Norwegian International flights - Any food or drink with base fare?
 

i plan on going from England to jfk in May.
2 options:
A) round trip ticket on Delta ($370) and pick a throw away return trip date. ie- dont fly back to London
note: 1 way from London to jfk is $2000!
B) one way on Norwegian from Gatwick airport ($200). Never been on Norwegian before.

for Norwegian $50 more (LowFare+) i get:

• up to two meals on board
• 1 checked bag (20 kg)
• seat reservation

What food/drink do you get if you just book the base fare?

uggg.
the lowfare+ food and seat selection upgrade is useful.
but i dont need checked bags.

still worth it for $50?

Seat selection alone should be far less than $50. I've had the food before (came free as part of a PE booking), it's not worth $50. Just eat before boarding and bring a bottle of water and some snacks on board.

You can buy food and drink onboard, as you can buy a seat. You can also take your own food onboard.

I usually book low fare, reserve an exit row seat. Take my own food and drinks onboard and buy a beer. I do carry on only.

Did a mock booking.
$45 to select seat.
Also, 10kg limit on carry on?? Ugh..I haven't weighed my luggage but I think it's over 22lbs.
Looks like I'm paying for lowfare+ for the checked bag (and seat selection).

and it's now$85 more for lowfare+??

Yes 10kg limit. It is very clear. Totally doable with some planning, but not everybody's style. So definitely pay to check bags if you cannot do it. I like that they give options, because I do not need for or checked bags, but I do want those exit row seats.

When I'm going on vacation I always go carry-on-only, but 22 lbs. is really pushing it. Normally for EU vacations I'm good with a standard-sized bag and about 15kg. Since it's got to be lightweight I'd suggest getting a carry-on sized duffel bag instead. A regular suitcase tips the scale at 6-10 pounds typically. A duffel is maybe 2 lbs (for a well-built one). That gives you 20 pounds of stuff. I can pack everything I need in that and still have room for souvenirs coming home. The compromise is I need a couple of hours for laundry every 5 days (or pay someone to do it while I'm out doing whatever), and I don't carry an extra pair of shoes. I eat a big meal before leaving for the airport so no need to subject myself to airline food (bonus: food coma = easier to nap or sleep onboard). I'll buy sodas or OJ onboard, and I'll have some snacks packed in my bag for late in the flight. The only extra I ever spend on airfare is for a seat with legroom, and when offered, I'll spring for premium economy for flights over 5 hours.

When dealing with a weight limit I use a frame free multiway bag, it weighs just over 1kg. That leaves me lots of weight for my stuff. https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5038-0...k-Shoulder-Bag

Just flew LAX-MAD and CDG-LAX on LowFare
 

Just returned and have to say the Norwegian flight was perfect!

​​​​​​Excellent airline done very well in European standards.

NOTE: This is NOT an US carrier - they are not: Delta, AA, United, etc - so if you are expecting full American service - I say go fly on a full cost carrier and you will be happier.

TIP: Do your homework BEFORE you book this European Low Cost Carrier airline and you will have a great flight.

WARNING: those of you who don't care to do any research on this European LCC (low cost carrier) will be in for a big surprise!

We booked a family of 4 on the lowest cost fare (Low Fare) and did not get meals or seats.
$400 R/T cost per ticket made it possible for 4 of us to get to Europe in a short notice 2 weeks prior to departure - can't do that on any other carrier even for 3 or 4 times that price on such short notice.

We weighed all our bags prior to departure and made sure our carry ons were under 22lbs (10kg).
We did however pre-pay for 2 checked luggages ($40 each) and did not get gouged at the terminal checkin counters like others were screaming about.

There were people at LAX and on the return leg from CDG (Paris) - obvious Americans who were loud and belligerent towards the checkin staff because they were having to pay $100 (LAX) and 100€ ($110) in Paris for checkin luggage that exceeded size or weight.
Very embarrassing to see Americans putting on a show of their uneducated ignorance....

We knew exactly how much we were going to and how much we were returning with - we saved lots of money by doing our homework in advance learning about European style of flying.

At LAX, the checkin counter had us place all our carry on together and weighed a total one time - we were able to sum our group of 4 (22lbs times 4 = 88 lbs max) and we were under by 20 lbs to spare!
Our pre paid check in luggage ($40 each) was also group (lump) weighed together and we were under the max (44lbs x 2 = 88 lbs).

NOTE: This does NOT apply to the return Norwegian leg from Europe - read below...

As for food, we did not want to pay $45 per person for an economy meal that was very a basic hot meal.

We instead opted to fill up prior to boarding at the airport lounges to tide us over.

At LAX we first used our Priority Pass to gain entry into the KAL lounge and grabbed free water bottles, sodas, beers, snacks and instant noodles for the trip.

Then we had time to spare so we had a huge $150 meal at the PF Chang restaurant using our Priority Pass. The Priority Pass saved us $120 for 4 of us ($30 per person credit). We ended up paying $30 for the food plus $25 tip to the restaurant and server.

The biggest worry was that our family of 4 would be separated as we did not pay for the $45 per seat. Luckily, when you book a group on one payment, they will assign seats together automatically - both legs were automatically assigned as we all sat together in the same row - WHOO HOOO!

Our flight was an hour late but that time was made up during flight to Madrid due to the tailwind / jetstream.

On board, we were able to consume our beverages and snacks during the 10 hour flight. We bought our own headsets / earphone sets to plug into their IFE and watched movies. We also brought our own travel pillows & blankets. $0 spent on board.

The airplane was a very modern, super efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Very clean and the plane's design made our flight very comfortable.

The 787 Dreamliner (along with the Airbus A350/A380 & upcoming Boeing 797) are pressurized at higher levels (5000' elevation), warmer cabin temperatures, and have increased humidity to prevent you from drying out. As such when you land after a long trans oceanic journey, you don't feel tired, red eyes, or jet lagged.

As a frequent flier for over 40 years, I have noticed planes of yesteryear (DC-10, 737, 747, A319, A320, A330) are not very nice to travelers because of the cabin pressure (low) at 8000' elevation equivalent, temperatures (cold), and dry air (no humidity). Those older planes are not my choice and I will go to great extent to avoid them unless they are for short domestic trips.

As for our return leg from Paris, we found out that they do NOT lump weigh our group's carry ons. They weighed each item separately so we had to shuffle items to comply with the weight limit. Since we also pre-paid for 2 checked luggages, they also weighed each item and had to shuffle items in order to comply - this was way different than flying from the US side....

Again, we stocked up before our flight at the lounges at CDG airport using Priority Pass.

This time, the flight was 2 hours late due to plane switched out and we made it back an hour late...

Overall, a very good experience if you change your "American" mentality to European.

Great report, but you do know that you are not supposed to take food from priority pass lounges? The food and drinks are to be consumed in the lounge.

We travel as you do, sometimes our group has received seats together, sometimes they have not.

That goes for almost all lounges There are a few that offer a grab lounge option, most notably Lufthansa in Munich. But it is rather rare.

Great report - and your experiences pretty much mirror those that my wife and I have had flying transatlantic with Norwegian over the past few years (BGO-JFK, BOS<->LGW, BOS<->CDG).

The single most important piece of information I think I could give to my American friends would be LEARN TO TRAVEL LIGHT. Look up where there will be laundry facilities at your destination so you don't have to pack as many clothes. When I think of the differences between how I travelled in the 80s and 90s versus how I travel now - it's almsot laughable.

I take bottle or water, maybe a packet or two of crisp, or maybe fruit, sometimes a can of soda depending on what I'm in the mood for. Never been told off. In fact, I'm flying long haul tonight, will be stopping over at a lounge before the flight. May grab something if I fancy it.

I'm guessing the rule about not taking away food is to ensure people don't take a piss. taking a bottle of water, or a fruit or two - I haven't seen anyone pulled up for that.

I am pretty certain you cannot consume your own alcohol on board a flight. I am also pretty certain you cannot even take alcohol drinks that are meant for consumption on site at an establishment offsite.