Norwegian eyes Buenos Aires as $150 trans-Atlantic tickets loom

Norwegian Air Shuttle plans to establish Buenos Aires as a hub in South America as expansion across the Americas may see round-trip ticket prices across the North Atlantic fall to $150. The discount carrier may start connecting Buenos Aires with Oslo, London and Paris in as early as 12 months once government permissions have been granted, CEO Bjorn Kjos said. Services to Madrid and Barcelona are also possible. He added that domestic flights from Cordoba are also possible and he was speaking with authorities in the Chilean capital of Santiago about possible routes. Connecting cities on Europe’s Atlantic coast, including Edinburgh, with smaller US airports on that country’s east coast, such as New York’s White Plains airfield or Stewart airport, will mean customers will be able to fly across the Atlantic paying less than $150 round trip starting next year, Kjos said. Prices for international service to and from Argentina may fall to one-quarter of what airlines now charge, he said. The carrier is still awaiting permission from the U.S. Department of Transportation for permission to use its Irish subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, for transatlantic flights and has also applied for such rights for its Norwegian UK unit. It does not depend on these permissions to begin serving South America, Kjos said.<br/>