One-way flights between New York and Edinburgh for $69. You read that right; it’s not a misprint or a mistake fare or a cruel joke. Transatlantic tickets for $69.
That, according to The Scotsman, will be the fare later this year, when Oslo-based discount carrier Norwegian Air receives its new Boeing B737MAX aircraft. To be sure, it will be an “introductory fare,” available for a limited time, in order to generate buzz for the new service. And it should do just that.
The astonishingly low fare, according to the airline, will be made possible by the fuel-efficiency of the latest-generation Boeing planes, optimized for long-range flights, and the airline’s use of a secondary airport with lower landing fees. (The new New York flights will bypass JFK.)
There’s no word yet as to post-introduction pricing, but Norwegian’s fares for its New York-London flights are as low as $154 each way. I would expect the Edinburgh flights to be slightly cheaper.
Last year, Norwegian launched 34 new routes, and kept its planes 88 percent full on average. Its aircraft fleet is one of the world’s youngest, with an average age of just 3.6 years. Including the new service to Edinburgh, Norwegian will be increasing its U.S. flights by 55 percent this year.
Delivery of Norwegian’s six B737MAX’s will begin in April, and the new Edinburgh service will launch sometime thereafter. Those $69 fares will be in limited supply, for a limited time. So keep your eye out, and be ready to book.
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After 20 years working in the travel industry, and almost that long writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.
This article first appeared on SmarterTravel.com, where Tim is Editor-at-Large.
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