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tracking software into its mobile app. Mobile Host, another new app feature (and joint initiative with Gatwick Airport), pushes check-in reminders, airport navigation tools and real-time gate and baggage belt notifications directly to passengers’ phones at the airline’s main hub.
norwegian air: in it for the long haul
photos: easyjet; norwegian
The ambient lighting system aboard Norwegian’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft adjusts its hues in six phases: cruise, boarding, meal, night, relaxation and prelanding.
Airline Passenger Experience Association
In May 2013, Norwegian began long-haul operations from Oslo and Stockholm to New York and Bangkok, making it an official competitor in both the short-haul and longhaul low-cost market – two very different beasts. Today, the airline operates 96 Boeing 737 aircraft in and around Europe and Scandinavia, plus eight 787 Dreamliners, which service 29 nonstop routes from the US to London and Scandinavia, and six routes from the US to the Caribbean. Some might suggest that, with its bold network expansions and in-flight perks (such as cabin mood lighting, embedded in-flight entertainment [IFE], live TV and Panasonic connectivity), Norwegian has established a brisk competitive pace for the European low-cost market, especially with regard to IFE and connectivity offerings. Thomas Ramdahl, Norwegian’s chief commercial officer, would tend to agree – he’s ready for the competition to come a-knocking. “Our unique low-cost long-haul service has forced other airlines to up their game,” says Ramdahl. “We are already seeing other low-cost carriers look to follow in our footsteps by starting their own long-haul services, while other full-service carriers are looking again at their flights to long-haul destinations that Norwegian now serves.” Back in 2009, Norwegian became the first European carrier to select Row 44 (subsidiary of Global Eagle Entertainment) Ku-band connectivity for passenger use, signing a deal to outfit its existing B737 fleet as well as future B737 deliveries. Last November, free live TV service was rolled out across most of the 737s serving Europe. > volume 6, edition 2
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