Norwegian budget carrier Norse Atlantic Airways made a splash Thursday by announcing new service between Germany and south Florida.
Slated to begin on 7 December, the thrice-weekly service will link Berlin’s new Brandenburg Airport (BER) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). Norse Atlantic will operate the flight with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
From Germany to South Florida
Fort Lauderdale will be the carrier’s third destination out of Berlin, which also offers nonstop flights to Los Angeles (LAX) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). BER-JFK service began yesterday, while BER-LAX service launches today.
Norse also flies nonstop between FLL and its home base of Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport in Norway (OSL).
One-way fares for the Berlin-Fort Lauderdale flights start at €228 ($230). The flight, which will operate on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, will depart Berlin at 1625 and arrive in Fort Lauderdale at 2100 (all times local). For the return trip, the flight departs Fort Lauderdale at 2300 and arrives in Berlin at 1440 the next day.
“We are very pleased to now be able to welcome customers from across Germany on board our state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners to New York and Los Angeles,” said Norse Atlantic CEO Bjørn Tore Larsen. “With the addition of our Fort Lauderdale route commencing in December, we will be the largest long haul carrier operating out of Berlin. Our affordable fares will boost transatlantic travel between Europe and the US, benefitting local economies on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Norse Partners with Other Carriers
Norse is also making it easier for passengers to continue on to other cities. In July, the carrier announced an interline agreement for connecting traffic with easyJet, Norwegian Air Shuttle, and Spirit Airlines.
According to the airline, the agreement will provide more than 600 weekly connections to Norse’s hubs in Oslo, London, Berlin, New York, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Los Angeles.
An All-Dreamliner Fleet
Founded in February 2021, Norse Atlantic began scheduled service on 14 June 2022. Although its Dreamliners were inherited from Norweigian Air Shuttle, Norse Atlantic is not an iteration of that carrier. Norwegian Air Shuttle ended its long-haul operations in January 2021 and currently focuses on Europe.
As of 16 August, Norse Atlantic operates a fleet of eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners (one of which is currently in storage). Four additional Dreamliners are due to join the fleet soon. Norse Atlantic calls their Dreamliners “Longships” in a nod to Norse explorers who traveled the world in vessels of the same name.
Norse Atlantic’s On-Board Experience
On board Norse’s Dreamliners, passengers can choose between economy or premium cabins. The economy cabin features a 3-3-3 configuration, while the premium cabin features a 2-3-2 design.
Both cabin choices offer three types of fare, which gives passengers the choice of what level of service they want. All seats feature a personal entertainment system, and Wi-Fi is reportedly in the works.
Although Norse Atlantic is only two months into its new operation, it seems to be doing well so far. The carrier reported a load factor of 86 percent during July, up from 82 percent in June. Norse also completed 100 percent of its scheduled daily flights in July.
We look forward to seeing if the newest trans-Atlantic budget carrier succeeds where others haven’t.
