“A view from an airplane window on the sun setting on the horizon” by Eva Darron on Unsplash

Flights tend to be the most significant expense when traveling, especially international flights. Even airline tickets purchased in advance can break the bank nearing prices as high as $700. Traveling on the weekdays is cheaper than the weekends regardless of which airline you choose to fly with. Avoiding the peak season for tourism helps save money as well. Yet, what if you combine these simple tricks with a Budget Airline. A combination of these might be the best way to save a couple hundred dollars.

To keep a flight budget under $500: avoid flights to Europe between June and September. These months are considered the peak season for tourism. Decent deals exist throughout the rest of the year if you plan in advance and travel on weekdays. The best deals are offered in November through March which is known as the off-season. Holidays like Christmas and Easter will increase the price of a flight. Of course, the when affects the price of a ticket to Europe. Likewise, the cost is also affected by where you are buying the ticket such as Norwegian Air Shuttle or Hipmunk.

Norwegian Air has some good deals for flying from the United States to Europe. Travelers from the east coast can find affordable tickets to Europe from JFK airport in New York. Meanwhile, west coast travelers can find affordable tickets to Europe from OAK airport in San Francisco. Norwegian Air departs from at least 12 different locations within the United States. Since most international flights depart from metropolises like New York or Los Angeles, an additional cost may be a connecting flight from your nearest airport.

Samples of Costs and Locations offered by Norwegian Air

The image below shows the cost of departure from OAK airport in May 2018 to various airports in Europe. This same image shows various destinations and prices for a flight to Europe all under a $500 limit. The route map (as seen below) is an easy to use tool found on their website. (Researched on March 25, 2018)

Route Map-Copyright 2018 Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA

Feeling adventurous and need a quick getaway soon? Let’s look at three examples for one-way departures.

$139.90 on April 25th, From San Francisco (OAK) to London (LGW)

$109.90 on June 14th, From New York (SWF) to Dublin (DUB)

$221.00 on April 24th, From Chicago (ORD) to Barcelona (BCN)

These examples highlight only a few of the cheaper flights and well-liked locations in Europe that Norwegian Air offers.

Have other commitments early in the year, but still want an adventure? Let’s investigate flights later in the year. Here are three example for one way departures closer to the off-season.

$129.90 on November 14th, From New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG)

$189.90 on December 4th, From San Francisco (OAK) to Rome (FCO)

$248.10 on October 26th, From Seattle (SEA) to Santorini (JTR)

Important to note, that as more people book these flights, the prices will likely increase.

Coming Back Home

If at this point in the article you are thinking to yourself, “Great, I can find some cheap flights to Europe. But, how do I get back home?”. Great minds think alike. Even after comparing prices to Travelocity, Hipmunk, and CheapOair; Norwegian still has the best deals for return flights.

The image below shows their low fare calendar with the best dates to purchase a ticket. The calendar on the left side of the image shows the departure from the United States. On the right side, the calendar shows the departure from Europe to the United States. (Researched on March 26, 2018)

Low fare calendar for a roundtrip

Assuming the cheapest flights are selected from the example above. The cost of flying adds up to approximately $400 total for a week spent in London, England. The image below shows the total value of a roundtrip ticket, dates, and locations. Purchasing the tickets directly from Norwegian Air Shuttle website does appear to affect the price. However, this may be due to different existing options of fares. Their packages range from cheapest to most expensive. Economy cabin: LowFare, LowFare+, and Flex. Premium cabin: Premium and PremiumFlex. For traveling on a budget, the most affordable and competitive deal is the LowFare package. The LowFare package is the only package mentioned here in detail.

Total of costs

Helpful Suggestions to Make the Most of the Norwegian Air Shuttle Website

Book flights at least two months in advance.

Departure from specific airports may be cheaper than others.

A flight to Europe is cheaper in the off-season.

Keep in mind; more flights options will be available in peak season. However, they are also more expensive.

Use the route map to show prices and arrival location options for a specific month quickly.

Use the low fare calendar to compare prices throughout the month- a flexible schedule goes a long way.

Pros and Cons of Flying with Norwegian Air Shuttle

The main advantage of Norwegian Air is the low-priced tickets. The most expensive part of traveling to Europe from the United States are the flights. Hotels can also be costly yet, resources like Airbnb are adding pressure on hotels due to their competitive prices. Which makes flying to and from Europe the most expensive part of the trip. The average age of Norwegian’s aircraft is 3.6 years which means this airline is adapted toward better comfort and technological advancements in comparison to some of the older aircrafts.

As a con the LowFare ticket truly only covers transportation. Additional add-ons include seat reservations, food, blankets, headsets, and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) which will cost extra. Since seat reservation costs extra with a LowFare ticket, your seat will be assigned to you on the day of your departure. No seat reservation could be a potential problem for couples or families who want or need to stay together. There is also an additional charge if you need to rebook or name change the ticket, but this is often a standard policy throughout airlines.

After four hours of the original ticket purchase, it is no longer refundable. The exception to this rule are flights from/to the United States; these flights can potentially be refunded within 24 hours of booking unless the plane is meant to depart in less than a week from the original purchase date. One of the major cons with Norwegian is the number of complaints about delays.

Numerous reviews mention how polite and courteous employees are. Several other reviews indicate a delay or cancellation of a flight. It seems like it could be a hit and miss. For example, many reviews were positive while others were negative. Some of the reviews mentioned unexpected charges like food and water. Personally, I have not had an opportunity to fly with Norwegian yet! The price alone makes me want to try it out.

What About Other Options?

Other budget airlines do have comparable prices to Norwegian Air Shuttle. For example, Wow Air, can arrive and depart from at least 12 cities in the United States. Wow Air does have similar policies to Norwegian Air. Such as the purchase of food during flight or cost of additional baggage other than a personal item (carry-on). Wow Air also appears to have a limited selection of airports from which they can depart across the globe. In comparison to Norwegian Air Shuttle who has more than a couple of dozen airports. The comparison of the two airlines flight route can be found below. The first purple image is Wow Air and the second is Norwegian. Starting to think Wow Air likes all hues of purple!

Wow Air’s Route Map in 2018

Norwegian Air’s Route Map in 2018-Copyright 2018 Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA

Great news! In many cases, it is possible to fly to and from Europe for less than $500. Bad news, every additional add-on other than transportation is extra. At the very least, the flight will get you to your desired destination. Like everything, there are good and bad experiences. I am going to personally test it out and find out myself whether it is worth it or not. If it turns out it does not suit my tastes or needs, then I will try a different budget airline. Before I started writing this article, I did not know budget airlines were a thing. I hope you found this helpful and can continue to look forward to your next trip!