Norwegian AS -- No long haul until at least March 2021

[FlyerTalker]

For those fans of Norwegian, here is info from their latest presentation:

 

https://insideflyer.com/2020/04/norwegian-to-ditch-long-haul-flying-until-march-2021/

 

Highlights relevant to USA flyers include:

 

Schedule contraction to operating only 7 aircraft for Nordic destinations through 2020 and early 2021

Planned focus operation at Gatwick to selected "high-density" destinations in the USA

Gradual ramp-up, with full operations not forecast until 2022

 

Full presentation available through the above link.

Edited April 29, 2020 by FlyerTalker

[nevertolate]

 

20 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

For those fans of Norwegian, here is info from their latest presentation:

 

https://insideflyer.com/2020/04/norwegian-to-ditch-long-haul-flying-until-march-2021/

 

Highlights relevant to USA flyers include:

 

Schedule contraction to operating only 7 aircraft for Nordic destinations through 2020 and early 2021

Planned focus operation at Gatwick to selected "high-density" destinations in the USA

Gradual ramp-up, with full operations not forecast until 2022

 

Full presentation available through the above link.

 

[nevertolate]

My nephew who fly for Norwegian airlines Uk to USA was told he as lost his job as they are not fly anymore to UK and USA even after the Coronavirus.

 

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, nevertolate said:

My nephew who fly for Norwegian airlines Uk to USA was told he as lost his job as they are not fly anymore to UK and USA even after the Coronavirus.

 

Well, this is from page 43 of their presentation:

 

Focus on top-tier cities and key flows between the EU and the US where Norwegian has inherent strengths in terms of scale and existing presence, e.g. LGW, JFK and LAX

 

 

[iancal]

We do a fair amount of flying on the LCCs in Asia/Australia during the winter months and in Europe during the fall.  We fear that many of them will not be around when we start returning to those countries and that fares will be double and triple what they have been (and routes trimmed) in the past because of the supply curves.

Edited May 3, 2020 by iancal

[SelectSys]

On 4/29/2020 at 10:37 AM, FlyerTalker said:

For those fans of Norwegian, here is info from their latest presentation:

 

https://insideflyer.com/2020/04/norwegian-to-ditch-long-haul-flying-until-march-2021/

 

Highlights relevant to USA flyers include:

 

Schedule contraction to operating only 7 aircraft for Nordic destinations through 2020 and early 2021

Planned focus operation at Gatwick to selected "high-density" destinations in the USA

Gradual ramp-up, with full operations not forecast until 2022

 

Full presentation available through the above link.

 

Thanks for the link.  Looks like the Norwegian government is going to bail them out and allow them to continue on as a viable entity.  Amazingly, I got a refund for a LAX-CDG ticket that was cancelled right after the travel ban went into effect.  I thought it was going to be a total loss, but I got my refund. Thanks taxpayers of Norway for your generosity!

 

I was happy to see that LAX remains part of their long term plans.  While we have many Norwegian "haters" on this site, my own experience with them has been great in terms of value for service provided.

 

23 hours ago, iancal said:

We do a fair amount of flying on the LCCs in Asia/Australia during the winter months and in Europe during the fall.  We fear that many of them will not be around when we start returning to those countries and that fares will be double and triple what they have been (and routes trimmed) in the past because of the supply curves.

 

I agree.  I am expecting that fares will go up with reduced competition and frequency of service.   I am not really expecting great deals once the COVID travel bans are lifted as all provider costs will be higher.

[FlyerTalker]

5 hours ago, SelectSys said:

Thanks for the link.  Looks like the Norwegian government is going to bail them out and allow them to continue on as a viable entity.  Amazingly, I got a refund for a LAX-CDG ticket that was cancelled right after the travel ban went into effect.  I thought it was going to be a total loss, but I got my refund. Thanks taxpayers of Norway for your generosity!

 

Hold the celebration.

 

There are four main tranches of bondholders - three have voted to OK the debt-equity swap proposals.  However, one was below the required threshold.  Norwegian is attempting another try.  Story from Reuters:

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-norwegianair/norwegian-air-bondholders-reject-debt-plan-in-setback-for-survival-hopes-idUSKBN22D4NH

 

From the article:  "Currently Norwegian Air is only paying invoices vital to maintaining minimum operations, such as salaries for staff still employed and critical IT infrastructure. It has put payments for ground handling, debt and leases on hold."

 

[SelectSys]

19 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Hold the celebration.

 

There are four main tranches of bondholders - three have voted to OK the debt-equity swap proposals.  However, one was below the required threshold.  Norwegian is attempting another try.  Story from Reuters:

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-norwegianair/norwegian-air-bondholders-reject-debt-plan-in-setback-for-survival-hopes-idUSKBN22D4NH

 

From the article:  "Currently Norwegian Air is only paying invoices vital to maintaining minimum operations, such as salaries for staff still employed and critical IT infrastructure. It has put payments for ground handling, debt and leases on hold."

 

 

At this point I am only celebrating my refund.  My only comment regarding the future was that I am happy to see LAX remains in their plans.   The only thing that is keeping any airline alive at this point are infusions of government money.  I see Air France got 7.0 billion euro in state aid.

[skings]

Just to update my Norwegian story. Received full refund from them last week, 30 days from my scheduled flight. I have notified my credit card that they need to return it to sender because already received funds on disputed charge. 

[hallasm]

Norwegian air now has the Chinese state as the new major owner. Lessors including China’s BOC Aviation are now the biggest shareholders in Norwegian Air.

Major lessor Aercap now holds a 15.9% stake while China’s BOC Aviation Limited has 12.67% after converting lease obligations into shares.

BOC Aviation is ultimately owned by the Chinese government, via a series of other companies including Bank of China.
Link to Reuters

[Fairgarth]

The Norwegian Government has refused any further financial aid for Norwegian Air.  The airline has gone from 10,000 employees down to 600 and from 100+ aircraft down to six.  They only fly domestic routes within Norway right now.  They can't survive.

[hallasm]

Message to Oslo Stock Exchange (full release)

As part of a structured reorganisation plan, Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (“Norwegian” or the “Company”) has decided to initiate an examinership process in Ireland relating to its subsidiary Norwegian Air International Limited (NAI), its wholly-owned asset company Arctic Aviation Assets DAC (AAA) and some of AAA’s subsidiaries; NAS will also enter in and get protection of the Irish Examinership process as a related party. Norwegian has chosen an Irish process since its aircraft assets are held in Ireland. Norwegian has taken this decision in the interest of its stakeholders.

[SelectSys]

Sad - I really liked what they tried to do.  What an amazing run of bad luck first with aircraft and then with COVID.  I wonder who will pick up their fleet as it is quite modern.

[clo]

On 11/18/2020 at 7:22 PM, SelectSys said:

Sad - I really liked what they tried to do.  What an amazing run of bad luck first with aircraft and then with COVID.  I wonder who will pick up their fleet as it is quite modern.

We flew them twice RT to Europe in their business-equivalent section and it was super and so well priced. But, yeah, their time is terrible.

[SelectSys]

39 minutes ago, clo said:

We flew them twice RT to Europe in their business-equivalent section and it was super and so well priced. But, yeah, their time is terrible.

 

I believe someone will come back.  Their service from Los Angeles was pretty darn good and made Europe extremely affordable - assuming you didn't care about real high end service.  I was able to buy their premium cabin for non-stop flights for the same price as the legacy carrier's coach price at times.

[FlyerTalker]

40 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

I believe someone will come back.  Their service from Los Angeles was pretty darn good and made Europe extremely affordable - assuming you didn't care about real high end service.  I was able to buy their premium cabin for non-stop flights for the same price as the legacy carrier's coach price at times.

 

If you don't mind being crammed in like a sardine, French Bee offers highly discounted flights from SFO.  TAP is another source for discounted business class tickets via LIS from SFO.

[SelectSys]

15 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

If you don't mind being crammed in like a sardine, French Bee offers highly discounted flights from SFO.  TAP is another source for discounted business class tickets via LIS from SFO.

 

I will go to LAX or TIJ to save money but never any further.  I am also not keen to get crammed on another French airline.  I once flew LAX to PPT on the now defunct AOM French Airlines in their economy and discovered the limits of what it means to be crammed into the cabin.  I was much younger then and in better shape.  No way I want to do it now.

 

I think that someone will pick up the torch again and try the Norwegian plan again for transatlantic travel.  Maybe not tomorrow, but sometime...  Between all the 787, MAX and COVID issues it seems Norwegian didn't really get a fair chance to prove their model could work.

 

Amazingly I got a Norwegian refund for a flight cancelled last March between LAX and CDG.  Even more amazing, perhaps, is that their web site shows I can book this trip again for this coming March!  I guess they are still trying to make a go of it.

 

 

[Fairgarth]

Today's news from Norwegian is that their long-haul aircraft will never fly again.  They are firing hundreds of employees across Europe and will try to continue as short-haul only.

[clo]

4 hours ago, Fairgarth said:

Today's news from Norwegian is that their long-haul aircraft will never fly again.  They are firing hundreds of employees across Europe and will try to continue as short-haul only.

I just got that email also. Lots of bad timing. We flew their business-equivalent a couple of times and liked it and the price very much. But I had already decided not to fly them again as their financial status was just too weak.

[fbgd]

On 12/3/2020 at 7:33 PM, clo said:

We flew them twice RT to Europe in their business-equivalent section and it was super and so well priced. But, yeah, their time is terrible.

 

Not sure I'd call their front cabin "business equivalent"....maybe equivalent of the 1980s/1990s...

[clo]

11 hours ago, fbgd said:

 

Not sure I'd call their front cabin "business equivalent"....maybe equivalent of the 1980s/1990s...

I know 🙂 But far better than their back. I can't remember what it was called. And we had friends who had flown it and recommended the first row on the right. While they didn't recline all the way it was decent and I seem to remember the food was also. And WAY less $$$.