Norwegian Air Shuttle throws in the towel.
In spring 2020, the low-cost airline announced the end of half of its long-haul operations from its bases in Scandinavia to Thailand and the USA.
Debt-undermined, completed by the global crisis linked to Covid-19, in receivership since the end of 2020, the company known to the general public for its transatlantic tickets at unbeatable prices formalized last week the abandonment of its long lines. couriers around the world.
From now on, it will focus on its Scandinavian and European network.
For French holidaymakers, the service of many links to the United States thus falls apart.
Starting with the Paris-New York, Paris-Los Angeles and Paris-San Francisco lines.
On the latter, where competition was raging before the global crisis, do not worry: regular and low-cost airlines will continue to wage a merciless price war as soon as the travel world has regained a semblance of normality.
The French French Bee and Corsair are also planning to embark on the Orly-New York routes in the spring.
Read also: Flights Paris-New York: which company offers the best value for money?
The end of other lines, such as those operated by Norwegian to Boston or Fort Lauderdale, leaves the field open to Air France and its partner Delta Airlines.
Fares to these destinations could increase, but nothing is certain given the economic conditions.
Finally, two direct lines were only provided by Norwegian and will cease to exist.
This is the case for Paris-Denver and Paris-Orlando flights.
Which flights from Paris and Nice?
What flights will now be offered to French customers, in Paris as well as in Nice (where Norwegian operated medium-haul flights) by what will remain of the Norwegian company?
“At this stage, we cannot yet publish our complete schedule for the connections from Paris and Nice,”
replied the management of the air carrier to
Le Figaro.
For now, the direct flights available for booking for summer 2021 are Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm from CDG.
From Nice, Norwegian is expected to continue flights to Bergen, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm.
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Norwegian, which initially focused on intra-Scandinavian flights, made a name for itself in 2012 by embarking on low-cost routes between Europe and the United States.
It was one of the first to offer connections to New York below 200 euros.
But, if the red Boeing carrier has won over the general public, its low-cost offer has never been profitable and its decision to stop its long-haul activities once again demonstrates the fragility of the low-cost model.
