Norwegian Air Will Use Smaller Airports for US Flights To Europe

Now that Norwegian Air International has received approval from the Department of Transportation to start trans-Atlantic flights from the U.S., the carrier is moving quickly to set up its bases in America.

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Thomas Ramdahl, Norwegian Air’s chief commercial officer, told the Wall Street Journal the airline will utilize smaller airports to launch the service.

One definitely will be Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, N.Y., 65 miles north of New York City. Stewart is a converted Air National Guard base that became a commercial airport more than 25 years ago and, several years ago, was taken over by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The hope was that Stewart would become New York City’s fourth major airport but the airlines didn’t get the push they were hoping and the turnover has been great.

Currently, only Allegiant, American, JetBlue and Delta airlines service Stewart.

Ramdahl said Norwegian Air is also considering either Portsmouth International Airport in New Hampshire or T.F. Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island – not both – and Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Conn.

Ramdahl also added that flights to Europe could cost as little as $69 one-way. The WSJ noted that Norwegian Air will use Boeing Co.’s new 737 Max single-aisle planes seating up to 189 passengers.

The DOT granted Norwegian Air International the right to fly internationally into and out of the United States on Friday. By Monday, the airline’s stock had shot up 12 percent.

Proponents of the deal say it will further open international travel through competition and help drop fares.

"There is zero downside to allowing more low-cost carriers into U.S. airports: it's a policy that's good for consumers, stupendous for U.S. economic and job growth, and even good for U.S. airlines because it broadens the market for domestic connector flights," Roger Dow, president-CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said in a tatement. "More choices for American travelers and more capacity to bring foreign visitors and their dollars to U.S. shores is the unimpeachably correct decision, period."

Meanwhile, critics have derided the decision after noting that Norwegian’s plan to enter the global marketplace in the U.S. includes having a home base in Ireland, where it can skirt strict labor laws in Norway and hire below-market flight crews from other countries.

Norwegian Air has denied the claims and said it is in full compliance with the Open Skies Agreements.

Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO said the DOT’s decision betrays American aviation workers.

“Unless reversed, this decision threatens a generation of U.S. airline jobs and tells foreign airlines that scour the globe for cheap labor and lax employment laws that America is open for business,” he said in a statement, calling on President Obama to reverse the decision. “Clearly, a Norwegian-owned airline that is based in Ireland for the purpose of evading Norway’s labor and tax laws, and that will hire crews under Asian contracts, is in violation of these explicit labor protections, and should be denied entry into our marketplace. With this decision, the Obama Administration has failed to enforce the very labor protection it negotiated and sold as a breakthrough in aviation trade policy.”