Norwegian Airlines | premium class review

If you've ever flown Norwegian Premium, you'll recognize this trademark from the inside of the box in which meals are served. I recently flew from Bergen, Norway to Oakland, California, connecting at London Gatwick. Here's a review of my day with Norwegian Airlines.

Bergen (BGO) to Gatwick (LGW). I arrived at the Bergen airport two hours early, way too early as it turned out, but it relaxes me when I'm not rushed. Checked in at a kiosk, printed and attached my baggage claim, and dropped off my bag. Note: there are no "Priority" bag tags, and my bags certainly did not receive priority service. Loads and loads of bags preceded mine at baggage claim in Oakland. Security was quick at 7 a.m., and passport control took place later as I entered the gate area. Note that you should make any purchases before going through passport control. The flight to London was on-time and non-eventful. Note that nothing is complimentary on intra-Europe flights except in-flight WiFi! Want water, peanuts, or a snack? Everything costs extra.

I had a scheduled 3 hour layover at Gatwick. First, a note that security here is so much better than Terminal 5 at Heathrow — no long, snaking lines. Once through security, however, the signage for connecting flights is poor; had to ask at an information desk which way to go for Norwegian flights. Once in the correct terminal, I checked into the No.1 Lounge at which Norwegian Premium passengers enjoy free access. (Priority Pass members likewise get free admission). Quite a nice lounge with a small buffet, some killer brownies, espresso machines, and a menu of hot meal options you can order at the bar.

Gatwick (LGW) to Oakland (OAK) departure experience. Norwegian wants you at the gate a ridiculous amount of time before departure, so I complied. Once at the gate, we waited. And waited. At one point, the two unsold Premium seats were offered to any takers at 250£, and I saw two guys run up to the desk waving their arms. SOLD! Then we waited some more. Finally they let us board. There was an inordinately long wait past the scheduled departure for reasons that weren't made clear. Once we pushed back, there was a problem with the tractor not disengaging from the plane, so we waited some more. Once that problem was solved, the taxi and take-off were quick. Gatwick is a small airport, and taxi times are short.

Norwegian Premium flight experience. The bottom line is that $750 represents a fabulous value for what I received.

The seat. Better than your typical domestic first class seat, it's wide, reclines 40º, and has an extendable footrest. Not lie-flat, but it's a pretty comfortable way to spend a long daytime flight when sleep is not your goal. Each seat has a video screen with USB charging slot as well as a power receptacle. The selection of movies and TV shows was OK, not great, and I mostly watched Netflix and Amazon movies previously downloaded to my iPad. You're provided with a nice blanket but no pillow, so bring along an inflatable neck pillow if those work for you.

The seat did have one downside... the arm rests were hard at the points where your elbows contact with them. Here's a photo of the center console. My right elbow rested on the metal hinge at the back of this console, and it was pretty hard. My left elbow likewise rested on the metal piece at the back of the arm rest.

The food. The meal was fine. I chose salmon for lunch, and it was tasty, filling, and nutritious without pretending to be gourmet (which it was not). My one complaint concerns the presentation. The meal is handed to you in a box. Flip the lid open, remove the aluminum foil cover from the hot dish ... and then experience how crowded the tray table becomes. The opened box is deeper than the tray table and just about as wide. There is no place to place the foil cover and the various lids. The box contains a small plastic fork, knife, and spoon and a small paper napkin. Speaking from experience, it's easy to spill food from the small fork, have it miss the small napkin, and land squarely on one's shirt.

How does Norwegian Premium compare with a true business class? The legacy airlines provide much more comfortable lie-flat sleeper seats and better meal service when flying business class over the pond. BUT ... if you're going westbound and don't need to sleep, then Norwegian represents a phenomenal combination of value and comfort. I'd definitely fly them again, going westbound. What about an eastbound red-eye flight? I'd probably pay the bucks for a better night's sleep.

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