwegian Air has now opened the sale for its Boeing 737 MAX transatlantic service at an introductory sale of $65 one-way, including taxes.

This summer, the airline expects to launch 10 new routes from Stewart International Airport, north of New York City; T.F. Green Airport in Providence, RI; and Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT, to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The new routes of the long-haul low-cost European carrier from Providence to Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh and Shannon are the first-ever year-round European routes for Rhode Island’s largest airport. From Stewart, New York’s Hudson Valley airport, Norwegian will be the first carrier to provide European service with four routes to Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh and Shannon. Norwegian will also operate one route from Bradley, New England’s second largest airport, to Edinburgh.

Year-round service to Edinburgh from Stewart International Airport will operate daily beginning June 15 for the summer season and thrice weekly during the winter season; from Providence, flights will operate four times a week starting June 16 and twice weekly during the winter season; from Hartford, flights will operate thrice weekly beginning June 17, and twice weekly during the winter season. Days of operations will change between summer 2017 and winter season 2017/2018.

Service to Belfast from Stewart International Airport will be thrice weekly during summer and twice weekly during winter as of July 1; twice weekly from Providence as of July 2 during summer. Days of operations will change between summer 2017 and winter season 2017/2018.

Service to Dublin from Stewart International Airport begins on July 1 with daily flights during the summer and thrice weekly during the winter seasons; and from Providence, flights will operate five weekly flights starting July 2 during the summer and thrice weekly during winter. Days of operations from Providence will change between summer 2017 and winter season 2017/2018.

Service to Shannon from Stewart International Airport will begin on July 2 with twice-weekly flights, and from Providence on July 3 with twice-weekly flights. Days of operations will change between summer 2017 and winter season 2017/2018.

Year-round service to Cork from Providence will start on July 1 with three weekly flights during summer and a twice-weekly service during winter season. Days of operations will change between summer 2017 and winter season 2017/2018.
Summer season ends on October 28, and winter season 2017/2018 commences October 29.

“Our new, non-stop service will enable tens of thousands of new travelers to fly between the continents much more comfortably and affordably,” Bjørn Kjos, CEO and Founder of Norwegian, said in a statement.

According to Norwegian, these new transatlantic routes will be operated by the carrier’s Irish subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, and will predominantly use US-based crew from two new bases at T.F. Green and Stewart airports. Norwegian will also employ a crew from the new Edinburgh base in the UK.