Curious how to fly to Europe for cheap? We’re talking about $350 roundtrip (or, possibly even less) from the USA! If money is what’s holding you back from traveling more and exploring Europe, it shouldn’t be. At least not since the launch of my new favorite low cost airline, Norwegian Air.
I’ve been curious about this airline for a while, but now that I’ve personally flown with them on my recent trip to Norway and Sweden, I can share my thoughts with you.
Norwegian Air offers extremely low rates from a handful of US cities (New York, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Oakland and Orlando) to a large array of European destinations. Granted, you’re most likely to find the lowest rates to cities in Scandinavia, but the company also offers great fares to many other European destinations as well. (In fact, Norwegian Air actually flies to 38 different countries, including Morocco, Thailand and UAE).
Here are some sample fares I found while searching today:
- JFK to Oslo: $116.20
- Los Angeles to Copenhagen: $153.40
- JFK to Paris: $187.30
- JFK to Stockholm: $149.70
How to Fly to Europe for Cheap:
Just by browsing Norwegian Airline’s website, you’re sure to find some jaw dropping deals. But, what if I told you that a few simple tricks could save you even more money?
- Sign up for Norwegian’s newsletter, their rewards program, and watch the site for sales. (These ones are a no-brainer, but stick with me, they get better)…
- Be flexible with your travel dates. When searching for flights, use the “show low fare calculator” option. When you do this, you can see the one-way fare rates for the entire year and can plan accordingly.
- Book your ticket in advance. It seems that the best deals are typically found several months in advance.
- Avoid peak season. Ticket prices appear to be the highest in summer.
- Book a “no frills” ticket. Because Norwegian is a low cost carrier, your basic ticket comes with NOTHING. Literally, just your seat. If you’re wanting to eat on the plane or you even want a blanket, you’ll pay extra for it. When booking your ticket, your purchase will default to adding a meal option. A very pricey meal option. (We’re talking almost $40 USD for airline food). Travel on the cheap by selecting “no meal” and carrying on a sandwich and snacks, or by ordering cold snacks a la cart once you’re on the plane. I had heard that ordering food on board was absurdly expensive, but I actually didn’t find the prices too shocking. For example, water, coffee and tea were $4, a sandwich was $10 and a glass of wine was $9.
- Pack light. You’re going to pay handsomly if you want to check luggage, so don’t do it and carry on instead. The airline’s carry on restrictions are not overly restrictive compared to other low cost carriers. You’re allowed one personal item and one carry on bag sized 55x40x23cm and weighing up to 22 pounds. Although I played by the rules and carefully weighed my suitcase prior to my trip, I was surprised that the ticket counter employees didn’t even weigh it. That said, I would still recommend that you’re cognizant of the airline’s carry-on restrictions since you don’t want to be stuck paying an exorbitant fee to check your bag at the gate.
- Try booking your ticket in different currencies. Depending on the exchange rate, you may find that you save money by purchasing your ticket in a foreign currency rather than U.S. dollars. For example, I just booked a peak season direct flight from JFK to London. The price in USD was $354, but by changing the currency to Swedish Kroner, I paid only $281 – what a fantastic deal! This said, be aware that your credit/debit card may charge you a foreign transaction fee (typically 3%) if you don’t have a card geared towards traveling that waives this fee.
- Pay with a debit card instead of a credit card. Norwegian charges a small fee for most credit cards. You can avoid this fee by paying with your debit card.
So, what did I think about my flight experience on Norwegian Air?
To be honest, I didn’t have super high expectations given the low cost of the ticket, but I was pleasantly surprised. The planes were brand new! Each seat was outfitted with it’s own outlet to charge your electronics and a television which offered TV shows, games and movies on demand (which were free)! (Conveniently, you also order your a la cart drinks and snacks from your screen, which the crew then brings to you).
The Cons?
- Currently the airline only has departures from three US states, so if you don’t live driving distance to one of those airports, you’ll also be footing the bill for another domestic airline ticket.
- Neither of my flights left on time (one of them leaving almost four hours late) and I’ve been told that Norwegian has a bit of reputation for late departures.
- It was cold on the plane! (Perhaps to boost blanket sales?) Be aware of this and dress in layers.
The Verdict:
All things considered, you should fly with Norwegian Air. Their prices are unbeatable. I’ll forgo a hot meal and deal with a chilly plane any day to save several hundred dollars!
Have you flown with Norwegian? What did you think?
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CC image credit from Flickr: Estocolmo de Noche by Hector Melo A.
February 16, 2015
I love Norwegian! How funny – it was never late for us when traveling to Copenhagen last year and this year to Barcelona (from London). I would recommend it too – just pack light, take something to eat and dress for the flight 🙂 I always check their prices when trying to find a cheap deal 🙂
Monika recently posted…Paradise for your senses – trotting through La Boqueria
February 16, 2015
That’s good to hear actually since I’ll be flying with them again later this year! Thanks, Monika!
February 17, 2015
Wow, I’ve never heard of Norwegian Air until reading your insightful article. The greatest news I learned from all of this is that they fly out of Orlando. I live in South Carolina but can fly to Orlando on Allegiant Air for $79 on most days.
Thanks for the info!
John Cutler recently posted…From Merry Old England with Love
February 17, 2015
They do! I wish I had super cheap flights to one of their hubs from Atlanta, but their prices make up for it. I just booked a direct flight from JFK to London in summer for $281 by paying in Swedish Kroner. They have some FANTASTIC deals!
February 19, 2015
Wow, this is pretty amazing! I’ve never heard about this company — thanks for this post!
February 19, 2015
Absolutely! I hope you find some great deals. 🙂
February 20, 2015
Awesome! I can’t wait to see what deals I can find!
HotMamaTravel recently posted…Idyllwild Weekend Conclusion
February 20, 2015
Let me know! I’ve basically booked all my plane tickets for the year with Norwegian! 🙂
February 21, 2015
I had no idea this was possible! Saving this in the archives of my mind for once I return to the U.S. Thanks so much, Karisa!
Chloe | Wanderlust in the Midwest
Chloe Logan recently posted…Ghent, Belgium
February 21, 2015
No problem – hope it saves you some money! I’ve already booked a couple more future tickets with NA!
February 21, 2015
I’ve booked to go to Spain for TBEX. It’s a budget airline so I’m prepared LOL!
Victoria@ The British Berliner recently posted…I went skiing in a little Czech village in the middle of no-where: Introducing Rokytnice nad Jizerou!
February 22, 2015
Great! I’m hoping to head to TBEX North America this year. 🙂
February 22, 2015
Nice one!
Victoria@ The British Berliner recently posted…The time that I fell off the ski lift in the Czech Republic!
February 22, 2015
Thanks, Victoria! 🙂
February 23, 2015
So true, we always fly with Norwegian nowadays, so convenient when living in Stockholm and going to SF 1-2/year! Love your other tips on this article as well =)
February 23, 2015
I am jealous! I really wish they flew out of Atlanta!
February 24, 2015
Im sure they will soon, they just opened up a new route to LA =)
Jessica recently posted…Castelo de São Jorge, Lisbon
February 26, 2015
I have always found Norwegian to be quite good and fairly cheap.
Will fly with them from London to New York this summer! 🙂
Zascha Friis recently posted…The Beauty of Denmark
February 26, 2015
You really can’t beat their pricing!
March 14, 2015
This is why I love travel bloggers – you get the tips that no other media prints and it’s bang up to date. My friends recently cut over a $1000 off flights to the USA by having a stop over in Iceland thanks to a blog travel tip.
March 14, 2015
I’ve read travel blogs religiously for years because of that same reason! Was the stopover on Icelandair? They have some great deals!
March 14, 2015
It was Icelandair. Even though Iceland can be pricey it allowed their family 3 days to explore a country they wouldn’t have seen at less cost.
March 16, 2015
thanks, some great tips
March 16, 2015
Glad you find them helpful – hopefully, they can help you save some $!
March 18, 2015
I am just crushing on your blog.. Totally eye candy… Best way to get to NYC in middle of July? Flights are expensive any tips?? Thanks.
March 18, 2015
Thanks, Becky! I would suggest checking skyscanner.com and momondo.com. And then, depending where you are flying from you should also check Frontier and Southwest’s websites directly.
August 11, 2015
Hi Karisa! Just curious – were you able to find a debit card that avoided the foreign transaction fee? I have a couple credit cards that are geared towards travel and don’t charge foreign fees.. but I was hoping to avoid the Norwegian credit card surcharge too haha.
Btw – great blog! Just stumbled upon it and I totally relate to working long hours and squeezing every possible weekend for travel 🙂
Sher
http://www.shershegoes.com
August 11, 2015
Hi Sher – Thank you! Check out Charles Schwab’s debit card – it pays interest, no foreign transaction fees and they reimburse ATM surcharges too! I love the card!
January 10, 2016
Great, great info! And totally love the Schwab debit as well!
I first heard about it from another one of the travel guys. Who is Your favorite to follow, besides you, of course 😉
January 10, 2016
Thanks, Lucy! The Schwab card is great, isn’t it?! For all things travel hacking related, I like the Points Guy. 🙂