Airline Plans to Offer $69 Flights to Europe

Norwegian Air wants to tap into lower fees at smaller US airports
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 7, 2015 1:11 PM CDT
Airline Plans to Offer $69 Flights to Europe
A Norwegian Air plane nears Oslo Airport in Gardermoen, Norway, in this file photo dated July 17, 2009.   (AP Photo/Kyrre Lien, Scanpix Norway, file)

It's hard to find a one-way ticket domestically for $69, but if the CEO of Norwegian Air has his way, a ticket for that much may soon be available between Europe and the US, NBC News reports. Bjorn Kjos' master plan is to connect flights from smaller coastal US airports—New York's Westchester County Airport and Connecticut's Bradley International Airport have both been mentioned—that offer lower fees than busier airports to European destinations such as Bergen, Norway, and Edinburgh, Scotland. It's all part of the budget airline's blueprint to wrest trans-Atlantic market share away from larger airlines such as Lufthansa.

Norwegian has 100 Boeing 737 MAX jets on order, with the first five set to arrive in 2017, the Telegraph notes. These planes are capable of flying over the ocean, but are more fuel-efficient and smaller, which would make them a better size for smaller airports like the one in Birmingham, England. Regulators would have to agree to the plan and set up customs stations at those US airports that don't currently handle international flights, but Kjos says he's sure that won't be an issue. A round-trip ticket will likely cost around $300 once all the fees are factored in, but that's still cheaper than the $500 or so that Norwegian's flights in and out of busier airports run, NBC notes. (One day of the week is the best day to buy a plane ticket.)

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