We flew in both Economy and Premium cabins from London to Los Angeles in this review of Norse Atlantic Airways

One of my best friends lives in Los Angeles, and I had an itch to get some facetime in with her. When I was looking at flights, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the incredibly good deals being shown by Norse Atlantic Airways. So I decided to take a punt and book my direct flights with the low-cost, no frills Norwegian airline to see what it was all about.

And if you’re LA-bound, you’ll wanna take a look at our picks for the trendiest boutique hotels in Los Angeles, too.

Review of Norse Atlantic Airways

Booking and flight management

I booked about four months ahead for my trip and managed to snag direct flights, return from London Gatwick to LAX for just £355. This was about £300 lower than the next direct flights that I could find, so it was a bit of a no-brainer.

The seats that I booked were Economy Light, the lowest tier of ticket, which allowed a carry-on bag up to 10kg (max 56x45x25cm) and a personal item. The tickets were also changeable in terms of name and date up to one hour before departure for a fee of £200 and any flight cost difference.

It stated when booking that I’d be in the last group to board, but that is always fine with me, anyhow. There was an opportunity to upgrade to Premium, the airline’s highest tier of ticket and cabin, for about £850 return, but I didn’t go for this option. I opted for random seat selection, as choosing the seat was an extra £41 each way. There was also a range of other add-ons, including Priority Airport Check-in (£12), Priority Boarding (£9), Fast-Track Security (£6), and even access to My Lounge at Gatwick (£36).

The reason that you can fly so cheaply with Norse is that there are absolutely no frills. No meals or drinks are included in the ticket, so you need to pre-order those or take your own. When you’re booking your ticket, you can opt to add either a main meal (£23) or a light meal (£16), which will be brought to you during the flight. Options include gluten-free, diabetic, vegetarian, vegan, and child-friendly.

A few weeks ahead of my flight, I got an email to see if I wanted to bid for a Premium upgrade. I had a look and the Premium cabin on my outbound flight was full, but I thought I would bid for the return trip at the lowest possible price, which was £200. Given how packed the first flight was, I thought I didn’t have much luck of getting an upgrade and kind of forgot that I had even done it.

Ahead of my trip, I also got an email suggesting I download the Norse Atlantic Airways app, which I did and which was easy to use throughout the rest of my journey.

London Gatwick to LAX: The way out

At the time of writing, Norse flights were flying to and from Gatwick South Terminal. Annoyingly, you need to check in in person at the airport if you’re flying to the USA with Norse and you’re not a resident, so I figured it was best to get to the airport early. I arrived three hours ahead of departure, and there was hardly a queue, so I was checked in in under a minute. They asked for the address where I was staying in the US, checked that I had a visa/ESTA, tagged my bag, issued my boarding pass, and I was on my way. If you don’t need a visa, then I believe you can check in online.

The plane was leaving from Gate 33 and was set to board at 9:55 am. Caterers were still on board, pushing boarding back, but the staff team kept passengers up to date on what was happening. During this time, I saw a number of passengers having their bags spot-checked for size and weight, and many had to check and pay for extra baggage because their bags didn’t comply. So be sure to confirm your allowance and pack accordingly to avoid any surprises.

Eventually, boarding started at 10:30 am, just 35 minutes behind schedule. The airline boards those needing assistance, those with children, and those in the Priority cabin first. I was one of the last to board and was greeted warmly by the cabin attendants when entering the plane.

The plane was a Boeing 787, and I was seated in seat 42F, an aisle seat beside the toilets at the rear of the plane. I had no problem finding space for my backpack in the overhead lockers and was secretly hoping the middle seat next to me would be free, but I was out of luck.

There was a USB port for charging devices, and the seats were standard economy size with a movable headrest. The seat pocket was fully connected, so you don’t need to worry about things falling out.

Our flight (Z0711) was due to depart at 10:55 am, and we pushed back around 11:15 am, with a long taxi over to the west of the airfield for take-off at about 11:30 am. There was a message from the Captain before departing, apologising for the last take-off and explaining that we’d likely make up the time during the flight.

Entertainment, food, and amenities

Even though it’s a low-cost airline, no matter what cabin you’re travelling in, you’ll have a screen and access to entertainment. The selection includes a range of TV shows and movies, some newer but mostly classics.

There was also a screen that showed the time at destination, arrival, flight speed, and a few other details. One thing that was a bit of a bummer, in my opinion, was the lack of interactive maps. Am I the only one who loves to track where we’re at when flying? I guess it’s just another way the airline keeps costs down for travellers.

In the Economy cabin, you will need to bring your own single-jack headphones or buy them onboard for $5USD. There is a selection of amenities for purchase, including a Comfort Kit including earplugs, neck cushion, sleep mask and case for $9USD, a blanket for $6.50 USD, and a 4-in-1 charging cable for $19USD.

If you don’t preorder your food, there’s an option to shop through your screen. You just choose ‘Shop’ on the home screen, then select whatever you want to buy and then press checkout. Your food will be delivered to your seat by a flight attendant, where you can make your payment.

It’s handy to know that you can only pay by card, and that Monzo and Wise cards are not accepted. The prices are all in USD and include hot options like pasta and curry for $13.50 and fries for $5. It also had a selection of wines, beers, spirits and cocktails starting from $7.50. Snacks like nuts, chips, and chocolate bars start from $3.50, as do tea and coffee.

About halfway through my flight, having not pre-ordered anything, I ordered French fries and a ginger ale through the screen for $11.50, and payment was simple via the contactless machine. The drink was brought very quickly, and the flight attendant let me know the fries would be about 10 minutes. For airplane fries, I was really impressed with both the taste and the hotness.

Around this time, my screen stopped working as I was watching an old episode of Friends (in the middle of Phoebe giving birth!). I mentioned it to one of the team, and they reset my monitor so I could watch the triplets being born.

For those wanting to do some shopping in the sky, a range of watches and bracelets from brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein are on offer, along with makeup, skincare and perfumes. These can be purchased through the screen, too.

I’m pretty good at sleeping anywhere, so I was fine catching naps with my seat reclined a little. Honestly, it was a standard Economy situation, not the most comfortable, but it does the job. Being at the back on the aisle, also made it easy for me to get up and walk around.

Arrival at LAX

Food service stopped about an hour before arrival, and we actually landed about 15 minutes ahead of time. Disembarkation was pretty standard, and I was outside the plane and waiting in the really long immigration line in less than 20 minutes, which is pretty impressive.

All-in-all, my Economy experience with Norse was really good and I would definitely opt to fly with them again. But my favourite part of flying with Norse? The rainbow lights that came on in the cabin when we were coming into land. Not sure if they were meant to invoke the Northern Lights that the airline’s homeland is famous for? What a fab treat, and an iconic way to enter sunny LA, IMHO.

Flying from LAX to London Gatwick (and living my new Premium life!)

Around four days ahead of my flight, I found out I got the Premium Upgrade. The money was automatically deducted from the same card that I paid for the flights with. With Premium, you get priority check-in and boarding, a 43-inch premium seat with extra legroom, meals and drinks, plus blankets and headphones.

I arrived at the airport about two hours ahead of departure, but checking in at LAX was a little confusing. There was no mention on the app about which terminal Norse flew out of, so I had to Google it. It told me that the flight was going out of Terminal One, but when I got there, it just had the flight on the board with the gate and no mention of where to check in. A few attendants from other airlines couldn’t tell me where the Norse check-in was until finally, someone told me it was in Terminal Two, next door. While the walk between the two terminals isn’t too far, if you had lots of luggage, it would probably be a bit annoying, so for ease, arrange to get dropped off at Terminal Two at LAX.

Once I walked over, my priority check-in was speedy and efficient, and eventually, they told me I had to go back to Terminal One to get my flight. I walked back there, got through TSA pretty quickly, but the security line was slow. There were only three lanes open, and all the carousels were moving at snail’s pace.

All in all, it took about 30 minutes to get through, and then everyone flying out of the 200 gates had to be bused over to yet another terminal. Again, there was a massive queue, and I only ended up making it to the gate ten minutes before boarding, without time to even buy any random tat at the gift shops. So if you want to leave some time to grab food and some gifts, then be sure to arrive extra early.

Boarding on the return flight

Boarding was easy and on time at 3:30 pm, an hour ahead of our scheduled departure at 4:30 pm. The welcome from the flight attendants was warm and helpful. I was about fifth on the plane, and my seat was 4G, an aisle.

The premium seats are in a 2/3/2 formation, and the seats are noticeably bigger than economy with loads more legroom and the addition of an orange juice or water when you board. There’s a footrest, and the seat reclines really well for an easy nap.

This plane was a B787-9 Dreamliner with the requisite safety card in the pocket. Those flying in premium, unlike economy, get free headphones before take-off. We pushed back ahead of schedule and ended up taking off around 4:45 pm.

During the flight, I received two meals. The dinner options were Mac & Cheese or Beef Stroganoff. I went for the vegetarian Mac & Cheese, which included kale, corn, and tomato sauce and was quite nice, for airplane food. The meal came with a bread roll, a quinoa salad (that tasted like nothing), and a decent chocolate brownie for dessert.

Is Premium worth it?

Other perks with Premium include two meal services, drinks like wine, beer, and soft drinks, and a pillow and blanket. I know these don’t really sound like perks, but when you’re entire return ticket (including upgrade) from London to LA costs just £555, you can expect the bare minimum.

The cabin is essentially a Premium Economy, so don’t get any ideas of beds, pyjamas, or stand-up bars, but it’s definitely a more comfortable long-haul option than Economy.

Final thoughts

The direct flights between London and LA with Norse seem to be seasonal, and it looks like they won’t be running again until the summer of 2026. The airline does, however, continue to fly between London and New York and Orlando in the USA, Bangkok in Thailand, and Cape Town in South Africa.

If you’re looking to save some cash on your flights, then I’d definitely recommend the airline as a solid way to get you there and back without any frills. For the £200 extra I paid, Premium is definitely worth it in my eyes, too. And let’s not forget the rainbow lights on landing – priceless!

Browse flights with Norse Atlantic Airways

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