Ouch…
Norwegian has announced that they are cutting all transatlantic routes from Ireland as of September 15, 2019.
This includes flights from Dublin, Cork, and Shannon, operating to the US and Canada. Specifically, their transatlantic routes out of Ireland have included:
- Dublin to Hamilton, Newburgh, and Providence
- Cork to Providence
- Shannon to Newburgh and Providence
All of these routes were operated by the 737 MAX, which obviously has been grounded globally since March. As a result, Norwegian has already suspended some of these routes, while for the Dublin routes they’ve mainly found replacement aircraft.
As Norwegian’s SVP Long-Haul Commercial explains the decision:
“As the airline moves from growth to profitability, we have conducted a comprehensive review of our transatlantic operations between Ireland and North America and considering the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, we have concluded that these routes are no longer commercially viable.
We take a strict approach to route management and constantly evaluate route performance to ensure we meet customer demand. Compounded by the global grounding of the 737 MAX and the continued uncertainty of its return to service, this has led us to make the difficult decision to discontinue all six routes from Dublin, Cork and Shannon to the US and Canada from 15 September 2019.”
For those booked on these flights after they terminate, Norwegian will assist customers in getting them rerouted onto other Norwegian services. Of course that won’t be very direct in some cases since people will be routed through Copenhagen and Oslo. Furthermore, Norwegian will also offer a full refund if passengers no longer wish to travel.
While the 737 MAX is no doubt a big reason these routes were cut, ultimately I think the fact that these were cut permanently says a lot about about how these routes were performing. When the routes launched in 2017 they were incredibly innovative, but like many things at Norwegian, they failed to make money.
With the airline having racked up huge losses and receiving new funding, their focus has shifted from growth to profitability. It will be interesting to see where they decide to deploy these 737 MAXs once they’re back in the air — will we see them on other transatlantic routes, or will they use them for another region?
After all, the 737 MAX is somewhat limited in terms of range on transatlantic flights, so the options for where this plane could work are somewhat limited.
@aniron: well, their food is. :D
The idea at Norwegian of long haul was very innovative, but as usually with Norwegians, poorly executed and in this case also flawed by the bad luck of the MAX issues. All the press about Norwegian makes me believe they're going where MCAS tries to push them...
BC
Are the English and Scottish really that bad?
Am I the only one who thinks that the IAG 737 max order had something to do with Norwegian. If they are acquired by IAG then it'll be much easier to harmonize their fleets if there is a large fleet of Max's to slot them into, whilst the 787's at Gatwick will get BA's iconic Chatham Dockyard livery. I really hope that does happen in the near future.
@Declan
I was on SAS Ireland today from Dublin to Copenhagen, with English crew.
And then SAS Ireland from Copenhagen to Stockholm, with Scottish and English crew. A most bizarre experience.
The race to the bottom continues....
Is it just me or does there seem to be a lot of signs pointing to Norwegians fait;
-RR 787 engine issues
-Late 737 MAX deliveries (Had to sub in different aircraft for new transatlantic routes)
-Iran 737 MAX diversion
-737 MAX grounding
-Recent 787 engine failure in Rome
-Recent 787 pushback collision at Gatwick
They now have two 787s and a whole lot of 737 MAXs out of service. While it was a nice concept I just don't think Norwegian was meant to be.
I scored a $260 RT fare all-in from Newburgh to Dublin back in March. Originally scheduled on a MAX to and from Shannon, it ended up on a wet leased Evelop A330 to Dublin instead. No frills and a max 10kg luggage limit, but for $260 I ain't complaining!
This is a huge blow for both the NYC and Boston markets where demand to Ireland is always high, even in the off-season as I discovered....
I scored a $260 RT fare all-in from Newburgh to Dublin back in March. Originally scheduled on a MAX to and from Shannon, it ended up on a wet leased Evelop A330 to Dublin instead. No frills and a max 10kg luggage limit, but for $260 I ain't complaining!
This is a huge blow for both the NYC and Boston markets where demand to Ireland is always high, even in the off-season as I discovered. By comparison my flight to Dublin tomorrow night on United (Premium Econ. outbound on a 78-X, regular economy return from Shannon on a 757) was $1500/pp. Granted that's highest of high season but still, $1300 more than for dates in early May, purchased late March.
I'm glad I got that low fare. I doubt I'll ever be able to afford to go back with a 4-digit price tag for a 5-day trip. LCCs and ULCCs are still desperately needed in the trans-Atlantic market to keep the majors in check.
I'd still fly D8 in a heartbeat, but yeah, they can't seem to catch a break. Like others, I'm laying this *squarely* at the feet of Boeing. With the exception of trying to score a flight on a 747 (still never had the chance in the 50-odd years they've been in the air), I'm completely boycotting any and everything from that company until sufficient heads have rolled, reforms have been accomplished and recompense paid as needed.
@RR
Not the only Irish airline which doesn’t operate in Ireland. SAS Ireland is an Irish Airline with no routes to/from Ireland. SAS’s 3 routes to/from Dublin are operated by the Scandinavian company. ♂️
@DKB
I wouldn't say it went this low because of Norwegian. It went this low because of WOW. Scored a sale CLE-BCN-BOS for cheaper than $200 all in. That's almost like paying CLE-BOS with a stopover in Europe.
I have a feeling that this may be the beginning of Norwegian phasing out all transatlantic flights.
Their stock price is down 80% this year alone, from Jan 1. RIP Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA.
Just last night I was looking at Newburgh-Dublin in November. It wasn’t on google flights and was almost $2,000 on Norwegian’s site.
Now I understand that they were pricing to avoid bookings on flights to be canceled.
Aer Lingus about to increase fares now with no competition from Wow or Norwegian anymore. Shame - really liked the ~$500 RT fares that I could get from NYC to DUB.
I still do not see them re-establishing their seasonal service out of LAX to the Nordics (calendar only showing direct flights until October). I honestly think their ending the flights to LAX from places other than the bigger airports like CDG, Gatwick, Barcelona, Rome...
Very dissaponting, we had been enjoying a period of very low transatlantic fares here, across all airlines but started by Norwegian. That's the end of that for now.
If Norwegian fails, it is at the hands of Boeing.
An “Irish” International airline without any Irish international routes.
Thank god. I want tatl to be a profit for USA.
The beginning of the end