Our Review of Flying Norse Atlantic Airways

I hadn’t heard too much about Norse Airways but when I saw the fares from London Gatwick to Orlando MCO airport – I was amazed. Was this too good to be true? I knew it was a budget airline and had been caught out before with brilliant fares, only to be disappointed after I added on baggage, seat options etc.

I would make sure you carefully consider what is included with Norse including the actual airport you fly into. Flying into MCO rather than Sanford or Melbourne in Florida was significantly more convenient and saved additional taxi costs.

As a brief summary, in my opinion, the fares of this no frills airline can be considerably cheaper than competitors. My premium fare was CHEAPER than Virgin’s and BA’s ECONOMY fare! Yep, I know! No brainer to choose Norse in this case.

With Norse, you can add the extras you want, which suit your needs and budget. Premium Economy is also well worth considering if you have a night flight.

If you are flying with a baby, the planes do have a bassinet on board – but for economy, you need to pay additional for the bulkhead seat if you want to use the bassinet, and any other family members will need to pay for seating if it involves the bulkhead row.

Find out the options and our experience of what it is like to fly Norse Atlantic Airways below.

What You Can Expect on Norse

All Norse planes are the B787 dreamliner. (All ex Norwegian planes). There are 3 fare options for Economy. Economy Light, Economy Classic and Economy Flextra.

Economy

Economy Light is their cheapest option. That gives you a carry on of 10kg/22lbs, a small personal item, and a seat on the plane, and water to drink. No food is included. You can opt to bring your own food, or order food and drink from your personal TV screen. (You can pay extra if you want to add on bags, seat selection etc but then you might as well choose the economy Classic option. which includes all of this.)

Note, you won’t be able to heat any meals up if you bring your food. You can ask the crew for hot water though.

The economy seats have an adjustable headrest, a tray table, inflight TV and movies, options to order food and drinks from your seat, a power outlet, a USB charging port. Everything else is extra.

There are no pillows, blankets or headsets. You can buy these on board or bring your own. You can add on a meal and preselect.

Seat recline in economy is average and similar to many other airlines economy products at 32″ with a seat width of 17″ and a cabin configuration of 3-4-3: Rows of three seats on each side by the window, plus four seats across in the middle. The seats are not any different to others in terms of comfort and I’ve flown a lot of airlines.

Economy Classic includes the same as Economy light, plus one meal and a checked in allowance. A complimentary soft drink is also included with your meal.

Economy Flextra gives the same as Economy Classic plus seat selection and priority boarding.

Norse Premium

Norse Premium is well worth it when flying long haul.

Offering a generous seat pitch of 43″ which is considerably better than BA’s and Virgin 38″ seat pitch. I actually felt comfortable and slept! Premium on Norse means a dedicated check-in line and you will be the first to board and disembark. Other key benefits I appreciated was the included carry on is increased to 15kg, 2 meal services are with select drinks, (including beer, wine and sparkling wine.)

Seats come with an adjustable headrest, a pillow, blanket and the crew hand out complimentary headphones, ear plugs and eye mask.

My Experience in Premium (but I checked out Economy too)

Check in was super efficient at both London Gatwick and Orlando MCO airport. (We liked how despite Norse being a budget airline it still flew into central MCO Airport rather than Melbourne or Sanford.)

There is a dedicated line for Premium, meaning the process for checking in is very swift and efficient. We sailed through both times.

Boarding was quick, with a welcome juice for those in Premium and friendly crew throughout. They genuinely seemed like they were happy to be there!

The layout in premium is a 2-3-2 seating. It’s not great to be in the window or middle seat if you need to get out and the seat in front is reclined as it’s a tight gap and you will need to ask the passenger next to you to move, but the recline depth was worth it.

On my night flight, the person in front of was fully reclined and I had the window seat it was quite a feat to climb over my aisle seat companion and frankly I was very glad they has their eye mask on and couldn’t see me clambering over.. My advice is, unless you know them very well, you are going to have to ask them to move so you can get out, otherwise you might end up on their lap. But with a seat recline of 43″, this really didn’t bother me much as for the return sector which was a night flight, I actually slept and it made ALL the difference.

With regards to the meal service, as you preorder, you know exactly what you are having for the first main meal service. But if you get peckish before the next service, you can use your inflight entertainment screen to order all sorts.

From full meals to a bowl of chips and ketchup. To drink, juices, water, tea, coffee, wine, beer, sparkling wine and some soft drinks are included. Our cabin had quite a few multi-generational families excited for Disney who managed to finish all the sparkling wine!

There is no wifi on board for any cabin – but they do provide a selection of movies and TV. The movie choice is not quite as varied like you see on Emirates or Virgin – but it was appreciated.

Norse Food Options

You can choose special meals on certain tickets – eg a classic fare.

Extra Info You Might Want to Know

Total Cost Comparison Example

• Base fare: $300
• Add-ons (seat, 1 checked bag, meal): $120
• Total: $420
• Virgin Economy on same route and day: $650
• Norse Premium: $590

Tips for Saving Money

• Book early for best fares
• Bring your own blanket, pillow and snacks
• Use credit cards that offer travel insurance or baggage protection

Booking Process

• Booking is simple on the Norse website
• Watch for optional add-ons before checkout

Seat Selection Advice

• In Economy: Row 10 is a good option for quick boarding
• In Premium: Window seats in rows 2–4 offer great space and easy access to lavatories. The back rows disembark first. the front row is the best for comfort if you need to get out of your seat and the row in front is reclined – otherwise it’s a bit of Twister involved getting out – but the recline is amazing!

Family Travel Tips

• Bassinets available in bulkhead (extra cost)
• Bring distractions as no kid kits are provided. We love these travel toys.
• Families should preselect seats together as grouping isn’t automatic

Airport Experience

• Gatwick: Check-in Zone A, opens 3 hours before departure
• MCO Orlando: Immigration was speedy (sometimes it has taken ages due to the time we landed)

What Makes Norse Unique

• MCO arrival is a MAJOR perk (closer to Disney, less hassle)
• All Dreamliner fleet = quieter ride, better air quality

Potential Downsides

• No in-seat WiFi
• No free snacks or meals in basic fare
• Limited movie selection compared to legacy carriers

Who is Norse Best For?

• Travellers wanting premium comfort without a premium price
• Budget-conscious families who know how to pack light
• Disney goers looking for easy MCO access
• Couples or solo flyers open to no-frills service

Flying Norse Atlantic was genuinely a pleasant surprise. For anyone flexible and looking to save money without sacrificing too much comfort, especially flying into MCO, it’s absolutely worth considering. Keep an eye out for those low fares- and snag a bargain!