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IF YOU ARE LOOKING for a cheap way to cross the Atlantic in somewhat more comfort than Economy Class , the best thing you can do is visit the websites of the only two low-cost , longhaul airlines flying between the US and Europe : Frenchbee ( BF ) and Norse ( N0 ).
The former is the budget arm of French leisure carrier Air Caraibes ( TX ), the latter a ‘ reincarnation ’ of Norwegian Long Haul ( DU ), which went under in 2021 . Norse inherited most of the defunct airline ’ s managers , employees , and aircraft .
That was what I did at the end of September , when planning a quick business trip from Milan to Los Angeles . Frenchbee travels to the City of Angels from its hub at Paris Orly ( ORY ), while Norse does so from London Gatwick ( LGW ) and Paris Charles De Gaulle ( CDG ).
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2 The French airline has its hub at Paris Orly Airport , where it flies out of Terminal 4 . Its Premium Economy ( called Premiumblue ) passengers enjoy a dedicated boarding lane at the gate .
3 Premiumblue seat is 18 ” -wide and features 36 ” of legroom . Personal space would be more appropriate to an Economy ‘ extra ’ or Economy ‘ plus ’ seating ( offered by some airlines in the first few rows of their long-haul Economy cabins ), rather than to a real Premium Economy product .
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The latter route , operated on a seasonal basis during the summer , was sold out on the day I had to fly , leaving me to choose between ORY or LGW . I ruled out the latter because Norse leaves from the UK hub in the middle of the morning , which would have forced me either to wake up before sunrise to catch a flight from Malpensa ( MXP ) or spend a night at a hotel near the London airport .
Conversely , Frenchbee schedules its LAX-bound service at 14:50 , perfect timing
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when combined with the daily easyJet service that leaves Milan Linate ( LIN ) at 10:35 and lands at ORY at 12:05 . At € 696 one way , the fare seemed reasonable , particularly compared to the prices asked by legacy carriers , including ITA Airways from Rome Fiumicino ( FCO ). Better yet , a window seat was still available in the tiny Premium Blue cabin , the name Frenchbee has given to its Premium Economy class . Deal done .
For my flight back from LA to Europe , Norse not only offered
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the best fare — at € 577 — but also the best schedule , with a late afternoon departure to LGW , which would be good for me to maximize my sleep time onboard . On both flights , I chose the lowest available Premium Economy fare , called ‘ Smart ’ by Frenchbee and ‘ Light ’ by Norse — making the journey ideal to compare the two airlines ’ products . |
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In both cases , the fares entitled me to priority check-in and boarding , one piece of cabin baggage , and two free meals . The Frenchbee deal also included one piece of checked-in baggage , |