Norwegian Air Adds Nonstop Service Between Las Vegas and London
Norwegian Air seems to be expanding its US route network at an impressive rate. Last year, the airline took the travel world by storm by announcing that it was planning to offer $69 one-way fares from the US to Europe. Then, the carrier added inexpensive nonstop service from the Northeast to the Caribbean, as well as three nonstop flights from the US to Paris. And then, just a couple weeks ago, Norwegian launched nonstop flights from Oakland (OAK) to London (LGW) — the first nonstop flight from Oakland to the UK.
And as if that wasn't enough, the carrier just announced that it's adding another US route to its network — this time, between Las Vegas (LAS) and London's Gatwick (LGW). The service is set to begin on October 31. Norwegian has served Sin City since November of last year, with routes to and from Copenhagen (CPH) and Stockholm (ARN), and its service to Oslo (OSL) is set to begin in November of this year. The route between LAS and LGW will operate twice weekly — on Mondays and Thursdays.
One-way tickets from LAS to LGW are now bookable for October and beyond, and prices seem to hover around the $244 mark, though some dates fall as low as $199. However, don't forget that if you book on the Norwegian version of the website, you can score significantly discounted fares — those same outbound one-way fares fall to $184 and $156, respectively. On the return, one-way fares from LGW to LAS seem to hover around the $288 mark ($244 when booked on the Norwegian version of the site).
Norwegian's working to improve its rewards program, Norwegian Reward, by making it easier for travelers to earn "elite status" with the carrier. It's offering frequent flyers perks such as fast track, free seat reservation and free checked bags. Unfortunately, the carrier is still not a transfer partner of any major points-earning credit card, nor is it part of an alliance.
Although it's a low-cost carrier, I was very impressed with Norwegian's product when I flew between JFK and OSL earlier this year. Similarly, TPG Editor-in-Chief Zach Honig, TPG Contributor Mitch Berman and TPG himself were all also impressed with their experiences onboard Norwegian's aircraft. Be aware, though, that you'll have to pay for things that are normally free-of-charge, such as selecting your seat. Even though you may have to shell out a few extra bucks for fees, you might be better off taking advantage of the low fares as opposed to booking an award flight to Europe and paying hundreds of dollars in taxes, fees and additional surcharges. With the constant addition of new routes with affordable tickets, there's a lot to like about Norwegian.
H/T: USA Today
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