Long-haul startup Norse Atlantic Airways, who plans to operate transatlantic flights from Europe to the United States next summer with Boeing 787s, has submitted its application to begin flying to the United States.
In the application, Norse revealed its first three routes set to begin in Summer 2022:
Oslo (OSL) to Fort Lauderdale, Florida (FLL)
Oslo (OSL) to Ontario, California (ONT)
Oslo (OSL) to Stewart, New York (SWF)
If launched, this would be Ontario Airportās first transatlantic route.
Essentially, Norse Atlantic Airways is somewhat replacing Norwegian Air after they axed long-haul operations. Norwegian once flew to Stewart and Fort Lauderdale, but they chose Los Angeles (LAX) over Ontario.
I am sooooo excited for this. We need this since over the last 3 years, we lost British Airways, Emirates, and then Norwegian. Iām happy to see some transatlantic flights coming back from FLL!
I find it interesting how they chose ONT over LAX. Other than any charters and private jets, I donāt believe ONT has ever had international commercial operations, so this will be a good route to watch as it picks up steam. I was sad Norwegian ceased routes to OāHare a while back, so hopefully Norse will fly to OāHare one day!
Super excited to see a new airline in town! So many carriers have left SWF since the pandemic such as Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, and American. This is a beautiful livery too. If I recall correctly, SWF has never had a Dreamliner before, so Iām really looking forward to this.
100% agree, itās the best and most underrated airport in NYC.
Tbh, what is the market for international flights out of these āalternateā airports? Like, is it really more convenient to fly out of ONT instead of LAX?
Not to mention there are probably very little passenger amenities, such as lounges, etc. especially at SWF.
For SWF, if you advertise it as your NYC airport, people flying from Oslo to get to New York City cheap will use it. I know SWF had some sort of shuttle bus from the airport to Manhattan when Norwegian flew there.
For FLL, they can be their own market. Fort Lauderdale is a bustling vacation spot, and Miami is a less than an hourās drive away for people headed there. Hopefully the cruise industry will be in or close to full swing by the time these flights start. Also, Europe is a popular vacation spot for South Floridians looking for a cooler getaway.
For ONT, itās about a 40 minute drive from downtown LA (according to Google Maps). You can probably also attract some LA-area flyers looking for a cheap flight to Norway.
For the airlines especially LCCs, it definitely is. Most of the time, the secondary airports have lower landing fees than the main airports. Also, significantly less delays, which leads to cost savings.
Probably doesnāt matter to the passengers as itās a LCC.
Can confirm. SWF, like JFK, LGA, and EWR, is also managed by the Port Authority of NY & NJ. They and a bunch of other shuttle carriers have service between SWF and Manhattan. So really, no itās not a major disadvantage flying into an airport about an hour from the main city area. Itās much cheaper and there are little to no delays.
SWF is an airport around 60-90 minutes north of Manhattan. For SWF, if you advertise it as your NYC airport, people flying from Oslo to get to New York City cheap will use it. I know SWF had some sort of shuttle bus from the airport to Manhattan when Norwegian flew there.
Hiya, Orange County local here. Iām pretty much living right between ONT and LAX, 28 miles from ONT and 30 miles from LAX.
Whenever I can avoid LAX, Iāll avoid it. Itās a nightmare to get to - on a weekend, it can still take upwards of an hour to get to LAX, not to mention the nightmare of the airport itself. Itās busy, and especially during a pandemic, itās certainly not an ideal place to be. On the other hand, I can get to ONT in 20-30 minutes, be able to get through TSA within 5 minutes, and still have plenty of time to spare, even if I show up an hour before my flight.
If thereās an available flight out of SNA, LGB, or ONT, even if the price may be a tad higher than LAX, Iād take it. My family wants to go to Europe when things return to normal, and if this flight lasts, weāll probably be heavily considering this flight.
