Review: Norwegian Airlines, London to Seattle
(economy class)

Check us in

As you can't check in online for fights heading to the US (something I learnt the night before departure), we got to Gatwick early and waited in the long queue to check in. Gatwick does have dedicated check-in computers to speed things up but they wouldn't work for us (or several others) on the day of our flight – sigh.

Tell us about the aircraft

Norwegian Airlines operate new 787 Dreamliner aircraft which benefit from larger windows, mood lighting, cleaner air quality (said to reduce jet-lag) and modern entertainment systems, as well as wi-fi (albeit patchy). Technology plays a large part in the flying experience with passengers able to black their windows out at the touch of a button, turn a reading light on using the TV monitor in front of them and charge several devices at once using a USB port or plug socket. Seats in economy class have a pretty decent pitch but the 3x3x3 configuration can feel very cramped, particularly on completely full flights (which ours certainly was).

Keep us entertained

The TV in front of you is pre-loaded with movies, games and interactive maps to keep everyone entertained – including children. Forgotten your headphones? Sadly you'll have to buy some at $3 a pop; feeling a little chilly? Same goes for a blanket ($5). Shame. There's an in-flight magazine in the seat pocket in front of you should the movie selection not entice. We found enough to keep us occupied for the whole nine-hour flight without going stir-crazy.

Feed us

If you haven't pre-ordered a meal (we hadn't) choices are pretty limited with just a handful of sandwiches (both hot and cold), salads, snacks and drinks to choose from – including wine and beer. Norwegian Airlines is a cashless airline, with everything payable by card – as somebody that always carries cash around, this annoyed me no end. One good thing: your TV screen doubles up as a bar – order and pay for snacks and drinks on your monitor and they will arrive in an absolute flash (so no need to keep looking behind you to see when the trolley will next be rattling down the aisle).

Verdict

Norwegian is a no-frills airline so be prepared to pay for everything, and come armed with a credit or debit card. Despite a decent seat pitch, economy's 3x3x3 set-up feels slightly claustrophobic. That said, the Dreamliner is a modern, quiet plane with some great facilities.

8/10