Norse Atlantic Becomes The 7th Airline Connecting Paris & New York

Norwegian long-haul low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic Airways recently embarked on a new era of offering affordable transatlantic air travel between France and the US after operating its inaugural flight from Paris to New York and the return leg on March 26th – which would also make Norse Atlantic Airways the seventh carrier connecting the two cities.

Norse Atlantic Airways connects Paris with New York

The Oslo-based carrier announced its intentions to connect Paris with New York with daily flight services late last year in November and was described by Chief Executive Officer Bjorn Tore Larsen as a move that would benefit both France’s and US’s local tourism and businesses. And Norse Atlantic Airways’ announcements came after JetBlue announced similar intentions to operate the New York-Paris route.

Both airlines were planning to launch during the northern summer 2023 season, but it seems like Norse Atlantic Airways beat JetBlue to it when the inaugural flight departed Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at approximately 20:20 on March 26th. Operating as N0 301, the flight flew for over seven hours before touching down at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport at 21:44.

After some ground time while parked at Terminal 7, the return flight N0 302 eventually took off from New York at around 00:57 and landed back in Paris at approximately 13:23. Speaking at the inaugural flight event was Larsen, as he celebrated:

“We are delighted to offer cost-effective travel and increased choices for our passengers between the vibrant cities of Paris and New York, which will further boost transatlantic travel benefiting local tourism on both sides of the Atlantic. With the addition of our latest route to Paris, our airline now offers a total of five European destinations from New York this summer, including Rome, Berlin, Oslo, and London.”

Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying

Keeping the Paris-New York route competitively busy

When Norse Atlantic Airways announced this new route addition last November, the Paris-New York route was already quite busy being operated by five different carriers, becoming the second-largest Europe-US city pair by weekly capacity as it fell behind London-New York. And now that the Norwegian low-cost carrier has officially entered the market, the route is now operated by seven airlines.

And with 30 flights per month, Norse Atlantic Airways is competitively on par with American Airlines, United Airlines, and La Compagnie and edges out French Bee, which operates 26 flights per month from Paris-Orly Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport. However, the low-cost carrier loses out against the SkyTeam alliance members Air France and Delta Air Lines.

The French flag carrier operates 30 flights per month from Paris and Newark and 150 flights per month between Paris and New York. On the other hand, Delta Air Lines operates a hefty 60 flights per month on the Paris-New York route. And when JetBlue becomes the eighth carrier after commencing daily services from June 29th, the route will get even busier with an additional 30 flights per month.

Photo: Photofex_AUT | Shutterstock

Bottom line

After suffering from significantly reduced load factors last month, the launch of flights between Paris and New York could be the essential boost Norse Atlantic Airways would need for better months ahead, especially if the low-cost carrier wishes to fly through the upcoming summer season profitable.

Which is your preferred airline to fly between Paris and New York? Please share with us in the comments below.