Here’s Your Chance to Fly the Singapore Suites On Norwegian
It used to be, to fly Singapore Airlines' famous first-class suites on the A380, you had to, well, fly Singapore Airlines. But now, charter operator HiFly has bought some of the giant Airbus jets secondhand, keeping the Singapore interior — and offered them to other airlines for lease. Which is why you now have the chance to fly one of the best seats in the sky for the price of a premium ticket on Norwegian Air.
Norwegian has contracted HiFly to use its A380 across the Atlantic, covering for Norwegian's own Boeing 787s, which are in the shop to fix engine problems.
A Norwegian spokesperson confirmed to TPG that the low-cost carrier will "most likely" begin operating the superjumbo beginning Friday, August 3, from New York (JFK) to London (LGW). Norwegian will operate the Hi Fly A380 on that JFK-LGW route daily through August 23.
While exact flight numbers and flight times are still being worked on, the Norwegian spokesperson said that this will likely be the red-eye flight. Based on Norwegian's current schedule, that likely means the biggest passenger jet in the world will operate as Norwegian flight 7016, which departs JFK at 11:00pm and arrives at LGW at 11:00am the next day.
As of time of publication, the seat map has yet to be loaded on Norwegian's site, displaying the A380 as operating the route. In fact, the site is still showing the flight as being sold out with no operating aircraft identified.
At this point, we also know of the upgrade process — and it's pretty unconventional. Instead of being able to book a suites seat outright, Premium passengers will be randomly assigned a premium seat — either suites or the lie-flat business-class product. The seat map that will eventually load on Norwegian's website will not display the suites cabin, rendering it impossible to book a suites seat even if you want to. Existing ticketed Premium passengers will be randomly placed in one of the 72 premium seats (either one of the 12 suites or one of the 60 lie-flat biz seats). The Norwegian spokesperson said that Premium passengers will not be able to buy up to suites.
As a result of the maps not yet being uploaded, it remains unclear how the pricing structure will look. Even more interesting, the A380 will offer a total of 72 premium seats (12 suites and 60 lie-flat business class), which is a huge increase on the 32 to 35 seats the premium section on the Norwegian 787s currently offers.
Norwegian has been plagued by the ongoing issues with the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines installed on 15 of its 27 Dreamliners. The airline has taken to wet-leasing aircraft in order to operate its scheduled flights with as little disruption as possible. It's even wet leased a Wamos Air Boeing 747, which TPG Editor-at-Large Zach Honig recently reviewed. (Spoiler: It wasn't good.)
"Norwegian has contracted a Hi-Fly A380 aircraft to operate our evening London-New York and overnight New York-London services for several weeks in August as continued issues with a specific Rolls Royce engine type affecting our 787 Dreamliner fleet has reduced our aircraft availability," Norwegian said in a statement to TPG. "This is in line with other airlines that have been affected by similar problems. We are pleased to be able to offer this solution to our customers to ensure that their journeys remain unaffected, and the A380 superjumbo offers a high-quality experience between London and New York courtesy of Norwegian."
The world's first used A380, officially took to the sky with a charter airline, Thomas Cook, on Wednesday. Inside the aircraft, which used to belong to Singapore Airlines, you can expect to find the same seats and configuration used by the previous owner. You can catch an inside look of the HiFly A380 here. But in short, it features 12 first-class suites, 60 lie-flat seats in business class and 399 seats in economy.
Update 8/3/18 8:55am: This story has been updated to reflect the new launch date, Friday, August 3.
All images by Zach Honig / The Points Guy.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.