Denver International Airport is now even better connected to Europe with two new nonstop routes from Norwegian Air. We interviewed Anders Lindström, Norwegian Air’s U.S. director of communications, to learn why Denver was chosen and what travelers can expect from the carrier’s expanding long-haul network.
Global Traveler: The new Denver–London (LGW) and Denver–Paris (CDG) nonstop flights add important transatlantic options at DEN. Why did Norwegian choose Denver for these routes?
Anders Lindström: Denver is a compelling market: it has a large and growing population but relatively limited trans-Atlantic service, which makes fares high due to low competition. Denver is also one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., and Norwegian is one of the fastest-growing airlines, so the markets align well for long-term opportunity. We’ve seen strong interest in Europe from travelers in Denver and Colorado, and we’re partnering with tourism boards to raise awareness of our European destinations.
When we announced our entry into Denver on April 5, 2017, bookings for London performed exceptionally well, which signaled enough demand to add Paris as a second route. Data showed Paris was the European city that Denver travelers flew to most often without the benefit of nonstop service, so adding CDG was a logical step. Our immediate focus is on growing frequencies on both routes as demand rises and as we receive additional aircraft.
© Norwegian Air
GT: Many passengers assume low-cost fares mean inferior service. How would you respond to that impression?
AL: Because long-haul low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers are relatively new in the market, American customers may not know what to expect—especially since there isn’t a domestic equivalent in the U.S. Legacy carriers’ Basic Economy products have added confusion; while they imitate some aspects of low-cost models, those fares often aren’t as low as ours and they exclude services we include for all customers. With Norwegian, carry-on luggage, overhead bin space and reward recognition are included regardless of fare class. Our rewards program, Norwegian Reward, gives CashPoints back on purchases.
As a European carrier, our cost base and fare structure follow the European model, which typically produces lower fares than the American model. That’s why travelers can sometimes fly from Denver to London or Paris for less than a domestic Denver-to-New York fare. We emphasize low fares combined with high-quality service. That balance has helped Norwegian earn multiple industry awards, including World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline for several consecutive years and Airline of the Year 2017.
© Norwegian Air
GT: Anything else new and noteworthy from Norwegian Air?
AL: Our Premium cabin is performing very well, so we’re increasing the number of Premium seats on many of our 787-9 Dreamliners—typically from 35 to 56 seats—on aircraft serving London and select other routes. Premium is positioned between traditional premium economy and business class: it includes dedicated check-in, fast-track security, priority boarding, all meals and drinks, additional baggage allowance, extra CashPoints and wide recliner seats with more legroom than typical premium-economy products. It offers many business-class conveniences at a price below most competitors’ premium economy fares. This niche has broad appeal for both business and leisure travelers; for example, Premium fares from Denver can start as low as $689 one-way, including taxes.
Norwegian is also expanding its U.S. network with additional routes this season, including Boston (BOS) to Paris (CDG) and New York (JFK) to Amsterdam (AMS). As we add aircraft and increase frequencies, passengers can expect more nonstop options and competitive fares between the U.S. and Europe.