DO NOT fly through Oslo, Norway

[ny4me2]

Just returned from NCL Dawn, Copenhagen to London.  DO NOT - ever - fly through Oslo, Norway.  It was the worst experience ever, causing many to miss their connecting flights, including ourselves.  We have traveled all over the World but let me tell you; We will never fly through Oslo again.  Here is our video to give you an idea.  Simply horrible.  If this saves just one person, it was worth posting. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUaNZkNKF5I

[6rugrats]

You aren't "saving" anyone.  People almost always chose what's cheaper, no matter where they connect,  and this happens in many airports everyday.  When I see this, I just feel sympathy for the agents having to deal with all these unhappy pax, many of whom, IME, will be very abusive to someone trying to help them that certainly did not cause their problem.

 

I'm sorry, but this is really a silly post.  I'm sure many people could have posted videos taken yesterday at the airport where I work, as there were dozens of diversions, cancelations and delays because of the thunderstorms.  I have even better ones I took at my airport this summer.  

 

I wish more people realized that passively standing in line to solve problems is one of the worst choices they can make.  Stand in line if you like, but take advantage of the airline's webpage, phone center or other options to rebook your flight or solve your problems. 

 

I can't think of any flight I would take that would connect through Oslo, but that's what you get with cruise air.

Edited September 8, 2023 by 6rugrats

[FlyerTalker]

Let me guess.....this was part of an NCL air promo?  I bet one of those "buy one, get the second air free" deals that ropes in the unsuspecting who think they are getting a bargain, but end up with crappy itineraries at a price that really doesn't save much (because the first flight is a bit inflated to make the deal sound better).

 

You've traveled all over the world, yet have never run into a long line and missed connections?  What a charmed life so far.

 

The real "saving someone" should be this:  Do your due diligence.  Research just what you are getting and what are your other options.  Don't just go for absolute cheapest. Know your carriers and airports.  Be proactive if there are problems.

 

 

[Globaliser]

3 hours ago, ny4me2 said:

We have traveled all over the World but let me tell you; We will never fly through Oslo again.  Here is our video to give you an idea.  Simply horrible.  If this saves just one person, it was worth posting. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUaNZkNKF5I

 

The video looks like pretty much every airport I've connected through. On a bad day. They all have them.

 

If you really have travelled all over the world, you'll have seen this yourself elsewhere. I've even heard horror stories about Munich! Just the other day, Manchester made headlines here because it was having a bad morning (although all was back to normal by 6.45 am).

[Zach1213]

I've flown through OSL a few times...Bergen-Oslo-London, Trondheim-Oslo-Brussels, and...one other route I forget. Anyways, I have always had really easy, relaxed experiences. Sorry to hear you had a rough one, that can (and does) happen at any airport. 

[ny4me2]

Sadly the replies here, really miss the point and the facts. Lines that are hours long to simply clear customs are an almost daily occurance according to the passport people I spoke to. There was no weather or any other extraordinary event. We did not have a cheap ticket and would never book anything through a cruise line. Further Norway made money from this, as Norwegian Air simply cancelled our ticket as we were no show, and we had to buy a new ticket at a really high $$ "last minute" fare to be able to get out of Norway. Many others were at the counter with the same predicament.

 

As for my experience, I'm 81 and have lived in Spain, Germany, Brazil and other countries, and although most of my time has been in the US, I've traveled throughout the US, all of South America, and most of Europe. Have there been frustrating times at airports? Of course. From experience I usually know or will question the reason for the problem. In this case the answer provided by several employees was that this is very common at THIS airport, and happens many days each week.

 

Really !! Have you seen lines where there was no place to sit, have you watched the video which couldn't even show the whole length of the line? The ONLY REASON FOR THIS 3 hour standing line is the lack of sufficient personnel to handle the number of non EU passengers coming through THIS airport.

Edited September 8, 2023 by ny4me2

[6rugrats]

You did not list any facts in your post; just a video and a complaint.

 

Yes, I have seen lines where there are no places to sit; every single airport I've been in had no places to sit at immigration and customs.  Last month I went through CDG and waiting at the gate was terrible; no seats, so crowded you couldn't move.  And, people so rude they would not give up their seat to my 85 year old traveling companion.  Unfortunately, this is how it is sometimes.

 

And, this happens at US airports also.  At the airport where I work, CBP is constantly understaffed at passport control, and almost every day I work arrivals in the facility for those pax with connecting flights, people miss their connections because they are held up waiting to clear immigration.  It's especially bad for non-US citizens.

 

My airline will rebook you at no fee if you are held up, but most low cost carriers are going to charge you.

 

Air travel is not for the faint of heart.

Edited September 8, 2023 by 6rugrats

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, ny4me2 said:

Lines that are hours long to simply clear customs are an almost daily occurance according to the passport people I spoke to.

Hours to clear the Red/Green door system? Or the Immigration/Passport checkpoint?

[ny4me2]

Sadly the replies here, really miss the point and the facts. Lines that are hours long to simply clear customs are an almost daily occurance according to the passport people I spoke to. There was no weather or any other extraordinary event. We did not have a cheap ticket and would never book anything through a cruise line. Further Norway made money from this, as Norwegian Air simply cancelled our ticket as we were no show, and we had to buy a new ticket at a really high $$ "last minute" fare to be able to get out of Norway. Many others were at the counter with the same predicament.

 

As for my experience, I'm 81 and have lived in Spain, Germany, Brazil and other countries, and although most of my time has been in the US, I've traveled throughout the US, all of South America, and most of Europe. Have there been frustrating times at airports? Of course. From experience I usually know or will question the reason for the problem. In this case the answer provided by several employees was that this is very common at THIS airport, and happens many days each week.

 

Really !! Have you seen lines where there was no place to sit, have you watched the video which couldn't even show the whole length of the line? The ONLY REASON FOR THIS LINE is the lack of sufficient personnel to handle the number of non EU passengers.

[ny4me2]

CruiserBruce: Passport control

[FlyerTalker]

3 hours ago, ny4me2 said:

Further Norway made money from this, as Norwegian Air simply cancelled our ticket as we were no show, and we had to buy a new ticket at a really high $$ "last minute" fare to be able to get out of Norway. Many others were at the counter with the same predicament.airport.

 

 

Norway (the country) did not make anything.  They are in no way associated with "Norwegian Air", which is a private company.

 

And, for a multi-year world traveler, you should know that Norwegian is a discount carrier known for their low prices.  That wouldn't have been any part of your decision, was it?  And you were probably on two separate tickets, as if it was one ticket, you would not have been classified as a no-show.  And it was those two tickets (probably bought that way to save) that was the issue.

 

But then, what is the purpose of a rant rather than to work up an issue.  You didn't supply flight details, how your ticket was bought, if you were on one or two tickets and all the other details that matter.  And without those, who can say whether your choice of OSL as a connection point was a good one, or one that was designed to be the economical choice (which is VERY much what this seems to be - I would not buy two tickets on Norwegian to make a connection for any other reason).

 

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by FlyerTalker

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, ny4me2 said:

CruiserBruce: Passport control

 

You say "customs", then you talk "passport control".

 

Details matter, consistency of story matters, and as 6Rug says....video plus complaint equals ????

 

 

[CPT Trips]

11 hours ago, ny4me2 said:

Just returned from NCL Dawn, Copenhagen to London.  DO NOT - ever - fly through Oslo, Norway.  It was the worst experience ever, causing many to miss their connecting flights, including ourselves.  We have traveled all over the World but let me tell you; We will never fly through Oslo again.  Here is our video to give you an idea.  Simply horrible.  If this saves just one person, it was worth posting. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUaNZkNKF5I

OK, I need to understand something. Your cruise was from Copenhagen to London. 
Was your delay outbound (to the ship) or inbound? 
What airport was your “home” airport for your  flights? Portugal, NY, or somewhere else?

I’m reminded of my niece, who when in college, flew Stuttgart - Istanbul - USA adding significant distance and layover time just to save some money. Public transit to Munich Airport would have been only been about a half hour longer and she could have taken a nonstop stateside. 

[ny4me2]

The point of my post was to help others avoid a problem.

 

                      Let's keep it simple.

ALL passengers entering Oslo with a non-EU passport, are potentially going to face a 2 to 3 hour long line, standing with no place to sit, and no where else to go except through the passport control.

 

For those that the details are so important, here are a few.

I experimented with an airline I didn't know. I purchased a premium large seat on Norse Air to go to Copenhagen, including lots of baggage allowance, lots of food, movies, etc. I was to arrive 2 days before the cruise departure from Copenhagen. I had spent a lot of time in Copenhagen in the past, so I was arriving early to revist a few of my favorite places. In the past I had had no problems on short flights with Norwegian Air, so I was comfortable with the connection. 

 

It does not matter how much you paid for your ticket. - You will still wait!

It does not matter which airport outside the EU you came from.

It does not matter which airport you are connecting to.

I rarely post comments like this. The purpose of this is to make people aware of a potential problem if they transit via Oslo.

 

When I realized the length of the line I thought that a serious problem might have occured as the line snaked back and forth through different corridors, and curiosity led me to inquire of the personnel. It seemed that there might have been something going on, like a strike, power failure etc. More planes landed after mine and many of the people seemed bewildered by the line they were told to get in. But the casual replies that "No, this is the busy time of day, it's like this most days" really upset me, and I can assure you most of the people in that line were equally surprised. I felt compassion for many of the elderly as they moved a few feet at a time for hours.

 

HOWEVER, none of this has anything to do with the preposterous laid back attitude of everyone at the airport that such a wait is just a normal occurance. If you can't fix the wait, at least provide benches and chairs along the way. This whole situation is far removed from the usual competence and ingenuity of the scandinavians.

Edited September 9, 2023 by ny4me2

[GeezerCouple]

9 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

I've flown through OSL a few times...Bergen-Oslo-London, Trondheim-Oslo-Brussels, and...one other route I forget. Anyways, I have always had really easy, relaxed experiences. Sorry to hear you had a rough one, that can (and does) happen at any airport. 

 

We had this same routing, connecting in Oslo when leaving Bergen, heading for LHR.

All we remember was a relatively quiet airport.

It was rather spartan, which is our main recollection.

Otherwise, a relatively unmemorable memory...!

 

It was early in the day; we had taken something like a 6am flight from Bergen (whatever the earliest flight to Oslo was).  That may have made a difference, given the short flight time.

 

On the outbound, we took that amazing train from Oslo to Bergen.  😁

 

GC

[Globaliser]

On 9/9/2023 at 2:03 AM, ny4me2 said:

                      Let's keep it simple.

ALL passengers entering Oslo with a non-EU passport, are potentially going to face a 2 to 3 hour long line, standing with no place to sit, and no where else to go except through the passport control.

 

...

 

HOWEVER, none of this has anything to do with the preposterous laid back attitude of everyone at the airport that such a wait is just a normal occurance. If you can't fix the wait, at least provide benches and chairs along the way.

 

It sounds much like the normal welcome for those who arrive in the USA but have the temerity/misfortune to hold a non-US passport: hours of queueing for immigration, and no benches or chairs along the way. Heathrow can sometimes be pretty bad for this, too. It can happen anywhere.

 

On 9/9/2023 at 2:03 AM, ny4me2 said:

I purchased a premium large seat on Norse Air to go to Copenhagen, including lots of baggage allowance, lots of food, movies, etc. I was to arrive 2 days before the cruise departure from Copenhagen. I had spent a lot of time in Copenhagen in the past, so I was arriving early to revist a few of my favorite places. In the past I had had no problems on short flights with Norwegian Air, so I was comfortable with the connection.

 

This is a bit confusing, but it sounds like you booked Norse Atlantic Airways for the trans-Atlantic to Oslo, and then Norwegian Air Shuttle/International from Oslo to Copenhagen. (Norse Air is/was a small South African airline, so doesn't seem likely to have been involved.)

 

Taking a quick walk through the Norse Atlantic booking process, it seems to make it pretty clear that you're buying two separate tickets (so you're not connecting). That's no surprise given that they're both cheapie low-fare airlines. And it's therefore no surprise that you'd have to buy a new ticket if you miss the second flight for any reason, even if some of the reasons may be covered by the Dohop product that Norse Atlantic seems to require you to buy.

[bugeater2]

I have only flown out of Oslo one time back in the Norwegian Air days to LAX and I have to say, I have never seen such a large number a passengers with the "SSSS" on our flight. 

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that over 50 passengers had to go through this extra screening.

 

Agreed that this has nothing to do with the airline and everything to do with the Airport itself as seemed to me that our flight was not a one off.

[BOB999]

13 hours ago, bugeater2 said:

I have only flown out of Oslo one time back in the Norwegian Air days to LAX and I have to say, I have never seen such a large number a passengers with the "SSSS" on our flight. 

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that over 50 passengers had to go through this extra screening.

 

Agreed that this has nothing to do with the airline and everything to do with the Airport itself as seemed to me that our flight was not a one off.

 

SSSS selectees are selected by the US government using a variety of criteria such as buying a one-way ticket.  I don't see how this has anything to do with Oslo Airport.

[SelectSys]

On 9/10/2023 at 8:18 AM, Globaliser said:

It sounds much like the normal welcome for those who arrive in the USA but have the temerity/misfortune to hold a non-US passport: hours of queueing for immigration, and no benches or chairs along the way. Heathrow can sometimes be pretty bad for this, too. It can happen anywhere.

 

A slight nuance on this information.  Frequent travelers to the US from selected other countries, including the UK, are eligible for Global Entry:  https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/eligibility

 

To your point, I recently went through immigration at Chicago's ORD and was amazed to see how far back the potential queue went prior to entering the immigration hall - at least a couple of hundred yards or so. 

 

Fortunately, I came through at a relatively quiet time and everything was manageable and the Global Entry the wait time was effectively zero. 

 

[Globaliser]

10 hours ago, SelectSys said:

On 9/10/2023 at 4:18 PM, Globaliser said:

It sounds much like the normal welcome for those who arrive in the USA but have the temerity/misfortune to hold a non-US passport: hours of queueing for immigration, and no benches or chairs along the way. Heathrow can sometimes be pretty bad for this, too. It can happen anywhere.

A slight nuance on this information.  Frequent travelers to the US from selected other countries, including the UK, are eligible for Global Entry:  https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/eligibility

 

Global Entry won't be worthwhile for most visitors to the US, because of the time, cost and effort involved in applying for it. Also, it's only available to citizens of a very limited number of countries; for example, even from (geographical) Europe, only five countries' citizens are eligible.

 

The rest of us either just have to suffer the queues - or else not bother to go to the US when there are so many other countries to visit.