- Introduction: A Quick African Adventure
- Review: British Airways First Lounge New York JFK
- Review: British Airways Pre-Flight Dining New York JFK
- Review: British Airways Business Class A318 New York To London City
- Review: The London EDITION
- Review: British Airways First Lounge London Heathrow Terminal 3
- Review: British Airways First Class 747 London To Nairobi
- Review: Four Points By Sheraton Nairobi Airport
- Review: Turkish Airlines Lounge Nairobi Airport
- Review: Kenya Airways Pride Lounge Nairobi Airport
- Review: Kenya Airways Simba Lounge Nairobi Airport
- Review: RwandAir Business Class CRJ-900 Nairobi To Kigali
- Review: Marriott Kigali
- Review: Pearl Lounge Kigali Airport
- Review: RwandAir Business Class A330 Kigali To Brussels
- Review: RwandAir A330 Business Class Brussels To London
- Review: Hilton London Gatwick
- Review: No1 Lounge London Gatwick South Terminal
- Review: Norwegian Premium 787-9 London To New York
Norwegian 7013
London (LGW) – New York (JFK)
Sunday, November 11
Depart: 6:05AM
Arrive: 9:20AM
Duration: 8hr15min
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Seat: 7A (Premium)
I boarded through the second set of doors, where I was greeted by two very friendly flight attendants and pointed left into the premium economy cabin.
Norwegian’s 787-9 has a total of 56 premium economy seats, spread across eight rows in a 2-3-2 configuration. The seats take up the entire space between doors one and two, so they’re in the same area that many other airlines would put 30 reverse herringbone business class seats, for example.
Norwegian 787 Premium cabin
The legroom in these seats is pretty solid. I’d say these seats are more comfortable than what you’d find in domestic first class within the US, for example, and certainly above average for international premium economy.
Norwegian Premium seats 787
The only downside to these seats compared to a domestic first class seat within the US is that the armrest between seats is a bit smaller, so you don’t have that much shoulder space.
Norwegian 787 Premium seats
I had assigned myself seat 7A, the window seat in the second to last row on the left side. The cabin was only a bit over half full, so I knew that the seat next to me would be empty, which was ideal.
Norwegian Premium seats 787
So having two seats to myself was awesome, though I imagine I would have enjoyed the experience less if I found myself in a full cabin in the center seat.
Norwegian 787 Premium cabin
The legroom in these seats is truly very good, and that’s in spite of the fact that Norwegian recently reduced legroom in premium economy.
Norwegian Premium legroom
I also appreciate the huge amount of unobstructed space underneath the seat in front, regardless of whether you want to store a bag there or just really stretch out your feet.
Norwegian Premium legroom
The seat controls were on the outer armrests, and consisted of two simple levers — one could be used to recline the seat, while the other could be used to raise the footrest. I did find the lever for the footrest a bit tough to use, since you really had to apply a lot of pressure to adjust the position.
Norwegian Premium seat controls
The tray table also extended from the far armrests, and could be folded over in half.
Norwegian Premium tray table
In the center armrest was a personal television. While I always prefer a seatback television, that’s really not practical here, given how much the seats recline.
Norwegian Premium personal television
At the bottom of the IFE screen was the headphone jack and USB outlet.
Norwegian Premium USB outlet & headphone jack
Then along the center armrest was the easy to use entertainment controller.
Norwegian Premium entertainment controls
Underneath the center armrest were two 110v outlets.
Norwegian Premium power outlets
One other thing I really appreciated was that there were individual air nozzles at every seat.
Norwegian Premium air nozzles
While there were no pillows, there was a very comfortable blanket at every seat.
Norwegian Premium blanket
Boarding in premium economy was nice and calm, given that everyone was boarding through the second set of doors, so it was only about the 30 premium economy passengers passing through the cabin.
Norwegian also does a great job with creating a great ambiance onboard. In addition to swanky mood lighting, there’s also soothing boarding music. I also appreciate that virtually all of the announcements are automated, unlike on other airlines, where the flight attendants often yell into the PA constantly.
Norwegian Premium cabin 787
Norwegian 787 mood lighting
I believe this is the boarding music and video that they had:
About 20 minutes after boarding, pre-departure drinks were offered, with the choice between water and orange juice.
Norwegian Premium pre-departure drink
I was also offered a small case with earbuds. These were quite low quality, so I didn’t end up using them.
Norwegian Premium headphones
This was my first time on Norwegian, and one of the things that I had always heard about the airline is the unique techniques they use to take advantage of labor laws, like that they have Thai crews operating many of their longhaul services.
In the case of this flight, the entire cabin crew was British.
At around 5:55AM the Irish captain welcomed us aboard on behalf of himself and the Spanish first officer, and informed us of our flight time of 7hr32min, which he said was longer than usual. He said the flight should be smooth for the first 3-4 hours, but it would then get bumpier.
At 6AM the main cabin door closed, and then immediately the safety video was screened. We were a bit delayed on departure, and only ended up pushing back at 6:15AM. Then we just stood there for another 20 minutes after pushing back, and only started our taxi around 6:35AM.
Fortunately from our gate to the runway was just a very short taxi. We taxied past a Wamos A330, which I believe is a plane that Norwegian is leasing, given their 787 issues.
Wamos A330 London Gatwick
By 6:40AM we were cleared for takeoff.
View after takeoff from London
While we hit some bumps on the initial climb out, the ride eventually got smoother, and five minutes after takeoff the seatbelt sign was turned off.
View after takeoff from London
As we climbed out I also checked out the entertainment selection. The personal television has the entertainment selection, moving map, food and drink selection, and duty free selection, so a lot is controlled through this.
Norwegian entertainment system
I started by first checking out the map for our flight to New York. I’m a fan of this specific format, given how customizable it is.
Norwegian moving map for flight to New York
Norwegian moving map for flight to New York
The entertainment selection was solid but not amazing. There were about 40 movies and also about 40 TV shows, which I’d say is decent but not amazing.
I know that Norwegian also plans on installing Wi-Fi on their 787s, though I don’t believe they’ve started that process just yet.
I ended up watching “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” which I thought was pretty funny.
Norwegian entertainment selection
Norwegian Premium entertainment selection
Norwegian Premium entertainment selection
Norwegian Premium entertainment selection
The service model in Norwegian Premium is interesting. On transatlantic flights you get two free meals (one after takeoff and one before landing) and unlimited free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). However, if you want any other snacks, you have to buy them just as you’d have to do in economy.
The crew started their service about 30 minutes after takeoff. This began with a round of drinks. Interestingly they only had water, coffee, and juice on the cart, though I’m sure you could have also asked for something else. I ordered a still water and a coffee with some milk.
Norwegian Premium drink service
Then 55 minutes after takeoff the cart was rolled down the aisle again with a breakfast service. There was no choice for the breakfast option, and everything was served in one box.
Norwegian Premium breakfast box
The breakfast offering was certainly modest. In addition to the hot dish, there was a croissant and a small side of fruit.
Norwegian Premium breakfast box
Norwegian Premium breakfast box
The main course consisted of an omelet with sausage. It was alright, probably what I’d expect in economy.
Norwegian Premium breakfast
I picked at the eggs and then had the fruit and croissant.
Norwegian Premium breakfast
I have to say that the crew was absolutely lovely. They almost provided a business class service in terms of how friendly and attentive they were during the meal service.
For example, the guy in front of me was vegetarian but hadn’t pre-ordered a vegetarian meal. The lead flight attendant ended up giving him her crew meal so that he could eat, which was a very nice gesture.
The breakfast service was cleared pretty quickly, and about 75 minutes after takeoff cabin lights were dimmed so everyone could get some rest.
The way the service on Norwegian works is high tech. Rather than ordering anything from the flight attendant, all orders outside of the main meal services are placed through your inflight entertainment. So you just order something there, and then it will quickly be brought to you.
This included a huge selection of drinks, including water, juice, soda, liquor, beer, wine, and cocktails. They were all complimentary in premium economy, as you can see (while you’d have to buy them in economy).
Norwegian Premium drink selection
Norwegian Premium drink selection
Norwegian Premium drink selection
Norwegian Premium drink selection
There was also a selection of snacks and meals for purchase. This ranged from sandwiches to packaged nuts.
One thing I’d note is that the system doesn’t do a very good job describing what the fresh options are. In other words, the “hot vegetarian snack” shows a picture of a flat bread (or something), but that’s not necessarily what it is.
Norwegian Premium food selection
Norwegian Premium food selection
Norwegian Premium food selection
Even the duty free selection is available through the inflight entertainment, so you can buy Bose headphones through there.
Norwegian Premium duty free
After breakfast I tried to get some rest. Here’s the thing — I’m someone who really struggles to sleep if I don’t have a flat bed, so I’m happy I booked a daytime flight, because these seats are perfect for that. But there’s no way I could have slept on an overnight flight.
The seat recline itself is very good.
Norwegian Premium seat recline
Perhaps it’s almost too good, because it was hard to get out of the window seat with the person in front of me reclined, and that was even with an empty aisle seat.
Norwegian Premium seat recline
Probably my biggest criticism of the seat is that the legrest doesn’t actually extend out. Rather it can only be pulled up rather than out, so if you’re relatively tall, the seat really feels too short. I found that strange, because there was definitely room for the legrest to potentially be pushed out more, but they just didn’t make that possible. The seat is also quite hard.
I did manage to rest for a bit, until about four hours into the flight, when we were hitting quite a bit of turbulence, which lasted for about an hour.
Progress to New York
I was a bit hungry at this point, so decided to order the “hot snack vegetarian.” The snack cost $7, and then I also ordered a Pepsi Max (complimentary).
Norwegian food ordering system
This was added to my “cart,” and then I had the option of either leaving a tab open, or closing it out.
Norwegian food ordering system
The process of swiping my credit card was easy, and I found the whole system to just be really easy to use.
Norwegian food ordering system
It took less than 10 minutes for my snack and drink to be served.
Norwegian snack
The snack ended up being an omelet & cheese muffin. I was expecting something more lunch-like based on the picture, but obviously that wasn’t the case. The muffin was not great — it tasted like something you’d buy in the frozen section of a supermarket, and the biggest issue was that it was still cold in the center.
Norwegian snack
One of the magical things about this flight was that we left so early in the morning, and we just had a beautiful sunrise for hours and hours, which was so pretty to watch. Unfortunately the 787 has auto dimmers and the crew mostly kept them “locked” on the darkest mode, so I couldn’t fully enjoy the views.
View enroute to New York
As far as the lavatories go, there were two at the front of the cabin, and they were your typical 787 ones, without any sort of frills.
Norwegian 787 lavatory
The one odd thing to happen during this flight is that about three hours before landing someone yelled “HELP” at the top of their lungs. Like at. the. top. of. their. lungs.
The entire cabin woke up, the crew came running, and everyone looked around. The lady who had yelled it seemed completely unfazed, which leads me to believe she may have just had a bad dream.
Progress to New York
About two hours before landing the pre-arrival meal service began. This time around there was a choice for the meal. For lunch there was either a beef in a red wine sauce with mashed potatoes, a thyme chicken with potatoes au gratin, or a salmon with pumpkin risotto.
It’s interesting that they have no choice for the first meal, but had three choices for the second meal. I selected the salmon. As before, the meal was served in a box.
Norwegian Premium lunch service
I had a glass of sparkling wine to go along with it, because why not. 😉 I can assure you it wasn’t Krug. Quite to the contrary, it tasted like battery acid.
Norwegian Premium sparkling wine
The meal consisted of a hot dish, a bread roll, a small salad, and a dessert.
Norwegian Premium lunch service
Truth be told, the salmon was actually sort of satisfying, in a mushy-saucy-flavorful-but-not-actually-good kinda way.
Norwegian Premium lunch
This came with a very small salad with tomatoes and feta cheese, as well as a small apple tart.
Norwegian Premium lunch
While the first round of drinks came with the meal itself, there was then a coffee and tea cart after lunch, and then after that a cart with Baileys and cognac, so in that sense it really did feel like a business class service. I had a cup of tea at this point.
Norwegian Premium tea
Norwegian cabin enroute to New York
Towards the end of the flight I watched a TV show about street performers, which I found to be interesting.
Norwegian entertainment selection
At 8:40AM ET the captain announced that we’d be landing in about 30 minutes. The views for the last 30 minutes of the flight were great.
View enroute to New York
About 20 minutes before landing the seatbelt sign was turned on, and also around this time the crew came through the cabin to collect blankets. I’m not sure if this was for “safety” reasons, or simply to prevent people from stealing them.
View approaching New York
View approaching New York
Can anyone identify this airport?
View approaching New York
View approaching New York
Sure enough we touched down at 9:10AM, but from there it took 15 minutes until we were at our arrival stand at Terminal 1, as we had to be towed into our specific gate.
Arrival gate JFK
I was through Global Entry in no time.
Norwegian 787-9 upon arrival in New York
Norwegian Premium bottom line
Norwegian has been a disruptive airline in the transatlantic market, and I’m glad I finally had the chance to fly with them.
All things considered, I was impressed by the experience. The crew was extremely friendly, the cabin felt fresh and modern, the seats were spacious, and the flight represented an excellent value.
The entertainment was also solid, and I’d say the food and drinks were about what I expected.
I will say that while the seats have more legroom than many other premium economy seats, I still didn’t find them to be that comfortable. I thought they lacked padding, and also wish that the legrest extended out, rather than just moving up and down.
All things considered I’d fly Norwegian again in a heartbeat, at least on a daytime flight. I’d find it even more worthwhile to fly with them once they have Wi-Fi, which should hopefully be happening soon.
If you’ve flown Norwegian Premium, what was your experience like?
i have flown NOrwegian Air 6 times out of Fort Lauderdale. Sometimes economy other times in Premium Economy. Either way i am very satisfied with their service and offerings. I wish they were back in business. Their prices were great, I got to fly a new plane and I luv'd not having to travel to Miami to get a flight to Europe.
We actually flew out economy to Miami in February 2020. Thought the flight was ok for economy, although my husband said the seats where very narrow for a Dream Liner, which we have traveled on before with Thomson's several times both economy and premium. We asked how much to upgrade at Gatwick, they said £259 each, we didn't upgrade as it was a day flight and said we probably would on the way back from...
We actually flew out economy to Miami in February 2020. Thought the flight was ok for economy, although my husband said the seats where very narrow for a Dream Liner, which we have traveled on before with Thomson's several times both economy and premium. We asked how much to upgrade at Gatwick, they said £259 each, we didn't upgrade as it was a day flight and said we probably would on the way back from LA as it was a night flight back. Food was ok on the way out to Miami and had to buy a drink but got wine with our meals.
On our return from LA we where able to upgrade to premium for $400 each, ouch. But couldn't sit together. Luckily the chap sitting next to hubby was happy to swap. There were a few seats free. Great we thought. The steward came round with water, orange juice and apple juice before we took off. I asked if I could have a prosecco. No, not available. I thought this strange. Settled in, thought the seats where ok, definitely wider than economy with more room to stretch your legs out. Time for dinner, they came round with the drinks trolley, hubby asked for a vodka and coke. Got told he would have to pay for spirits, only wine and soft drinks are included. Really!!! Meal was delivered not given a choice. Just got told it was chicken. Someone got a vegetarian meal which I think was pre-ordered. The meal was awful. Not sure what the so called starter was I think couscous. (Couldn't eat it) the chicken was dry the vegetables tasteless and burnt. (Didn't eat that either). I am now beginning to think why did we upgrade. Entertainment was exactly the same as economy with old films. Very poor choice of entertainment. Didn't change at the end of the month, like other airlines. . I watched my iPad. Well lights out as it was a night flight. Put the seat back and you could put the foot rest up, which made it uncomfortable as it has a end to it, so you. couldn't put you legs straight. I'm 5'7", hubby 6 foot. Didn't get much sleep as too uncomfortable. Also if the seat in front of you was back. It was very hard to get up to go to the loo without knocking the seat in front and disturbing them. Hubby wanted a drink of water, so went to the front where we thought the crew would be. No one to be found. Didn't even give you a bottle of water in your seat when you first got on. (Odd) I have never known premium to BE SO BAD.
NEVER again will I fly Norwegian Air. Terrible. If I could give ghen a minus I would, feel totally robbed of $800. Wish I hadn't bothered. The couple behind us compared it to Ryanair.
My experience with Norwegian Airline has led me to never book with them again, no matter how inexpensive it is in their business class. I booked a business class flight from New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG). We were delayed from boarding without explanation, which was no big deal because things happen. The business group all boarded the plane and when we stepped onto the plane, the attendant pointed us to our left. I said...
My experience with Norwegian Airline has led me to never book with them again, no matter how inexpensive it is in their business class. I booked a business class flight from New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG). We were delayed from boarding without explanation, which was no big deal because things happen. The business group all boarded the plane and when we stepped onto the plane, the attendant pointed us to our left. I said "Wait. We are business class." The response was "We don't have business class." The quality of the seats were less than a typical economy class- tiny, no tech, no leg room... Apparently, this was a charter service that Norwegian uses when they can't accommodate everyone. The lady next to me received a phone call 3 months and again 2 days earlier informing her that the plane was being switched and if she wanted to she could cancel and get a partial refund. I received no such call. I was given more than one explanation as to why this was happening. I actually began to panic because the plane felt very old and I was nervous about it going over the Atlantic. A Norwegian customer agent talked to me at my seat and tried to assure me it was going to be ok. He added that he just had another passenger experiencing the same thing last week. I was booked on Norwegian for my way home, Paris to Oakland so I was stressed out through my whole vacation thinking I would have to be in that tin can again for 10 hours. Luckily I was in a normal Norwegian plane on the way home. I tried multiple times to contact Norwegian to ask for a refund but I never got a response until I posted something on Twitter. I was contacted right away. I was offered a 2/3rd refund. However, the only way I could receive this refund was to give them the details of my bank account so they could deposit the refund there. My bank advised me not to do this but I had to take the chance to get at least something back. It was all very stressful.
I cant' believe this is a Norwegian Airline thus a cultural window to Norway but they don't even offer Herrings or Salmon or any typical Norwegian smoked or fresh fish for their meals onboard.
Norwegian food is not renowned for being Gourmet food but their salmon is very famous so they should offer at least some smoked Salmon sandwiches.
That is stand # 9 at JFK. All aircrafts going into that gate has to be towed in due to the angle of the gate and the pilots won’t be able to see the marshaller.
While J is always the nicest and best way to go, the $’s have occasionally been insane lately; and it’s obvious that many of us have used PE recently as an alternative. Lucky's review of the LON/JFK route is accurate, yet I've only used it going eastbound, where the flight is amazingly short, compared to other European destinations. In fact, most FF's seem to have dinner in the Lounge, and then try and rest until...
While J is always the nicest and best way to go, the $’s have occasionally been insane lately; and it’s obvious that many of us have used PE recently as an alternative. Lucky's review of the LON/JFK route is accurate, yet I've only used it going eastbound, where the flight is amazingly short, compared to other European destinations. In fact, most FF's seem to have dinner in the Lounge, and then try and rest until arrival in London. The main advantage of using Norwegian (even if no EQM's or EQD's) is that there is no penalty cost for a one-way, and even last minute bookings can occasionally be quite reasonable. But a very nice alternative for when J is insane lately (especially for OneWorld FF's) is Iberia, who are delivering a quite nice hard and soft PE product combination.
I disagree completely....
Found “Premium” to be a severe misnomer....
For one, I was not allowed into the lounge at Gatwick on my last flight...
The seats are so-so...the food is AWFUL, as is the entertainment....
Give me any other airline JFK-LON......
Republic Airport/FRG/KFRG is a really nice GA hub, not overrun with corporate jets like TEB, so lots of light stuff still uses that airport.
Good lord that flight time is brutal - 6 AM departure from LGW so if you're going from Central London you need to wake up at what, 2 AM? Sheesh.
@Lucky How are they on carry-on limits? Do they weigh bags? Other issues?
I flew the morning flight from JFK to LGW in December. I found almost everything completely fine, but I didn't have the same excellent flight attendant experience that I've read about. I encountered 4 different crew members. The purser and a woman who brought me a snack mid-flight were pleasant and very friendly. Unfortunately though, the two men in premium economy were definitely not friendly. One had a lot of attitude and the other just...
I flew the morning flight from JFK to LGW in December. I found almost everything completely fine, but I didn't have the same excellent flight attendant experience that I've read about. I encountered 4 different crew members. The purser and a woman who brought me a snack mid-flight were pleasant and very friendly. Unfortunately though, the two men in premium economy were definitely not friendly. One had a lot of attitude and the other just seemed incompetent.
No big whoop, but I was expecting a nicer crew.
I think their seat back system for ordering and paying for food is genius.
So much easier and more efficient than a cart system.
I flew PE return JFK-CPH last month. Value for money 10/10, Aircraft 10/10, crew friendliness & service 9/10, seat 6/10, space 6/10 (with front seat reclined), Entertainment 6/10, Food 5/10, Boarding 5/10. I will fly Norwegian PE again at the right price.
@Kerry are you comparing Norwegian costs to J or PE fares. They are a lot cheaper than business - as for PE I think the general consensus on the net is that Norwegian Premium is far better than the PE products which cross the pond, you only have to look at the legroom.
"and there’s still one other glaring factor which makes me so perplexed as to why more people don’t at a minimum bring their own drinking vessel"
lol
Thanks for the review Lucky, but this doesn’t look like an exceptionally good value to me. On a r/t basis heir fares are not noticeably cheaper than BA, AA or Virgin for example on this route.
The legroom looks excellent but as per your comments the seats don’t actually sound that comfortable, while the food and wine look lower quality than what is served on the legacy carriers (which isn’t a great standard already)....
Thanks for the review Lucky, but this doesn’t look like an exceptionally good value to me. On a r/t basis heir fares are not noticeably cheaper than BA, AA or Virgin for example on this route.
The legroom looks excellent but as per your comments the seats don’t actually sound that comfortable, while the food and wine look lower quality than what is served on the legacy carriers (which isn’t a great standard already). And most of all no status or mileage benefits!
It seems useful for a repositioning leg but can’t see myself ever choosing this in any other context. This might soon be a moot point though - Norwegian having to refinance some aircraft to get enough cash to meet their covenants is not a great sign...
Hey Lucky, for the card swiping, are EMV Chip cards supported? Because there is a system along those lines that have been implemented in India but half the time, it doesn't work because EMV chips can't exactly be swiped.
Pretty sure it is republic it’s republic airport
Hmm, to me it still looks like a stuck-in-the-middle product like all PE. Only slightly better than Y, and usually not worth the price premium. The system for ordering drinks and food is great, though. Wish all airlines would implement this.
I wonder how many people who say their wine tastes of battery acid have ever drunk actual battery acid?
It’s a ridiculous comparison to make!
Doesn't look like a bad way to cross the atlantic, and I've never heard of such an early morning departure for New York before, so that is great that you were docked at the gate by only 9:15am EST.
Thank you for sharing!
A 6 AM departure fro London barely qualifies as a daytime flight in my book.
I see your comments provided the most important fact which was the price of $650 one-way. The next question is whether you found that to be good value compared to other options. Personally it sounds better than UA E+ (which is free to elites) but is it $300 better when you can find economy tix for $350? Maybe. However i gather it compared poorly to the true lie flat business class seats which we have...
I see your comments provided the most important fact which was the price of $650 one-way. The next question is whether you found that to be good value compared to other options. Personally it sounds better than UA E+ (which is free to elites) but is it $300 better when you can find economy tix for $350? Maybe. However i gather it compared poorly to the true lie flat business class seats which we have occasionally seen at $2500 RT from west coast (or even $2200 on TAPs new route as reported by OMAAT). So maybe Norwegian PE works for the budget crowd, but not an option for those who want true C. And maybe not much savings compared to other PE products.
@Lucky, at first I assumed you sent James on this trip, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw your name on the by-line. You survived a premium economy flight! So proud of you.
But I am a bit confused by your various “comparisons” and comments about Norwegian’s PE product vs other airline’s PE products. How can you make those comparisons when you hardly ever (possibly never) flown those other PE products?
Nevertheless,...
@Lucky, at first I assumed you sent James on this trip, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw your name on the by-line. You survived a premium economy flight! So proud of you.
But I am a bit confused by your various “comparisons” and comments about Norwegian’s PE product vs other airline’s PE products. How can you make those comparisons when you hardly ever (possibly never) flown those other PE products?
Nevertheless, I really hope you or others at OMAAT do review more Premuim Economy products. In the past, you have said that there is not much “differentiation” between PE products. And that is just not true at all. And your own review and the various comparisons in your article is ample proof of that.
Premium Economy is something that many of us “normal” people can realistically afford or aspire to. And it would be very, very helpful to have access to the same sort of in-depth reporting that you are so good at.
For example, I have flown PE on Qantas and British Airways and there is a HUGE difference, even though they price the products more or less the same. Qantas is much better. British Airways PE is a joke and a massive rip off.
So much single use plastic. Ignoring the environmental destruction and the personal health issues surrounding such items and there's still one other glaring factor which makes me so perplexed as to why more people don't at a minimum bring their own drinking vessel - drinking out of those rigid plastic cups is abominable!
Thinking of bringing your own champagne flute from now on Lucky? Maybe it would have improved the 'battery acid' profile of the sparkling wine
Norwegian PE is definitely a welcome product and is perfectly satisfactory for daytime flights. Nighttime not so much. I could not sleep at all in their seat. Need a flat bed for overnight. Not enough leg support and not enough recline. I have never tried their economy on transatlantic and I am not looking forward to.
Oooh good to see IFE ordered food and drinks becoming more common! I’ve only seen it on Norwegian and Air New Zealand.
Yay, a Premium Economy review! I'm flying PE on SAS next week, and Air France later this year. Always look forward to PE reviews as they are a good balance of price and comfort/quality.
Does anyone know if Norwegian offers premium for its flights out of Europe to non-US destinations?
Those who said Republic for the airport in the photo - spot on. Its 5 miles from my home. Many of the incoming JFK flights on this path go overhead and I like to do spotting. Likewise, flying outbound, I always try to spot my home from the plane, but its a different departure route.
Ben. Flying PE and giving up airline status, new year new you !
As Bob mentioned, the leg rest does extend (quite a long way) with that odd button in the side of the armrest. Like you, I think shoulder room can be a bit narrow but it's actually better than some of those ultra-narrow flat bed seats. The crews are always absolutely lovely. And I think the value is just exceptional
How did you pay for this and how much?
@ Evan -- Intro has all the details:
https://onemileatatime.com/africa-trip-report/
I paid $650 one-way.
I flew from LAX to LGW in their premium economy. There are many positives about the flight, but the seat was incredibly uncomfortable for such a long flight. If you have long legs, the space is not great.
Plus, when the person in front of me reclined, rising from seat was difficult and I was an the aisle. I think the seating would have been bearable if the flight was shorter, but for 11 hours...
I flew from LAX to LGW in their premium economy. There are many positives about the flight, but the seat was incredibly uncomfortable for such a long flight. If you have long legs, the space is not great.
Plus, when the person in front of me reclined, rising from seat was difficult and I was an the aisle. I think the seating would have been bearable if the flight was shorter, but for 11 hours it was excruciating.
I also suggest you pack eyeshades. Their electric windows only darken somewhat and the map at the front was shining right in my eyes the entire time.
I think that the airport might be New Haven in Conneticut. Not sure though...
Ah, I didn't realize that you could order extra alco drinks for free from the screen. I assumed the attendants were being mean in not coming round with drinks periodically
Will remember that next time. I never even switched on the screen
I've found Norwegian's premium to be an excellent product for the price, especially for morning flights returning to the U.S. when I don't want to sleep much.
The No.1 Lounge at LGW is dreadful, but the OneWorld lounge Norwegian uses at LAX makes up for it.
I flew Norwegian LGW to SEA direct in premium economy for about $700. It was very good (enough) for a daytime flight. Especially, when the alternative was using 57K AA miles PLUS $500+ with a stopover and a day later than the one I wanted. Hope they stick around for my next trip to London when there aren't any good award seats.
Just an FYI. There is a button on the right side of the seat that extends the foot rest.
@Lucky — What was the fare for this?
Great review and I agree - it's VERY annoying when the crew "take control" of the windows (or the air vents for that matter). I remember on one flight from New York to Hong Kong, I enjoyed a spectacular show of the Northern Lights over Greenland for 2 hours. I would not have had that memorable experience would I have had to dim or lower the window shades.
I flew with them in Economy and found the service to be just as excellent. The crew also does a lot more work, since theyre constantly delivering orders. And yet unlike legacy carriers, they were all in a good mood.
I still think you should review some more transatlantic premium economy products because a. It's an up and coming product with more airlines installing it and b. I'd think you'd really be amazed value for money wise if you think Norwegians service was like business class.
@Lucky - that single photo got me thinking. Long Island was known as the Cradle of Aviation for a long time. Roosevelt Field in Hempstead (a massive old army air field that is now where Hofstra University, the Nassau Coliseum and a mall now sit) was where Charles Lindbergh started his first transatlantic flight from.
Grumman, which later became Northrop/Grumman were headquartered in Bethpage, where they had a single runway operation for many years....
@Lucky - that single photo got me thinking. Long Island was known as the Cradle of Aviation for a long time. Roosevelt Field in Hempstead (a massive old army air field that is now where Hofstra University, the Nassau Coliseum and a mall now sit) was where Charles Lindbergh started his first transatlantic flight from.
Grumman, which later became Northrop/Grumman were headquartered in Bethpage, where they had a single runway operation for many years. They built the lunar modules for the Apollo missions there, and also the first F14 prototype. They also had a massive final assembly line for the F14 out in Calverton, with a runway so long they could land the space shuttle on it if need be. There is a very cool F14 full size model on display on the north end of whats left of the Calverton Airport, near the national cemetery. And a big office complex in Oakdale, NY. They moved out taking a ton of high paying jobs from Long Island in the 90s and 2000s. C'est la vie.
Fairchild built the famous P-47 fighter for WWII at Farmingdale, the airport you have pictured. They also built many many bombers and some of their first jets there before they moved south. In your picture on the right hand side (north) the FAL was where that strip mall is between the two runways. There are still some buildings still (barely) standing near the railroad tracks too.
And there was also a large bombing range and training facility for WWII fighters and bombers based out of Westhampton (FOK).
Long Island is rich in aviation history, a lot of cool stuff happened here, the lunar module probably being the coolest. There is a very cool museum at Roosevelt Field that showcases all the history, if you're ever on Long Island (god knows why at this point) you should check it out.
I think their seat back system for ordering and paying for food is genius.
So much easier and more efficient than a cart system.
@Pierre - Bethpage has been closed for many years now. Grumman moved out, save for a small operation, in the early 2000s. The hangars where they built the lunar modules and early F14s are now movie studios. The massive F14 FAL out in Calverton is also closed now as well, and is used for tech startups.
The airport pictured is Republic Airport in Farmingdale, where Fairchild Republic was headquartered in the midcentury. Many WWII and...
@Pierre - Bethpage has been closed for many years now. Grumman moved out, save for a small operation, in the early 2000s. The hangars where they built the lunar modules and early F14s are now movie studios. The massive F14 FAL out in Calverton is also closed now as well, and is used for tech startups.
The airport pictured is Republic Airport in Farmingdale, where Fairchild Republic was headquartered in the midcentury. Many WWII and Korean War era fighters were built there.
Today its an executive airport used by charter jets etc. The New York Islanders team plane is based there. I grew up not far from there, and many in my family worked for Grumman from the 50s right up until they left in the 1990s and 2000s.
Honestly for a daytime flight, it looks pretty good. I would definitely book it if the price was right.
Would totally be willing to try Norwegian Premium on my NY-LON flights. I usually can't justify paying business on this route as the flight is quite short and there aren't many good deals and this Premium product seems better than most airlines' premium economy.
You guys are all wrong. That is Sheghnan Airport in the Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan.
Airport is Bethpage, L.I., operated by Grumman (Gulfstream Biz Jets) or whatever they call themselves nowadays. This is not where the planes are built. Not sure what they use it for.
That's Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY on Long Island.
Republic Airport (FRG)
The airport you asked about is Republic Airport. Its for general aviation.
The airport is Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY. Its just a tiny private jet airport with a few charter flights out of it.
Looks like Republic Airport in East Farmingdale
Flying Norwegian tomorrow for the first time (out of AMS) and hope the promised 787 will actually be a 787
But honestly this "premium" experience looks rather meh
I flew on them recently and had a similarly positive experience. I've noticed the crews seem to vary completely from flight to flight. On the first flight they were almost all Asian, the second, based completely in NYC.
My 787-9 was a bit differently configured in that only part of the front cabin was Premium Economy, the rest was regular. I wonder if they would get the 787-10 too.