A new Norway-based startup airline is offering flights from Orlando and Fort Lauderdale to Oslo this summer starting at $149 one-way.
The airline, Norse Atlantic Airways, is offering the discount fares as a promotion for its full launch. Promotional fares are also available for flights from New York and Los Angeles.
Three-times weekly flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport are scheduled to begin June 20. Service from Orlando begins July 5.
Oslo is Norway’s capital and is located in the nation’s southeast, at the base of the Oslo Fjord. It’s known for its modern architecture, nearby mountains, hiking and skiing trails, clean air and water, English-speaking population and its Viking Ship Museum. Weather in summer is moderate, with temperatures ranging from the mid-50s to low 70s.
“This is a major milestone for all of us at Norse Atlantic Airways and a testament to the dedication and determination of colleagues from across the airline who have made this possible,” Norse CEO Bjorn Tore Larsen said in a news release. “Norse now offers the lowest one-way point-to-point transatlantic fares in the market.”
While promotional fares from the U.S. are jaw-dropping compared to domestic airlines, most of Norse’s one-way return flights are more expensive.
For example, while a June 20 “Economy Light” flight from Fort Lauderdale is listed as $149 for the cheapest available seat, a return flight from Oslo is $170 on June 24 or $225 on June 26.
The cheapest available “Economy Light” seat from Orlando International Airport is also $149, while return flights will range from $171 to $263.
The promotional fares will guarantee a seat. But there’s a separate $25 charge if you want to select a middle seat in a desired location, and $35 to select an aisle or window seat. “Preferred seats” are a separate charge of $75 and a seat with extra legroom will cost an additional $120.
Bags are extra except for the one you can place under your seat. Baggage prices, if ordered when you book, range from $25 for a carry-on to $170 for checked luggage weighing up to 70 pounds.
Meals must be purchased online at booking, at prices ranging from $20 to $30.
Promotional fare includes taxes and fees. So if you ordered no seat upgrade, no priority boarding, no meals, and brought just a carry-on bag and “under-seat” bag, your roundtrip fare from Fort Lauderdale from June 20 to June 24 would be $368.
Even with the optional fees, Norse might be offering the lowest available fares between the U.S. and Europe this summer. According to the travel website Orbitz, which currently does not offer Norse flights, the lowest round-trip fare leaving Fort Lauderdale on June 20 and returning rom Oslo on June 24 is $1,399.
Comparable prices turn up for flights between Fort Lauderdale and popular destinations in Europe and Great Britain, including London ($1,349), Barcelona, Spain ($1,104) and Paris, France ($894).
Norse’s promotional fares are even cheaper when departing from New York. A June 21 departure from New York’s Kennedy Airport is $129 and a June 30 return flight is $113.
Flights from Los Angeles won’t begin until Aug. 10. The cheapest fare from Los Angeles International Airport to Oslo will be $169 and the cheapest return fare will be $205.
If cost is no object, the airline also offers seats in its Premium section and two other Economy choices, “Classic” and “Light,” which include more amenities.
Norse Atlantic Airways, founded in March 2021, will fly 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. In addition to the inaugural cities of Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, New York, Los Angeles and Oslo, the company plans to add additional destinations in the future, including Paris and London.
