Low-cost airlines blaze trail in race over the Atlantic
Sir Freddie Laker may have failed at cracking the “no frills” long-haul flying market. But the late airline entrepreneur’s pioneering spirit will take to the skies again in June with his picture emblazoned on a Norwegian Air Shuttle aircraft. One of Norwegian’s new red and white fleet, which will open up direct routes from small Irish and UK regional airports to the US from as little as GBP69, will have Sir Freddie’s image on the tail fin and will be part of the Scandinavian low-cost carrier’s attempt to cement market share in the intensifying battle between the airlines over the Atlantic. While Sir Freddie’s low-cost service between London and New York in the 1970s failed after five years, Norwegian is hoping the launch of the next generation of fuel-efficient narrow-body jets will help it “change the game” in making “no frills” long-haul flying profitable over the long-term. The innovative deployment of single-aisle jets normally used only for short-haul operations is the next stage of Norwegian’s plan to shake up the lucrative transatlantic market, which for decades has been dominated by a handful of US and European legacy airlines. It is a high-risk gamble for Norwegian. Only last week questions were raised about potential aircraft delivery delays after Boeing temporarily suspended test flights of its new 737 Max 8 jet, which Norwegian will use for its transatlantic service, after discovering problems with the engine. But Bjorn Kjos, CE of Norwegian, is confident his strategy can pay off, particularly as Boeing still plans to deliver the first 737 Max 8 aircraft to its customer in June. Norwegian says the launch of its transatlantic routes from Edinburgh, Ireland and Belfast to the US will not be delayed.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2017-05-15/unaligned/low-cost-airlines-blaze-trail-in-race-over-the-atlantic
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Low-cost airlines blaze trail in race over the Atlantic
Sir Freddie Laker may have failed at cracking the “no frills” long-haul flying market. But the late airline entrepreneur’s pioneering spirit will take to the skies again in June with his picture emblazoned on a Norwegian Air Shuttle aircraft. One of Norwegian’s new red and white fleet, which will open up direct routes from small Irish and UK regional airports to the US from as little as GBP69, will have Sir Freddie’s image on the tail fin and will be part of the Scandinavian low-cost carrier’s attempt to cement market share in the intensifying battle between the airlines over the Atlantic. While Sir Freddie’s low-cost service between London and New York in the 1970s failed after five years, Norwegian is hoping the launch of the next generation of fuel-efficient narrow-body jets will help it “change the game” in making “no frills” long-haul flying profitable over the long-term. The innovative deployment of single-aisle jets normally used only for short-haul operations is the next stage of Norwegian’s plan to shake up the lucrative transatlantic market, which for decades has been dominated by a handful of US and European legacy airlines. It is a high-risk gamble for Norwegian. Only last week questions were raised about potential aircraft delivery delays after Boeing temporarily suspended test flights of its new 737 Max 8 jet, which Norwegian will use for its transatlantic service, after discovering problems with the engine. But Bjorn Kjos, CE of Norwegian, is confident his strategy can pay off, particularly as Boeing still plans to deliver the first 737 Max 8 aircraft to its customer in June. Norwegian says the launch of its transatlantic routes from Edinburgh, Ireland and Belfast to the US will not be delayed.<br/>
