Norse Atlantic is the new kid on the block for low-cost, long-haul travel, kicking off services from Norway to the US. However, the young carrier has big plans for the future, with bases in London, Oslo, and Berlin, along with plans to attract business travelers to its flight. In an exclusive interview with CEO Bjorn Tore Larsen, he talks about the potential for high-paying passengers on his airline.
Flying the right routes
When asked by Simple Flying about which passengers he is targeting passengers on the 56-seat Premium (economy) cabin on the Boeing 787, Norse Atlantic Bjorn Tore Larsen said business travelers are up for grabs too. This would be in addition to premium leisure passengers, who are likely to make up a bulk of the traffic at the front of the plane for the foreseeable future.
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His explanation for why Norse makes sense is simple: fares. He said,
“Most smart business people, they like to have value for their dollars. So they will see this as a great alternative to very, very expensive pairs of business class seats on some other airlines between the major [city] centers they want to fly between.”
Norse Atlantic made its maiden voyage just under a month ago, from Oslo to New York JFK. Photo: Oeystein Loewer/Avinor
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Indeed, Norse Atlantic is planning to cover many major business centers on its route network. Today, flights to New York (JFK) are already available from Oslo, with London Gatwick and Berlin expected to follow in a month’s time. Soon after, flights to Los Angeles will commence from the three cities above, creating even more opportunities to lure business travelers.
Since the pandemic, business travel has been down significantly, especially long-haul trips. As companies take a conservative approach to travel spending again, Norse’s Premium product might be lucrative enough with the right timings and frequencies.
Is the product competitive?
Norse Atlantic’s major disadvantage will be the lack of flatbed available on its 787s. Simple Flying’s review of the inaugural flight from Oslo to JFK highlighted while the seat exceeds usual premium economy standards, it is far from a business class seat. However, Larsen doesn’t see this as a major hurdle, saying,
“If you move into like 14-hour [flights], some people will be say, you know, we want that extra comfortable flatbed, etc and we will pay a lot for that. But on our typical network, we think a lot of business travelers would actually love our product.”
Norse Atlantic’s Premium cabin on the Boeing 787-9. Photo: Pranjal Pande | Simple Flying
While Larsen is confident that he can lure some travelers to his airline, legacy carriers have spent decades signing corporate contracts to offer their best service standards. As business traffic returns, we can expect carriers to undercut each other once again to bag the best deals, setting up a competitive market for Norse to break into.
Long way to go
For now, Norse is still in its early days, working hard to secure its UK AOC and kick-off flights from London as soon as possible. However, as it matures, it will undoubtedly begin to look for business traffic to fill up the front of its cabin, especially in the lean winter months when fewer leisure travelers are to be seen.
What do you think about Norse Atlantic’s plans? Let us know in the comments!