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THE ALVIATOR'S VERDICT
This product can represent great value on a number of premium longhaul routes, though WiFi would make this option even more attractive |
4.5
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In July 2024 I flew Norse Atlantic’s 787 Premium Class from London Gatwick to New York JFK. This was my first time ever setting foot into U.S. territory, given that I’d just gotten my visa a few months prior (I need a full visa as a Hong Kong citizen). I was originally booked onboard Virgin Atlantic’s A330neo and had to change my dates last minute, so Norse Atlantic was the best option for me at the time.
While my Norse flight wasn’t perfect, and it was fairly obvious I was on a low-cost carrier at certain points, I left thinking that the airline could represent an awesome deal in some cases. The hard product is better than what you’d get in premium economy on most full-service airlines, and it’s often priced way cheaper. Norse offers a comfortable seat in Premium Class with passable catering and amenities, and when a one-way flight can be priced as low as £336 for this 7-hour flight, I can’t really complain.
Booking Norse Atlantic’s 787 Premium Class
My flight on Norse cost £757.86 (HK$8,028) for the one-way flight from London to New York. That’s higher than most pricing I’ve seen on the airline, though was a necessary spend for me, since I was changing my dates last minute to be with a friend during a more critical time in New York. Prices run from £336 (HK$3,560) from New York to London, and they run slightly higher from £493 (HK$5,222) in the other direction, due to the UK Air Passenger Duty tax.
While booking, you can choose between three bundles – Premium Light gets you a carry-on only, Premium Classic gets you a 23 kg checked bag, and Premium Flextra gets you two 23 kg checked bags and free changes and refunds. The onboard experience is the same regardless of which package you get. As I had a large bag to check, I got a Premium Classic fare.
If you want extra baggage, you can proceed to add it to your booking (you might want to consider unbundling and buying Premium Light, then buying a light checked bag as an add-on if you’re only checking in a small bag, for example if you wanted to bring liquids on your trip or something).
Afterwards I was directed to select a seat. I believe that Norse doesn’t allow you to select seats for free even during the check-in process (instead the algorithm randomly allocates you a seat), so I went ahead and selected my preferred seat at the back of the plane, in 8J (this cost £44/HK$465).
Afterwards, I was prompted to add one of a list of add-ons. I’m not sure why I added Fast Track, given that Gatwick security is normally quite easy – this is the same as how much it would’ve cost if I pre-booked Fast Track security on Gatwick’s own website.
Afterwards I was brought to a meal selection page, though I simply had to tell them whether I wanted a meal with dietary requirements.
While I have a few gripes with Norse’s IT (for example their lack of online check-in and the inability to fully accept my API details), booking the flight was easy, and I had no complaints.
Norse Atlantic’s 787 Premium Ground Experience
My Norse experience started at Gatwick, where I got there at 6:30 PM prior to my 8:40 PM flight. Okay, perhaps not the best start – Norse doesn’t offer online check-in for any passengers, so everyone is required to line up by the counters. I know of times when passengers going to certain destinations need to be expedited through the queue for check-in, just because the lines take so much longer than people expect.
Norse Atlantic Check-In Area at Gatwick Airport
Premium passengers do get priority check-in and bag drop, though there was only one dedicated counter open, and I waited 20 minutes despite only three people being in front of me. It seems like forgetting to apply for an ESTA is a common theme.
Norse Atlantic Check-In Area at Gatwick Airport
Premium passengers don’t get priority security at Gatwick Airport, though this isn’t usually too much of an issue, given that lines weren’t too long at this time (I never find them to be particularly long at Gatwick Airport). Of course I had decided to purchase priority security as an add-on when booking the ticket for some reason, so I was through particularly quickly, and decided to head straight to gate 21 where our 787 was parked.
Norse Atlantic 787 at Gatwick Airport
Norse’s Premium passengers don’t get lounge access, and Gatwick Airport doesn’t have any particularly exciting areas. So, I decided to just head into the gate area as soon as it opened, and did some work on my laptop for the time being. The gate area filled up, though we still weren’t looking at a particularly heavy load across either cabin on this 787.
Norse Atlantic gate area at Gatwick Airport
I found it amusing that there were multiple upsell announcements to the Premium cabin, touting its 46-inch seat pitch (I believe it’s actually now been reduced to 43″), a wider seat, more recline, and pillows, as well as spirits, prosecco, and soft drinks. The airline really is trying to shamelessly get as much revenue as it can out of its passengers.
Norse boards their planes quite early – boarding was called just before 7:45 PM ahead of our 8:40 PM flight, starting with Premium passengers.
Norse Atlantic UK Flight Z0703
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Origin: London Gatwick (LGW) T: S Gate: 21 Dep: 20:40 (20:40)
Destination: New York (JFK) T: 7 Gate: 5 Arr: 23:30 (00:10+1)
Duration: 7 hr 50 min (8 hr 30 min)
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Reg: G-CKWD
Seat: 8J (Premium Class)
I boarded through the second set of doors, and turned left into Norse’s 787 Premium Class cabin.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Cabin and Seat
Norse’s 787s feature eight rows of recliner seats in their Premium cabin, located between doors 1 and 2. These seats are laid out in a 2-3-2 configuration, for a total of 56 seats.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Cabin
These are last-generation TIMCO 3050 Featherweight premium economy seats inherited from when these planes belonged to Norwegian. You’ll find very similar seats on Singaporean low-cost airline Scoot’s ScootPlus cabin, and Vietnam Airlines and LOT also use these seats in their premium economy cabin. The 43″ pitch in these seats is very comfortable, and far above other premium economy seats in the industry. Of course, however, you do want one of the window or aisle seats in this configuration, and want to avoid the middle seat wherever possible.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Cabin
I’d selected seat 8J. Whenever seated in economy or premium economy, I have a strong preference for the last row, as I can keep my seat reclined throughout the flight. In this case I also celebrated having an empty seat next to me – in fact, the only other seat taken in my row was the window seat on the opposite side of the plane.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Seats 8H and 8J
If you don’t share my love for the last row of the cabin, do note that row 5 in particular is missing a window. I’d personally avoid the row, though perhaps you don’t care for looking out of the window, in which case it might be great to have a bulkhead to lean on while sleeping (also 787s are generally not known for having window dimmers that effectively block out light…).
As you’d expect for a premium economy configuration with 43″ pitch, legroom is endless (Norwegian actually used to offer 55″ of legroom, so this is much less than what they would’ve offered when these planes initially started flying).
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Seat Legroom
The seat had a very generous amount of recline, more so than your typical premium economy seat.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Recline
Good recline can be a double-edged sword, though it also didn’t feel too intrusive when the person in front reclined, due to the much larger amount of legroom you’d get here. However, even with nobody next to me, getting out of my seat still felt like a task, so I can only imagine this would be quite difficult if I had a seatmate.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Recline
Each seat featured a comfortable adjustable headrest.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Headrest
I liked that the bi-fold tray table linked up with the armrest on the other side, making it feel very sturdy.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Tray Table
In terms of seat controls, there were two very intuitive seat controls for the recline and footrest, which were controlled by two easy-to-pull levers. I prefer this to mechanical buttons that require lots of pressure to press.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Seat Controls
There was a separate lever to release the TV screen from within the armrest.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class TV Screen Lever
The TV screen was…well, not the largest. Low-cost airlines don’t tend to have great inflight entertainment setups, and Norse unfortunately is no exception. There was a USB-C port under the TV screen, which is oddly placed in my opinion, as you can’t really charge your device with the port when the TV is stowed away.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class TV screen
There was one working 110V power port for each seat.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Power Port
On the overhead panel, there was also an air nozzle.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Air Nozzle
Overall, I’d say that Norse Atlantic’s Premium cabin hard product is a fair bit better than a majority of premium economy products you’ll find out there. While the seats are just about as wide as you’d otherwise find on a 787, the 43″ of legroom beats just about any premium economy seat out there on a full-service airline. This is a very comfortable cabin that could be an absolute bargain on a longhaul flight. If you’re ready for the soft product to be slightly inferior to its competitors, this could be a great product if you’re looking to get some sleep.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Amenities
Whenever a low-cost airline has a premium cabin, usually there’s quite a variance in the amenities and soft product on offer. For example, ZIPAIR offers absolutely nothing, even on their longest flights.
Norse takes a bit of a hybrid approach – a lot of the amenities and soft product elements you’ll see are akin to what you’ll get on a full-service airline in economy. While the pillow was on the large side, it was quite thin, and didn’t provide much support.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Pillow
Meanwhile, the fleece blanket is similar to what you’d otherwise get in economy. It was a decent size, and I had no complaints.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Blanket
The cheapest-feeling amenity on offer was probably the headsets we were passed out pre-departure. These were terrible.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Headset
While there’s no amenity kit, Norse also hands out a couple of other amenities after takeoff. Specifically, there’s an eye mask, and there are earplugs. I found both of these to be fairly good quality.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Eye Mask and Earplugs
As you can see, these aren’t the most inspiring amenities out there, and I’d say they’re similar to what you’d expect on a full-service airline in economy. However, all the basics are provided for free in Norse’s Premium cabin.
Norse Atlantic 787 Economy Class
As we boarded through the second set of doors, I had a peek at Norse’s economy cabin on the way in. Perhaps the most jarring thing about Norse’s economy cabin is the complete lack of amenities – unlike in Premium, you’ll have to pay if you want a pillow or blanket, even on the airline’s longest flights. You do get in-seat power, though, and there are PTVs with a complimentary entertainment system at every seat.
Norse Atlantic 787 Economy Class
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Pre-Departure Service
During the boarding process, Premium passengers were offered pre-departure beverages including water, apple juice, and orange juice.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Pre-Departure Beverage
Taking off from Gatwick Airport
Throughout the boarding process, there was an automated announcement welcoming us onto Norse Atlantic, reminding us that BYO alcohol was prohibited onboard our flight. Unlike airlines such as AirAsia and Scoot, you are allowed to bring your own food and beverages onboard.
At 8:25 PM boarding was completed, and the lead cabin crew member made an announcement, welcoming us onboard.
At 8:35 PM the captain came onto the PA. He announced that we would have three pilots onboard our flight. He mentioned that we were a couple of minutes from pushback, and this would be followed by a 10-15 minute taxi out. He also mentioned we’d encounter some light turbulence midway.
It was sunset in Gatwick as we pushed back at 8:40 PM, bang on our departure time.
Pushing back from Gatwick Airport
We had a 20-minute taxi to runway 26L, and took off to a beautiful sunset at around 9 PM.
Taking off at Gatwick Airport
Once we reached cruising altitude, some sunset mood lighting was put on, to match the sunset outside.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Cabin
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Lavatory
Norse’s 56 Premium passengers share two lavatories, both of which are located at the front of the aircraft (so one lavatory for every 28 passengers). The lavatories were very standard, and weren’t particularly well-maintained throughout the flight.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Lavatory
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Entertainment System and (lack of) WiFi
Norse Atlantic’s 787s feature a rudimentary entertainment system with a small selection of movies and TV shows. Generally this is far worse than what you’ll get on British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, or any full-service airline operating the route, though you will find a selection of around 120 movies and TV shows here.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Entertainment System
There’s also a simple airshow interface where you can see the remaining time, approximate arrival time, as well as other details about the flight.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Airshow
Norse’s 787s don’t feature WiFi. This is annoying, as these planes used to belong to Norwegian’s longhaul division, and they were installed with onboard WiFi then – Norse simply hasn’t set up WiFi onboard these planes. I can see a huge value proposition to flying Norse’s Premium class generally, as you get a comfortable seat and amenities to get by (and would even pay a good amount to have WiFi onboard, giving them ancillary revenue), though the lack of WiFi makes Norse a much less compelling option, especially on a high-yield business traveller route such as from London to New York.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Buy-On-Board Selection
One of the features on Norse’s entertainment system is that you can buy food onboard. In Premium class, you can even order some complimentary items such as beer from your entertainment system, without having to flag down an attendant. You will have to pay if you want any extra food outside of the complimentary meals provided, though – this isn’t an airline where you can get free on-demand dining between meals. You also can’t place an order before the first meal service, or after the second meal service.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Buy-on-Board Menu
The duty-free selection is also available on this interface, and you can even buy cigarettes (they just aren’t allowed to show images of it), which I thought was amusing.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Buy-On-Board Menu
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Meal Service
Norse provides a meal service for their Premium passengers. This kickstarted about 40 minutes after takeoff, and was done entirely via trolley.
I was first asked what I wanted to drink, and ordered a Carlsberg beer. I asked what the other options were, and was told that they also had apple and orange juice, ginger ale, house wine, Carlsberg beer, and water. Despite the gate announcement, prosecco was not mentioned.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Beverage
I was served a meal about 20 minutes after this, so around an hour after takeoff. There were no menu cards, though I was offered a choice between chicken breast with mashed potato and veg, and rigatoni with mushroom and cheese. This was served in mostly disposable tableware, with disposable wooden cutlery.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Meal Service Presentation
The meal was served with a quinoa edamame salad and passionfruit cheesecake, which were communicated to me when my meal was served. I went for the chicken breast with mashed potato and veg, which tasted quite good – the chicken wasn’t particularly moist, though still much better than I was expecting.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Meal – Chicken Breast with Mashed Potato and Veg
I decided to have a ginger ale with this.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Beverage – Ginger Ale
It was 10 PM and I was feeling quite hungry, so I asked whether I could sample the other option as well, which was a rigatoni with mushroom and cheese. The flight attendant granted my request, presumably because of the low load factor. This was sloppily presented, though I actually found it to taste quite good.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Meal – Rigatoni with Mushroom and Cheese
The crew were friendly, and came around again with bread – I counted a total of three drinks runs made with this first meal. There wasn’t otherwise much interaction with them, though they were definitely warm, friendly, and eager to please.
This reminded me of an economy class meal, and I found the drinks selection to be particularly limited – the only soft drink on offer was ginger ale. Still, it was tasty, and you won’t go hungry.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Service Between Meals
As hinted above when I covered the buy-on-board food selection, Norse doesn’t offer any service whatsoever between meals, and you’ll even need to pay if you want to eat. Norse does continue to offer complimentary beverages (including beer and wine) throughout the flight, which you can either ask a flight attendant for directly, or you can order it from your seat.
Due to the late departure time, the cabin lights were dimmed after the meal service, though never turned off completely.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Cabin Between Meal Services
While this wasn’t an overnight flight, I found myself asleep for pretty much the entire time between meal services. I managed to get very comfortable in my seat, and wasn’t really up for watching a movie – there also wasn’t any WiFi for me to get much work done.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Pre-Landing Meal Service
Around 45 minutes before landing, the crew came round with a pre-landing meal service. This was served on a single tray, and there was no choice. The meal itself was a quiche of sorts with two blocks of cheese, which seemed awfully breakfast-y, since it was 10:30 PM in New York and 3:30 AM in London. There was also yoghurt, bread, and a cookie.
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Pre-Landing Meal Service
I was fairly impressed by how quickly this was executed, as the crew managed to collect these trays with time to go before landing.
Landing into New York JFK Airport
Around 25 minutes before landing (at 10:35 PM New York time), the cabin was prepared for our descent into New York. This was my first time in the U.S. and also my first time on the East Coast, so I was very excited!
Landing into New York JFK
As we prepared for landing, some rainbow mood lighting lit up the cabin (it all seemed quite bright and intense, so I’m not quite sure how in line this was with aviation regulations, which require cabin lights to be dimmed for takeoff and landing in the dark).
Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class Mood Lighting during Landing
We saw some views of Long Island in the distance upon our final descent, before touching down onto runway 31R at around 11:05 PM.
Landing into New York JFK Airport
While we’d landed 30 minutes early, unfortunately we had to wait for quite a while for a gate to open up at Terminal 7, as it was quite busy. We ended up parked on the tarmac for about an hour, and only ended up getting a gate at around 12:10 AM. We parked at gate 5, next to a LOT Polish 787.
LOT 787 at New York JFK Airport
Immigration was surprisingly quick. Unfortunately my suitcase was cracked during the baggage handling process, which I only noticed on the way to my friend’s in Queens, where I was staying. We weren’t able to sort this out with Norse as I had already left the baggage claim area, though fortunately I could claim travel insurance when buying a replacement suitcase in New York.
View from AirTrain to Jamaica
Conclusion: Norse Atlantic 787 Premium Class
Norse’s 787 is probably most comparable to a premium economy product – the hard product is very comfortable and noticeably better than what you’d get compared to a full service airline, though the soft product is noticeably worse. Generally I’m looking to rest when I fly premium economy, and Norse can be a huge bargain for this, especially when you’re looking at £350 one-way fares from London to Bangkok or New York.
I wish these planes had WiFi, as it would be a significant upgrade to the overall experience, especially on the London-New York route. There’s also something quite low-cost about the experience, from the lack of online check-in, to the fact that you have to pay if you want to eat between meals. There’s also something to be said about the fact that you can’t earn frequent flyer points or move towards status when flying Norse.
In conclusion, I’d say Norse isn’t for everybody – it probably isn’t for the frequent business traveller, though might be a huge bargain if you find a cheap fare when going on holiday.
Have you flown Norse Atlantic before?