Norwegian Air Review — Seats, Amenities, Customer Service, Baggage Fees, & More
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In this general review of Norwegian Air, we’ll break down specific categories of interest to the average customer.
Where does Norwegian fly? How much does Norwegian charge for baggage? Does Norwegian Air have business class? Will I get food on my Norwegian flight?
Continue reading for an in-depth report of ticketing/fare options, added costs (like baggage fees, change fees, etc.), onboard seat specs, inflight amenities, consumer satisfaction (including recent awards), and much more.
Update: As of January 15, 2021, Norwegian Air has discontinued its international long-haul service.
Table of contents
Table of Contents
Basic Info
Airline: Norwegian Air
Alliance: none
Category: Low-Cost Airline (third largest low-cost airline in Europe)
Frequent Flyer Program: Norwegian Air Rewards
Tag Line: Affordable Fares For All
About/Mission Statement: “Affordable fares for all… To realise this vision, we offer quality flights at a low fare based on operational excellence and helpful, friendly service.” (source)
Fleet: 170 (average fleet age 3.8 yrs; one of the youngest in the world)
Main Hub: Oslo Airport, Gardermoen
Ticketing Options
Norwegian Air has 3 basic fare options for most flights:
- LowFare
- LowFare+
- Flex
As you can see in the photo below, your fare option clearly designates your included benefits, with more allocated as prices rise.
With LowFare, you’re allowed a personal item only and will be charged for extras.
With LowFare+ you have a bit more wiggle room: you can bring a standard carry-on bag, a checked bag, and choose your seat.
With Flex, you have considerably more perks included, with the ability to change and refund flights at no extra cost.
You’ll notice a great general perk of Norwegian Air is the free Wi-Fi on most flights regardless of your fare tier.
Special Note: Passengers should note that there is an extra fee for itineraries with connecting flights. This fee comes to $10 per person, per leg.
Norwegian Baggage & Other Fees/Add-Ons
Since Norwegian is a low-cost airline, they do offer some very basic fares while advertising extras that can be selected for additional fees.
Baggage Fees
Carry-on Allowance
1 Personal Item: FREE for all fares (10 kg maximum)
1 Carry-on Item:
- LowFare: No standard carry-on (available to purchase from $5.50-$10)
- LowFare+: 1 standard carry-on (10 kg combined with personal item)
- Flex, Premium, and PremiumFlex: 1 standard carry-on (15 kg combined with personal item)
Size Restrictions:
- Personal: 15 x 11.8 x 7.9 inches (38 x 30 x 20 cm)
- Carry-on: 21.6 x 15.7 x 9 inches (55 x 40 x 23 cm)
Checked Baggage Allowance
The bag should not exceed a max linear dimension of 118 inches (300 cm) L + W + H, but one side can measure up to 98.4 inches (250 cm).
All flights
- LowFare: 0 bags included
- Lowfare+: 1 bag included (50 pounds/23 kg)
- Flex: 2 bags included (50 pounds/23 kg each)
- Infant: 1 bag (11 pounds/5 kg)
Additional Baggage
| Purchased online | Purchased at the airport |
| Direct flights: 1st bag from $18.50 – $60, 2nd bag from $33 – $93 | Direct domestic: $54 Direct international: $98 Connecting domestic: $110 Connecting domestic – international: $153 Connecting international – international: $196 |
| Connecting flights: 1st bag from $37 – $120, 2nd bag from $65.50 – $185 |
The cost of pre-paid additional baggage depends on the specific route. Please see Norwegian’s City Pair List and pricing table to calculate the fees for your journey.
Excess Baggage
- Overweight: $13 per kg, per leg. Total weight must not exceed 70 pounds (32 kg) per bag and must not exceed 141 pounds (64 kg) combined total
- Oversized: 98 x 31 x 44 inches (250 x 79 x 112 cm) L x W x H
Hot Tip: For more information on Norwegian’s baggage fees, see our separate article dedicated to the topic.
Other Fees & Add-Ons
Rebooking Basic: $78 (all non-Flex fares) + price difference, per person, each way
Refund: all non-Flex fares are nonrefundable, per person, each way
Name Change: $78 (all non-Flex fares) per person, each way
Cancellation Protection: $12 per person, per booking; *explicit coverage policies apply
Upgrade to Premium Cabin: price difference at the time of upgrade, per person, each way
Phone/Airport Booking Service Charge: $26 per person, each way
Connecting Flights: $10 per person, per leg; $18 per person per leg through London Gatwick
Seat Reservation Basic: $12-$59 per person, each way
Fast Track: $16 per person; select European airports only
Unaccompanied Minor: $59 per child, each way
Meals/Refreshments Onboard:
Passengers can order a hot meal on selected flights over 2.5 hours (orders can be placed up to 72 hours prior to departure): $12
Snacks and Refreshments:
- Non-alcoholic drinks: $2-$3
- Alcoholic drinks: $5-$20
- Snacks: $1-$7
- Fresh food: $5-$13
How to Avoid Paying Excess Fees & Travel Expenses
You don’t necessarily have to shell out cash to pay for extra travel fees and expenses you incur along the way.
Experienced travelers use rewards credit cards offering “airline credits” that will cover the cost of baggage fees, travel purchases, and inflight splurges!
See the table below for more details:
| Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card - This no annual fee card comes with a 20,000 bonus mile offer after spending $500 in the first 3 months. When you use your card for travel purchases (e.g. baggage fees), use your miles to pay off all, or part of, your statement balance! We've highlighted 30+ benefits of the card. |
| Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card - The "big brother" card to the VentureOne with a 60,000 bonus miles when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. This card is full of benefits and perks and you can redeem your miles on travel (flights, hotels, even paying for baggage fees etc) or transfer your miles to over 10+ travel loyalty programs. |
Norwegian Seat Specs & Inflight Amenities
What will your flight onboard a Norwegian Air plane look like? We’re breaking down seat specs & amenities for you here.
Seat Specs: Norwegian Air has 2 separate seat types: economy and premium cabin.
- Economy 737-800: 29″-31″ pitch, 17.2″ width
- Economy 737 MAX 8: 29″-30″ pitch, 17.2″ width
- Premium: 46″ pitch, 19″ width
*The table below does not take into account extra legroom seats for exit rows and bulkhead seats.
| Aircraft | Total Seats | Economy Seats | Premium Cabin Seats |
| Boeing 737-800 | 186 / 189 | ALL | n/a |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 189 | ALL | n/a |
| Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner | 291 | 259 | 32 |
| Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | 344 | 309 | 35 |
If you want to find the best seat in the house, so to speak, head over to our friends at SeatGuru.
Premium cabin seats are essentially Norwegian’s business class, so they’ll be a bit more upscale with extra legroom and increased recline.
Inflight Amenities: As for amenities onboard during the flight, Norwegian Air goes above and beyond other low-cost carriers by offering some perks free of charge.
- Free Wi-Fi (on most European flights) on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop
- Free live TV (on most European flights) on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop
Note that refreshment service is limited to paid beverages and snacks only.
Norwegian Customer Satisfaction
Norwegian gets mixed reviews when it comes to customer satisfaction. Of course, since it is a low-cost airline, you’ll get the average Joe who doesn’t do his research and is therefore unaware of the basic low-cost structure: you get what you pay for.
This means a lot of people complain about added fees, extra costs, etc. There are some other issues to consider as well, and we’ll break those down below.
That being said, Norwegian Air gets above average overall scores from many popular review sites. Also, Norwegian has been winning quite a few awards over the last few years, so be sure to check out that list too.
Most Common Complaints
What are the most common Norwegian Air complaints? This technically depends on where you’re getting your information. On social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, most customers seem to complain more about general customer service interactions and a low transparency when it comes to ticket prices.
That being said, the August 2017 Air Travel Consumer Report filed by Transportation.gov breaks down a total of 57 complaints against Norwegian Air for January 2017 through June 2017:
- Flight Problems (cancellation, delay, or misconnection): 12 / 21.1%
- Reservation, Ticketing, Boarding: 12 / 21.1%
- Baggage: 9 / 15.8%
- Refunds: 7 / 12.3%
- Fares: 6 / 10.5%
- Customer Service: 5 / 8.8%
- Disability: 4 / 7.0%
- Over-Sales: 1 / 1.8%
- Other: 1 / 1.8%
Consumer Rankings
Here’s a list of some of the more popular rankings systems/review websites, and where Norwegian falls on their radars.
Skytrax Ranking: 3 Star Airline
Skytrax Customer Rating: 5/10 (average of 1281 reviews)
TripAdvisor Airline Review Rating: 3.5/5 (average of 27,532 reviews)
Kayak Customer Rating: 6.8/10 (average of 4,407 reviews)
Performance
As represented on various performance tables, Norwegian ranks pretty high across the board when it comes to On Time Performance (OTP).
OAG Top Airlines by On Time Performance – January 2020: Ranked 59th for global airlines at 84.6%
Flight Stats On Time Performace Rating 2019: Ranked 10th for European airlines at 77.4%
Recent Awards
Norwegian Air has been receiving some prestigious awards in top categories for multiple years running.
Skytrax World Airline Awards 2019 – World’s Best Low-Cost, Long Haul Airline
World Travel Awards 2019 – Europe’s Leading Low-Cost Airline
Passenger Choice Awards 2019 – Best Low-Cost Carrier in Europe
Final Thoughts
From a low-cost airline perspective, Norwegian sits near the top of the list in our book.
Keep in mind they operate a “pay for you, not for everyone else” type of concept, and basic ticket prices reflect this with extras tacked on accordingly.
Norwegian does sneak in a couple of low blows (like fees for connecting flights), but all in all their prices are what you’d expect for extras and onboard amenities. Plus, most domestic flights come with free Wi-Fi — that’s pretty unique!
When it comes to customer satisfaction and performance, Norwegian holds its own. On average, you can expect to see more positive reviews for them than competing low-cost carriers.
Our take? If you have the opportunity to fly Norwegian Air and think you’ve found a great price, there’s a good chance you’ll be pleased.
My family vacation flight was booked 10 months in advance. Vacations were all approved, ground transportation arranged, tours booked, cruise purchased; done complete! Eleven days before departure we get an email at 1:43 am that our return flight has been cancelled and we have been rebooked two days later without calling or speaking to us. Well needless to say, everyone had to be back at work and returning two days later was not going to work for anyone. After spending an inordinate amount of time on hold that morning, we were able to book a flight home on 2 days earlier – cutting our vacation short and causing additional cost and aggravation in cancelling and arranging for tours to salvage the little time we did have in Rome. DISAPPOINTED TO SAY THE LEAST- NO ATTEMPT TO CALL AND ACCOMMODATE US WAS EVEN ATTEMPTED WHEN WE HAD BOOKED SO FAR IN ADVANCE IS EXTREMELY UPSETTING!
The plane home was NOT a DREAMLINER – no entertainment system – no WIFI- barely any air conditioning! Consumers – beware.
Well not sure where even to start. Here in Argentina each airline is worse than the other as to delays, canceled flights. We used to fly Norwegian despite that their staff to -be totally honest- is very rude and lacks any sense of correctness or politeness. But we disregarded that since not many other options for domestic flights are available and when you need to fly you take what is offered.
What happened to us today was the cherry on top because the rudeness, ineffectiveness, unprofessionalism of this company reached its limit.
My husband went to the airport, did the online check-in which first appeared on the screen and was confirmed by the officer who passes the passengers ( not sure how it’s called). He was waiting for boarding and when the time comes he approaches the gate. Suddenly their staff comes and informs my husband that he needs to leave the flight as he has not checked in.
We were in surprise since first you cannot pass to the boarding area without a check-in, second, half the flight was empty and the paid ticket was in his hands.
After a long discussion they simply wouldn’t let him board the flight ( there was still 30 mn before the take off).
Third the check-in totally disappeared of the phone’s screen. Not sure the app crashed or what the hell has happened. When he asked for a manager, some 20 years old appeared stating she is the ¨MANAGER¨ smirking at my husband and started being verbally abusive to him. He even did not understand where that came from or the reason for being impolite and rude in front of so many witnesses and security cameras.
If she is tired let her go on and leave but that does not give her the right to mistreat him. To make long story short we tried to contact the airline 0 assistance from them 0 response 0 everything they just don’t give a damn about their passengers which even if it’s a low cost it’s still upsetting and the more upsetting part my husband missed out on a work meeting today that could have defined his future. I am so upset for him as besides missing on the meeting how broken he was after low-cost teenagers working on a low-cost airline were disrespectful to a man in a uniform dedicating 30 years of service to his country and who for sure is even older than their own fathers. Please teach your staff to be effective and polite
Hello Loren. So sorry to hear about your husband’s bad experience. First, I want to let you know that we are not Norwegian Airlines; we are Upgraded Points, a blog specializing in providing resources for travelers to maximize their miles and points. Here is the information for contacting Norwegian: https://www.norwegian.com/uk/help-contact/
This airline has horrible policies. They are just waiting for you to miss your flight to charge you again and they are extremely inconsiderate with the passengers. I arrived later to a flight because there was a problem with the messed up London train system, that by the way is all but not on time. This miserable London train system gives you times that are not real and then you end up being late and then the airline doesn’t care and makes you buy another ticket and pay again – what a bunch of miserable people! This airline is just a bunch of thieves and should change their disgusting policies. If a person bought a ticket and couldn’t fly, that person should have a seat on the next flight since that person already paid for it. That is just robbery in your face to make you pay again for a service that the person didn’t even use! I already paid for the ticket didn’t fly anywhere, they didn’t care or listen to the unfortunate things that happened to me and they want me to pay again! What a miserable horrible people!
I booked a flight from FLL to BCN and another flight (royal air maroc) from BCN to ACC scheduled for 3.75 hours later. The Norwegian flight was supposed too leave FLL at 11:50 pm. We left around 1:30 am. Okay cool. So it’s expected that the pilot would make the time up while in the air. The flight was supposed to be 7 hrs 35 mins (23:50 to 14:25 on December 2017). Anyway, once in the air, the flight took almost 2 hours longer than it was supposed to. Instead of flying straight, the plan flew along the east coast of U.S. and every landmark passed (and not across the ocean). Not sure why. If the trip took 7.5 hours, we would have arrived at 4 pm (16:00). Instead, we arrived at 5:16 pm (17:16).
Then, when we landed I tried to hurry and grab my bags. It took me almost 45 minutes to wait for my bag AFTER going through customs. There were more than 20 people complaining at the Norwegian customer desk. Many missed flights or missed their check in time. I filed a complaint, but the representative said they couldn’t offer me anything, and that the flight was only 2.9 hours off schedule (of course they didn’t mention the ridiculous amount of time it took them to find our bags). The flight has to be at least 5 hours late. I cried all that day sleeping in the airport in a foreign country, young lady by myself. I called Norwegian and they told me to go to the customer service representative at the airport. After standing in the long line at El Prat, the customer service representative showed me a form and told me to file a formal complaint with the airline.
Anyway, I spent the night in Barcelona airport, sleeping on a bench in the check in area. I had to spend $700 on another flight as mine had already left. I’m glad I did, as I was going to visit my father and he passed away less than a week after I’d left.
The 200 or 300 you save is not worth the risk unless you have a direct flight to your destination. Don’t think 4, 6, 8 hours between is enough. With Norwegian, anything can happen. Your flight can go very well or very wrong. It’s worth mentioning that I’d already booked a return flight with Norwegian and that flight was okay. But trust me,they don’t give a crap about their customers. Even though the return flight was okay, the attendants were inconsiderate. They barely want to give you water. And when I asked about a purchase I was considering making, the attendant didn’t mention that they were about to pass out food 2 seconds later. He waited until I purchased, brought out the free food to everyone, and then brought my sandwich later.
After telling customer service I wouldn’t fly again, they continued to bombard me with emails about new flights and deals. Are you serious?! You couldn’t even give me a free flight, or a DISCOUNT on my next flight, or free peanuts for my inconvenience? Nothing?!
Delta, Emirates may be extra but it’s worth it for the service that you get.
P.s. even though they aren’t supposed to, Royal Air let me keep my return flight from ACC even though I missed my departure flight. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE from Royal Air.
Hi Ana, sorry to hear about your experience with Norwegian. Just so you are aware, we are not Norwegian Airlines – we are UpgradedPoints.com, so we advise you to forward your written complaint to the airline directly.
This was the worst experience I have ever had flying. My friend and I had a wonderful trip to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, and Bergen. Unfortunately, it was bookended by our flights on Norwegian Airline. The crews were surly, unhelpful, and nasty. When we arrived at the terminal at JFK, I noticed all these people with the luggage opened rearranging their gear because they were being charged these exorbitant fees for extra weight. A young woman was crying while checking her bag in. Yes, every airline charges for baggage but in this case, they were charging for carry-on bags. When I researched and purchased luggage for this trip I made sure that I was buying an approved carry-on I bought the “Away” carry-on NOT the Bigger Carry-on. Norwegian Air had me check my bag because it weighed over 10 kilos and charged me $75.00. A woman in front of me put some of her possessions in her pockets and the person who was doing the weighing told her that “you look ridiculous” and she wasn’t allowed to do that. When we asked the rationale for their policy, they said it was because they were charged for carrying extra weight. Ironically, when we boarded the plane we noticed that the overhead compartments were barely filled. I took photos of empty overhead compartments. My little carry-on case would have been absolutely no problem. Besides ripping off customers for their baggage, they did not even offer us water for the entire overseas flight. We hadn’t made the reservations ourselves (it was done by a website we found online) and I understand we could have reserved and paid for a meal. But, none-the-less, the crew ignored those passengers who hadn’t preordered and didn’t even make eye contact with us. I felt like I was traveling in steerage. We had to help the elderly lady sitting next to us purchase water. They didn’t even offer tea or coffee. Needless to say, my friend nor I will never, ever take Norwegian Airlines again.
I have no idea what other people are talking about because this is easily the most uncomfortable flight I’ve ever been on. I am 5’5″ and was completely squished in economy. My knees were against the seat in front of me. I literally could not even get to my bag under the seat in front of me because there was not enough room to lean over. It was almost panic inducing. I flew LAX to CDG and found the flight to be awful. The plane has lovely features like humidified air and cool lighting but that does not make up for the freezing temperature or unbelievably loud ambient sound of the plane. My seat was filthy (garbage and food on the ground from the previous flight) and the crew was very unpleasant. I have since told everyone I know to not fly Norwegian Air. The low price is not worth the anxiety and discomfort.
Very useful information. I am wondering if you know what is meant by “Seat reservation is not included for international long haul flights to/from Barcelona, London and Madrid”? This is what’s said on Norwegian’s website under LowFare+. I am probably going to be flying from New York JFK to London-Gatwick on Norwegian. Does this mean that I can’t select a seat on the flight from JFK to Gatwick?
If you could help me out, that would be awesome.
Hi Sam,
Yes, that means you will not be able to pre-select your seat, and will be assigned one at check-in.
Can you choose your seat prior to flight in Premium Economy?
Hi Jill,
Yes, you can choose your seat if you purchase a premium ticket with Norweigan.
You forgot about the part where they hang you upside down to shake the change out of your pockets. I used to love them, but since they started having financial problems, I’ve encountered the worst customer service I’ve ever had, And their maintenance is also a problem. I have the Norwegian credit card which gives you automatic priority boarding–except they refuse to allow it at the airport. Plus there are upgrades on my bill I did not request. They are the experts on travel and they will withhold information that affects your travel until the last minute. The counter people are rude. The flight attendants straight up lied to me, repeatedly. And forget about successfully recouping any money you are due after the flight. Why would they do something stupid, like the right thing, after they already have your money?! Since they started their downward spiral towards bankruptcy, they have turned vile. Your article, while pricing the correct policies and pricing, does not reflect the true nature of this airline. Avoid them or you will pay double what you planned.
No lounge access for premium flex anymore.