phil94028

A lot in the current press on Norwegian getting very close to the edge on some bond covenants in the next week or two and needing cash in a big hurry. Obviously the mess at LGW must not have helped!

I know there were some posters on here who had taken a pretty close look at the company finances and IAG's interest. What do you all think?

I have an LAX-LGW with them in mid Jan. and hoping they can come up with a plan!

Obviously Jan and Feb are brutal for TATL routes and the probable losses may make then want to stay on the ground. Would be a shame to see them go away.

Bogwoppit

It definitely does not look good, hard to imagine how they can pull it together.

have flights YUL - FDF booked for May. All along I have felt that this trip might go pear shaped due to Norwegian. It would be too bad, but better they go under before we fly, not during the trip.

iflyjetz

There were many warnings on this website. Heck, Norwegian's last conference call had so many red flags that I thought it was being held in a flag factory doing a run of Chinese flags.

So instead of booking a deeply discounted rate on a solvent carrier, some have decided to roll the bones and book on Norwegian.

As far as Norwegian's future, they will close their doors like every TATL LCC before them. What these TATL LCCs do is set unrealistic expectations among the public that airfares should be as low as offered by Norwegian, in spite of the fact that Norwegian's fares are well below breakeven. It also destabilizes solvent air carriers due to those carriers having to lower ticket prices below their breakeven in order to compete.

The very best thing for the stability of low, reasonably priced tickets is for Norwegian and WoW to close their doors as quickly as possible. With any luck, it will happen before the New Year.

cautiousjon

My wife and I chose to do this. We got tickets on an Air NZ round trip itinerary in Y from LAX to LHR in March 2019 for the same price as Norwegian is selling tickets today (to LGW). I have a lot more confidence that Air NZ will actually be able to operate the flights we booked though...

iflyjetz

That, my friend, is the smartest way to play this game. Just watch what happens to Air NZ's ticket prices once Norwegian folds its tent.

As a bonus, the GBP/USD exchange rate is extremely low so the rest of your vacation will be much cheaper than a year ago.

Often1

This.

In addition, DY does not interline with the other TATL carriers and won't rebook on other carriers in IRROPS, it openly defies "duty of care" requirements under EC 261/2004, and many have dreadful experiences with delay compensation. As DY's cash position worsens, paying out cash compensation will become all the more difficult.

It may represent value for someone with a very flexible schedule if the savings are great. But, the cheapest ticket is not necessarily the cheapest journey.

Bogwoppit

This is totally my feeling when it comes to booking with them. I have lots of time and I have a credit card. Up until now I have saved thousands flying with Norwegian. I may get burned on my next trip in March. But I can afford to get stranded abroad, that is not everybody's situation.

I also only book direct flights, never would consider an onward flight after a D8 flight.

phil94028

I flew the closing days of People Express, Panam and even a couple of Laker flights so not so worried .... feels like Norwegian have momentum and should find a partner or something survivable. We will see, bit of a perfect storm in the markets though.

With pretty much any airline a plan B is a good idea. In case anyone does not have a plan, do take a look at the rather sobering walkup one way fares from the West Coast to Europe or back on the majors ahead of time.

Do not forget last minute (almost literally) frequent flyer tickets, in the case of United, 30K miles each way plus taxes are almost always available. There are often round trips that are cheaper than one ways too, for a throwaway fare.

77Pat

Booked my first flight for February 2019 a couple weeks ago. Will be watching closely.

SusanDK

They seem to be set for the first half of 2019:

https://ekstrabladet.dk/nyheder/samf...te-fly/7451362 (in Danish)

usbusinesstraveller

Im a new user

What it says is that DY has secured money for all aircraft which are due to be delivered during the first half of 2019.

Concerto

They are just buying time for themselves. It just pushes the debt, which isn't going to go away, further down the road. Will be interesting to see what happens, though.

Mary Louise

pxm

I am booked next week and also crossing my fingers. I am not sure if I would book any travel with them again - there is nothing worse than uncertainty when traveling with family.