Norwegian has increased its numbers by 12 percent compared to this time last year. They have increased the load per trip as well as number of customers. The load factor was up 90 percent, with an increase of passengers of 50 percent for their long haul routes.
Over the last two years since Norwegian launched their lower fare long haul flights to the US, they have experienced steady growth. For those passengers that prefer to pay for bare bones flights, Norwegian has some of the best prices out there. The budge airline has managed to significantly creep into Virgin and British Airway’s dominance over the London to New York routes, and continue to do the same with the Los Angeles, Boston, and Las Vegas routes.
This past summer Norwegian was dealt a minor blow as the US Department of Transportation rejected their temporary order to allow their UK subsidiary to fly to the United States, but they have not rejected their long-term request. Spokespeople for DOT have said they want to take the time to make a fair and appropriate decision.
With the proposed route from the US to Edinburgh next year, Norwegian has showed very few signs of slowing their growth, and yet managing to keep their costs down. Most of the reviews from passengers with Norwegian are good, with one exception, the concern of the timeliness of their flights. They are currently at 79 percent, which is ok, but for those that have connections, this can mean the difference when booking with Norwegian or booking with someone else.