Hello from New York! I’m fresh off a flight on a Norse Atlantic 787 from London Gatwick to New York JFK. I was originally going to fly here in Virgin Atlantic’s swanky A330neo Upper Class, though unfortunately last minute had to move things round. I was able to pick up a ticket in Norse Atlantic premium class, which I was also excited to review.
Norse Atlantic is known for being an ultra-low cost carrier flying major transatlantic routes. Given that I was going in expecting this, I was surprised that this felt congruent to an average premium economy class product. I didn’t get one of the product’s cheapest fares (I snagged a £706 one-way fare with baggage three days before departure), though the product is priced quite similarly to a premium economy class product on British Airways or Virgin Atlantic, and the product reflected this.
I’m planning to write a full review (after wrapping up reports in my current series where I detail my six-segment journey to Thailand), though in the meantime I figured I’d share some of my initial thoughts.
Norse Atlantic’s Chaotic Check-In
Let’s start with the not-great parts of the experience. Norse Atlantic doesn’t offer online check-in for anybody. Instead, passengers are required to head to the airport from four hours before departure, queue, and drop bags if we had any.
This is the least efficient bit of the process, and could be a pain, especially if you’re not flying Premium. There’s a separate Premium queue with priority check-in, though there was only one dedicated desk. This meant that even though I was third in line, it still took around 15 minutes for me to check-in and get my baggage weighed.
Norse Atlantic’s not-so-efficient check-in at Gatwick
The most shocking bit is that we were the only evening flight out that day – the afternoon flights to JFK, Orlando and LAX all depart at around the same time. I’ve heard reports of people almost missing their flights because of long check-in queues, and gate agents having to “sift through” people within an hour of the flight’s departure time.
To Norse’s credit, their 15 kg carry-on weight limit and 23 kg checked baggage limit is on the generous end for Premium. The airline doesn’t offer priority security for Premium passengers.
Norse Atlantic’s Premium Upsell Technique
We boarded at London Gatwick and entered a “holding” area after our boarding passes were scanned. I found it funny that there were not only posters urging an upsell to Premium, but there was also a sales pitch over the PA system, informing passengers of the “46-inch legroom, more legroom, pillows, spirits, prosecco, and soft drinks”. I think a couple of people did take them up on the offer, but I’m not sure – I’m also not sure how much they were selling Premium seats for at the gate.
Norse Atlantic 787 at Gate Area
Norse Atlantic’s Comfortable 787 Premium Seat and Amenities
Once onboard, I thought that Norse’s Premium cabin was really nice and spacious. Seats were laid out in a 2-3-2 configuration, similar to a premium economy class product on a 787.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Cabin
There was more legroom and recline at each seat than you’d expect in a typical premium economy product (I believe it was 43″, not 46″ as suggested by the gate agent).
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Seat Recline and Legroom
Getting out of my seat when the person in front reclined was a task, and both the aisle seat next to me and the one in front of it were empty. So don’t expect to easily manoeuvre in and out of your window or middle seat inflight, unless you ask the passenger in the aisle to move.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Legroom
I slept really well in this seat, and I’d take this over a premium economy product on hard product alone, due to the extra legroom and recline. There’s also a power port at each seat, which is appreciated.
In terms of amenities, there’s a personal TV that folds out from each seat, which features a fairly basic entertainment system. There are around 100 movies to choose from, and various episodes from ~20 TV shows, though no entire series are uploaded.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class TV
Neither the thin pillow nor fleece blanket were great, though they were better than what I was expecting.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Pillow and Blanket
Meanwhile the earphones provided for watching the PTV were genuinely terrible.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Earphones
Norse’s 787s don’t feature WiFi. That’s a bit of a missed opportunity both in terms of revenue and passenger experience, as their aircraft are all equipped with WiFi – it simply just isn’t turned on. I could see WiFi being a huge upgrade in passenger experience, especially if you’re flying economy.
Norse Atlantic Premium’s Economy-Style Food
Norse Atlantic serves their Premium passengers two meals on this flight (one after takeoff and one before landing), and I felt like the selection was not bad. The first meal service consisted of chicken breast with mashed potatoes and vegetables, and came with a side salad and passionfruit cheesecake for dessert. All of it tasted quite good – it reminded me of a really good economy class meal.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Food
Then before landing we were served a quiche of sorts with two blocks of cheese, which was fine as well (though it was 11:30 PM in New York, so I didn’t fully understand the logic behind the breakfast-style dish).
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Food
Drinks were very limited, only consisting of apple and orange juice, ginger ale, house wine, Carlsberg beer, and water.
There’s a paid selection of food between meals, though some of it was free for Premium passengers (food wise these would’ve only consisted of snacks). I wasn’t actually awake between meal services to try this out, and it’s not available at other points in the flight.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Paid Selection
Service on the flight was warm and friendly. While everything (including drinks runs) was served on trolleys, the crew came around multiple times to offer drinks refills, which I appreciated.
Conclusion: My Flight On Norse Atlantic
This was my first transatlantic premium economy class flight (and my first time in the US), so I don’t have a huge amount to compare it to. That being said, compared to other premium economy products I’ve flown before, I’d say the hard product is above average, whereas the soft product is below average. I’d personally value the hard product more, so would say that Norse’s onboard product is better, all else being equal. WiFi is the greatest loss, and I could see it being a great value-add for a product like this.
While Norse’s economy class is priced at dirt-cheap fares, their Premium class is typically priced in line with the competition. Norse doesn’t have any mileage accrual or redemption opportunities, and the ground experience is substantially worse than premium economy a full-service airline. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both offer 2x 23kg check in bags, whereas Norse only offers one; in addition, both airlines offer online check-in, and Virgin Atlantic has a dedicated bag drop line for premium economy passengers.
So I’d choose whether to fly premium economy on a full-service airline or Norse Premium on a case-by-case basis, though you’ll have a pleasant flight if you’re flying Premium with Norse Atlantic.
Have you flown Norse Atlantic before? How was your experience?