Norwegian Air Shuttle

[thunderchild]

Dang...I concluded LPA was axed without looking at MAN-LPA. But, back to my question in the above post, why have Norwegian been seemingly the only airline to retreat in the face of the Jet2 base while others have reacted positively?

That's the million dollar question but for whatever the reason they do appear to be blinking first. As always time will tell as to whether these routes are being updated, seasonally suspended or axed altogether.

 

[TM3]

IMO Norwegian have a flawed business model. They might have a good product and be able to identify unserved markets but as soon as they do competitors move in and force prices down. Surely that is what has happened here with Monarch, Ryan, Jet2, Vueling, Iberia all moving in on the routes they wanted.

In long hall they have a similar problem, they may have identified routes at Gatwick but BA is now introducing competing services. Same at Barcelona with IAG starting lo-cost long haul from there.

 

[Jerry]

Norwegian have a good product but may need to start basing in more UK airports to expand that product and be prepared to defend it's routes when rivals turn up. I would also hope they look at some of the smaller airports in the UK and start routes from them. In many of them with MAX aircraft they can mix long haul and the short haul routes up.

 

[TM3]

For short haul there is a limit to how much more the passenger will pay for the extra legroom etc. This puts the likes or Ryan or Wizz etc at a distinct advantage as they have a lower cost base and higher density.

Flights to east coast USA maybe have a better chance of being successful as they will have the equipment first and be first to market. However if it proves successful I suspect they may face similar competition both from the US3 and US lo-cost carriers like Southwest, JetBlue and Spirit.

Not necessarily bad for BHX if others take up the routes but I think Norwegian have a lot of planes on order and may ultimately prove to have overstretched themselves.

 

[Jerry]

From what I've read their MAXs will be configured at 186 economy. Competition will always be a problem they face especially on trans Atlantic routes and British sun routes and it is something they are going to have to deal with. Really hope they stick around and develop their routes especially from smaller airports.

 

[thunderchild]

A well known poster on another forum (all I'll say is the new year resolution didn't last) states LPA-MAN is remaining seasonal so perhaps BHX is indeed reverting to just a winter op. Guess we'll just have to wait and see if it becomes bookable again but my gut feeling says it's a goner.

 

[Ray Finkle]

If that is true then I guess we should feel lucky that our TFS remains (for now).

It seems an odd one though, with ongoing issues in other once popular holiday spots you would have thought that bookings to Spain and the Canaries were rising.

The December figures from Birmingham were

Arrecife +16
Fuerteventura +22
Las Palmas +29
Tenerife +37

Even going back to August the numbers were

Arrecife +12
Fuerteventura +23
Las Palmas +31
Tenerife +43

At only one flight per week losing Norwegian to LPA won't make a huge amount of difference capacity wise and Jet2 will more than make up for it. It just seems strange after all of their noises about huge growth across the UK. Vueling on the other hand are steadily growing at the moment and will be head to head with Jet2 (and the others) on ALC, AGP and TFS this summer.

I still think that there is more to this than meets the eye, we shall see.

 

[IanFarquharson]

Norwegian are 'seeking funding' to help them to start a BFS-US service !
This airline is a nightmare !!

 

[thunderchild]

Must be after the millions promised to United to keep EWR going?

 

[Jerry]

They have also been linked to transatlantic out of Newcastle as well.
Personally I think with modern fuel efficient aircraft there is a demand from regional airports for flights to the US but to make them sustainable they need connections at the other side. Something which Norwegian doesn't have. I really think Norwegian needs to settle on expanding its bases in the UK flying EU routes and maybe from bigger airports use the MAX for point to point passengers because for travellers like me they aren't any use but an airline like Southwest and JetBlue are.

 

[Coathanger16]

I think the big problem with Norwegian and their "will they - won't they" attitude is, and its been said before, they have a finite number of aircraft and very ambition expansion plans. If they're using an aircraft for a certain route and its not performing as well as Norwegian wanted it to (different from not performing well), they will axe the route and use the aircraft elsewhere. I'm not sure if getting new aircraft will help Norwegian, or if they will continue to have more ambition plans than they can manage.

Norwegians focus on the UK, as Jerry has said, should be on growing their UK short haul ops. Norwegians presence at Birmingham (and other UK airports) is still very small.

View attachment 4432

Just an indication of the number of destinations each airline serves at BHX, MAN & EDI.

Personally, I feel that if Norwegian want to remain relevant in the UK, they need to grow their UK bases and serve more European routes. Flying to the typical Spanish summer destinations a few times a week isn't going to make them very attractive compared to the competition. Besides New York, I don't see them offering much from regional airports in terms of long haul routes.

 

[ethanegcc]

Norwegian are 'seeking funding' to help them to start a BFS-US service !
This airline is a nightmare !!

It truly is. Qatar of the low cost world - make an absurd announcement and never start the route (or delay it for years). Yes, they would be great but it is the anticipation that comes with it. BKK/JNB etc. are certainly not in for a chance at any UK airport I have come to believe. The only ones possible are NYC and BOS/PVD

 

[Ray Finkle]

I believe the last time we were specifically mentioned was before the likes of Stewart Airport came on the scene, so hopefully this is new.

Kjos has previously touted White Plains airfield and Stewart airport in New York state as potential U.S. 737 bases, and has suggested that the first flights may be from Cork and Shannon in Ireland, Birmingham in England and Edinburgh, Scotland, with customers paying less than $150 for a round trip.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...s-u-s-bases-for-single-aisle-european-flights

 

[58terminus]

If Trump is involved who the hell knows what will happen.

 

[JF57]

Just seen this on Facebook. On sale from August so it says.

 

[Barry Beeth]

It appears in the drop-down, as does LAX, FLL, JFK, etc. Seems to be via BCN!

Looks like a bog-standard connection, would be very happy to be completely wrong though!

 

[IanFarquharson]

Yes via Barcelona !

 

[BHXsupporter]

Well, better than a slap with a wet fish...actually perhaps not!

 

[Matt995]

Norwegian are planning to use a leased Airbus A320 from Greek airline Orange2fly for their 4 weekly flights to Barcelona, from June to September, so that will leave only 10 (5 inbound, 5 outbound) weekly flights by Norwegian 737s at BHX during those months.

 

[thunderchild]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/t...99456/Norwegian-Captain-flies-737-son-19.html