cabovacation

I'm considering booking with Norwegian for September 2019.

I'd appreciate any general feedback regarding this airline. The rates are tempting.
I want to go from SFO to Marseille.
Preferably through Paris.
I see a possibility to fly with Norwegian to Orly and then Orly to Marseille.
Does that make sense? Is it reliable? Because if anything goes awry I'm kind of stuck at Orly - train is not close and no other airlines to Marseille.

if anyone can follow my train of thought...haha....I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks very much!

Odin

I've only flown short haul with Norwegian and they were great. They are a low cost airline, no frills but the plane was new. However it is not always a sensible idea to try to connect to another flight using a low cost airline. Maybe stay in Paris then go to MRS by train or if you book a flight from Paris to MRS, choose an airfare that allows changes in case your flight from SFO is delayed. HOP Airlines operate from CDG and ORY to MRS and have Basic Plus fare which allows changes for EUR70 + fare differential.

Norwegian offer different fare levels, one is the lowest fare which does not include checked luggage/meals/seat reservation and the next fare level up (lowfare +) includes those items, if you want those items it's cheaper to choose lowfare+.

Gardyloo

My main concern would be Norwegian's financial status. They've reportedly been losing money at quite a clip, and recently had to sell off some planes to shore up their cash position. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...tched-finances

Looking at arbitrary dates in September, Norwegian's prices (to Paris) aren't much cheaper than those on full-service airlines that aren't in any financial distress, so if it was me I'd do some personal "risk analysis" and see if a few bucks more might yield more peace of mind. Just sayin'.

Christina

You'd have to save a lot for me to book that, it's just they don't have as many planes so if problems arise, it creates more trouble or delays.

<< Because if anything goes awry I'm kind of stuck at Orly - train is not close and no other airlines to Marseille.>>

What do you mean? Of course Air France flies from ORY to MRS, they have flights every hour or two from ORY to MRS (or their budget airline HOP, same thing). And as for trains, there are trains every hour or two from Gare de Lyon to Marseille. Sure, it's not at the airport but if this was such a big savings to you, just take a taxi to Gare de Lyon if you don't want to fly for some reason (taxi is only 35 euro from ORY), like it costing too much last minute (although HOP is pretty cheap and last minute TGVs aren't that cheap, either). Right now, flights from ORY to MRS are about 302 euro on HOP for tomorrow. last minute TGV fare is about 120 euro second class.

cabovacation

Thanks so much. I don't know what I meant about being stuck at ORLY.... just tired when I wrote this.

I will reconsider the airline altogether and I appreciate the input very much.

greytop13

As usual, Gardyloo is on point. This article gives Norwegian 9 days if they can't secure capital. https://simpleflying.com/norwegian-air-facing-collapse/

scdreamer

We flew Norwegian last September OAK to CDG round trip, business class (or whatever they call the premium seats) and thought it was great. Good service and comfortable seats for the cost of the fare.

We are booked again for April 2019 to head to Spain, flying to Madrid via Gatwick, and returning non-stop from Barcelona. Already we have been notified that our outbound flight to Gatwick has been changed to leave from SFO instead of OAK. The airline offered a shuttle to the new departure airport, which we don’t require.

i imagine this change must have something to do with the financial situation. Hoping that we will not find out last minute that the airline has collapsed, as we have a month’s worth of non-refundable apartment and home rentals already in place throughout Spain. Hate to have to purchase another flight on a different airline at the last minute. Guess we’re stuck right now, have to cross our fingers and wait it out.

As always, I remind myself this is a first-world problem.

mlgb

I wouldn't panic.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/grantmartin/2018/12/24/norwegian-air-shares-optimistic-forecast-amidst-financial-scrutiny/#204917586c18

cabovacation

Thanks, mlgb! I’ll keep my eyes on the news. I’m not going to be worried or stressed. It’s only a vacation. It will be great no matter how I get there. Happy 2019 Everyone!

mlgb

Reports or speculation of Norwegian's death are greatly exaggerated, as usual.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/tra...saving-program