Norwegian Air

Norwegian OAK-ARN $373 round trip Feb 2015

Norwegian Air has some seriously discounted airfare for California to cities in Europe. Oakland, California OAK to ARN, Stockholm, Sweden is as low as $373 round trip for February departures. That is the base price with taxes for a round trip ticket. You can fly Oakland to Stockholm, Sweden and back on a 787 Dreamliner nonstop transatlantic flight on one of the world’s newest aircraft for $373.

This article looks at the additional fees for flying with Norwegian Air for an Oakland, California to Stockholm nonstop round trip flight and a two segment flight Los Angeles to Paris Orly Airport. If you can sidestep the need for additional flight purchases to make the trip across the ocean, then Norwegian offers unbeatable prices.

The question for the reader is how many additional features do you require for a flight ticket on Norwegian? A pre-assigned seat at time of booking, any onboard food and drink, and any checked bags will cost you. Your flight purchases to supplement the basic Norwegian Airlines ticket fare might be your first taste of the economic gulf between what Americans typically pay for items and the price Norwegians pay.

The caveat for the $373 round trip ticket price for Oakland, California to Stockholm, Sweden in February is you must opt out of purchasing a checked bag on Norwegian, a seat assignment on Norwegian, pre-order food or use a credit card (1.99% fee, but debit cards free processing) to keep the transatlantic ticket price at the base level. These other items can add $200 to $300 to the price of your budget ticket.

OAK-ARN flight is 10 hours nonstop on a 787 Dreamliner. Free WiFi included in any ticket price. What is not included in the ticket price is one checked bag ($42). a reserved seat assignment ($42) or food ($42) – each way.

Norwegian Checked Bag Fees

Oakland OAK-ARN Stockholm, Sweden nonstop

    • Hand Baggage  = Free, maximum weight = 10 kg (22 lbs.)
    • 1 checked bag = $42, maximum weight =  20 kg (44 lbs.)
    • 2 checked bags = $92, maximum weight each bag =  20 kg (44 lbs.)

Checked bag can be a limitation if you can’t pack light. You will pay $84 round trip for one checked bag of 20 kg. The checked bag fee is paid for every flight segment.

Los Angeles LAX – CPH Copenhagen, Denmark –  ORY Paris Orly with two flight segments each way.

LAX-CPH-ORY (Paris Orly) is an additional intra-Europe flight segment from Copenhagen to Paris. The checked bag fee is higher than the checked bag fee for the nonstop Oakland to Stockholm flight.

  • Hand Baggage  = Free, maximum weight = 10 kg (22 lbs.)
  • 1 checked bag = $59, maximum weight =  20 kg (44 lbs.)
  • 2 checked bags = $134, maximum weight each bag =  20 kg (44 lbs.)

You pay an extra $17 per flight segment in Europe on top of the $42 checked bag fee from California to Europe on the transatlantic flight.

My checked bag solution, since Stockholm in winter requires special clothing, is wear a sweater and winter coat and boots on plane to lighten load in 10 kg suitcase carry-on. Stow the coat, wear the sweater. and take off the boots for the flight.

I purchased lighter, quick dry clothing for recent trips to Norway and Ireland to lighten my carry-on load in anticipation of flying Norwegian and RyanAir. Budget airlines offer the biggest savings when you avoid checked bag fees. The budget airline flights I have been on in Ireland and London and Norway seemed relaxed about the luggage people carried on as long as the pieces were one normal airline carry-on size roller suitcase and the other piece was a different shape, so you are not obviously carrying two suitcases. I generally have a backpack with computer, camera and paperwork.

Last month I found lightweight pants and quick dry shirt at REI in Denver, Colorado. Ten lighter pieces of lighter clothing can knock 3 to 5 pounds off the suitcase weight. That matters when a one kilogram difference can mean your bag flies free or you pay $60 for a last minute checked bag. Good reason not to accumulate travel paper too which stays with the computer bag, free to carry onboard Norwegian flights with your 10kg suitcase.

Airplane Seat

Seat assignment might be the most compelling fee. 10 hours is a long flight in a middle seat. On the other hand, if plane loads remain slight, there is a good opportunity to change seat on the plane if you can’t get a free window or aisle seat.

Oakland OAK-ARN Stockholm, Sweden nonstop

OAK-ARN = $42

ARN-OAK = $42

$84 round trip for confirmed seat assignment at time of booking.

Los Angeles LAX – CPH Copenhagen, Denmark –  ORY Paris Orly with two flight segments each way.

LAX-CPH flight = $42 for window seat

CPH – ORY flight = $17

ORY – CPH = $17

CPH – LAX = $42

$118 in confirmed seat assignment fees on a $689 round trip ticket.

Pay for a seat assignment of be ready to settle for a middle seat on a 10 hour flight. I might take my chances. My wife Kelley is definitely the confirmed seat traveler.

Airplane Food

Food is the easy item to compensate with your own purchase. The passenger training brought on in the USA by legacy carriers is to go without free food on USA domestic flights. You typically have to pay for food on any six hour flight in the USA, so bring some food snacks for the flight. The plane departs 10:00pm so you should pass out for much of the flight and arrive at 5pm in Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Snack at airport or wait until you get into the city for a normal dinner hour in Stockholm and before the grocery stores close.

Oakland – Stockholm on Norwegian $373 round trip Feb 2015

Norwegian OAK-ARN 373

Oakland, California – Stockholm, Sweden Feb 9-23, 2015 = $373 round trip.

Need a confirmed seat? Then add $84.00 = $456.30

Need one checked bag there and back? Then add $84.00 = $540.30.

Need some in-flight meals and drinks? Then add $84.00 = $624.30.

That $373 is looking good to me. The money I can save taking my seat lottery chances will buy a ticket to most anywhere else in Europe on a low cost carrier from Stockholm.

One of the great deals flying Norwegian to Europe is the ticket price one way from the USA to Europe can be less than the return segment from Europe back to the states.

Oakland to Stockholm is only $184 one way.

Fly to Europe light, go shopping and fly home one way on an award ticket using miles with a legacy carrier. That is a good way to conserve miles on a European trip by paying a discount fare one way.

2 Comments

  • ABC December 11, 2014

    Special clothing aka winter clothes. Stockholm had 4h of sun in all of November! I suggest you bring vitamin D if you stay for a long period.
    Trevlig resa!

  • Ric Garrido December 12, 2014

    I stayed about ten days in Stockholm in January 1993. I went to meetings in the morning before the 9:30am sunrise and left meetings at 4pm, after sunset. It was not until my last day of the trip that I got to walk around in the daylight hours.

    Still, I have fond memories and I bought lots of postcards to see what things looked like in sunlight.

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