Big score for small airport
Get ready Newburgh, N.Y. Your non-stop flights to Europe are coming — maybe nearly two dozen — with fares that could start at as low as $69 each way.
Those flights will come courtesy of European budget carrier Norwegian Air, which will add Newburgh and either Portsmouth, N.H., Providence or Hartford, Conn., to its route map next year as it opens two U.S. bases to house pilots for its new Boeing 737 MAX jets.
The “MAX” is the newest variant of Boeing ’s best-selling 737 narrowbody. They come with new engines and aerodynamic improvements that will allow airlines such as Norwegian to fly the jet on routes between North America and Western Europe. Norwegian says using the smaller single-aisle 737 MAX for international routes — instead of a more traditional twin-aisle widebody jet — will allow it to keep costs low and offer fares as low as $69 each way on its service between the USA and Europe.
Norwegian already is flying European routes from nine U.S. airports, offering non-stop flights on its Boeing 787 Dreamliners to destinations such as London, Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo.
Norwegian has made its mark with unusually cheap fares on its flights between the USA and Europe. But bargain hunters beware: an “ultra low-cost carrier,” Norwegian charges extra for nearly everything beyond a spot on the plane.