Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA on Thursday announced plans to offer
transatlantic flights on 10 new routes between the United States and
Europe starting at £69, ramping up pressure on U.S. and European rivals.
Norwegian's £69 fares will be for one-way tickets from UK and Irish
destinations to New York, Providence and Hartford in the United States.
"I
pay for what I want, you pay for what you want. We don't pay for what
everybody else on the plane wants," Norwegian Air spokesman Anders
Lindström said of its fares.
高松から上海航空券
The
burgeoning competition on transatlantic routes has also prompted action
by more established European airlines.British Airways-owner IAG is
planning to start low-cost transatlantic flights from Barcelona this
year and CEO Willie Walsh said this month that the Norwegian carrier's
model had pushed IAG to look at new ways to operate. IAG reports annual
results on Friday.
Meanwhile, Air France, part of
Franco-Dutch group Air France-KLM, is also pushing forward plans for a
new low-cost unit, in a project dubbed Boost, while Lufthansa is
expanding long-haul budget flying through its Eurowings business.
Norwegian
Air's expansion strategy has helped it to more than double revenue
since 2012. Last year revenue rose 16 percent to 26 billion Norwegian
crowns ($3.12 billion) and the company has placed orders for 260
aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, which it will receive over a period of
several years.
The company said that thousands of one-way
tickets will be offered at £69 (or $65 starting from the US), with fares
on the next pricing tier starting at $99.
The Wall