On Wednesday, Norwegian announced it is launching new flights from Los Angeles (LAX), New York (EWR), Oakland (OAK) to Rome's Fiumicino (FCO) airport in September. Flights can be found for $189 one-way and all routes fly the new Boeing 787-9 stretch Dreamliner.
- Service from Newark (EWR) to Rome (FCO) will launch on November 9th, with 4x weekly flights until early February 2018, when it increases to 6x per week. Fares start at $189 one-way.
- Service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Rome (FCO) will launch on November 11th, with 2x weekly flights until early February 2018, when it increases to 3x per week. Fares start at $229 one-way.
- Service from Oakland (OAK) to Rome (FCO) will launch on February 6, 2018, with 2x weekly flights. Fares start at $229 one-way.
While $189 appears incredibly cheap, Norwegian does charge for checked bags ($45 each way), seat assignment, and meals. If you can pack light (small carry-on under 22 lbs), and bring your own snacks and drinks, you can save quite a bit of cash. The flight is nonstop, so it's possible to get by on a few protein bars, and a bottle of water.
Bottom Line
Norwegian recently launched flights from Denver & Seattle to London, and plans to launch at least 25 new routes of the US this year. Continued expansion of budget carriers will continue to put competitive pressure on other carriers to lower prices for transatlantic flights.