Transatlantic budget carrier Norse Atlantic Airways plans new service in 2025 between Los Angeles and Rome with cheap introductory fares now on sale.
Norse Atlantic Adds Los Angeles – Rome Service, Trims Other Routes
Norse Atlantic Airways is the successor to Norwegian Air Shuttle, offering “unbundled” transatlantic fares for cheap prices (though if you end up needing seat assignments, carry-on bags, checked bags, and meals onboard, you might not save any money at all).
The new LA – Rome route will start on May 22, 2025 and operate three times per week using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. This service will compete directly with ITA Airways (formerly Italian flag carrier Alitalia) which utilizes a mix of Airbus A330-900neo and A350-900 aircraft on the route.
Intro fares from Los Angeles to Rome on Norse start at $199 (including taxes) while Rome to Los Angeles tickets start at €149.
Norse will also bring back its Oslo – Los Angeles route in 2025 and increase service from 2x to 3x weekly (between 23 May 23, 2025 and September 26, 2025) meaning the carrier will offer nonstop service from Los Angeles (LAX) to:
- London (LGW)
- Oslo (OSL)
- Paris (CDG)
- Rome (FCO)
I hope this route will fare better than, the short-lived Norse service between Los Angeles and Berlin (BER) in 2022…
Norse Atlantic also announced it would suspend service from Oslo to Bangkok (BKK) and Miami (MIA). It also announced frequency cuts between London and Los Angeles, New York, and Miami (with smaller cuts to Paris – New York and Rome – New York).
But Norse also shares that its summer schedule is still being finalized:
“We continuously review and adjust our route network as needed. Our summer 2025 schedule is still being finalized, and we haven’t yet completed loading all routes. As always, we can only confirm routes once they are finalized and officially published.”
Finally, Norse announced all “economy light” bookings now include a 10kg carry-on bag plus a personal (under seat) item.
I was quite impressed by the comfort of the premium economy product when these planes flew for Norwegian and would not hesitate to try Norse if the price and schedule was right.
image: Norse Atlantic // hat tip: Economy Class & Beyond
Wow!! So literally $350 round trip. Delta announced MSP-FCO non stop next summer and the cheapest fare is $1600. Unreal how much you pay when there is no competition.
Why go all the way to MSP to do a comparison contrast when you have ITA operating nonstop out of LAX to FCO as well. ITA for a round trip flight in June of 2025 is charing $1,317.30 round trip nearly $1,000 dollar more than Norse. Norse is not covering their operating cost by charging $350 dollar for a roundtrip ticket even on an aircraft as fuel efficient as the 787 meaning 1 of 2 things will happen. They will either have to A) raise their prices if they intend to have any longevity on the route, or B) this route will only operate for one season and it won’t return for 2026 summer season.
Why would anyone bother to consider Norse? The schedules are atrocious and unless you are flying with a paperback book and your passport as your only luggage, you’re going to have to pay extras to the point where your fare will equal or exceed a legacy carrier. On the LAX-FCO route, the obvious choice is ITA.
“But Norse also shares that its summer schedule is still being finalized”
Given how their routes seem to be in flux, it might take a bit of a while for that schedule to be finalized.
I flew in the premium cabin with my family on Norwegian in 2018 from Ord to BCN and back. Really nice flight for the price. Big seats. Comfy. Think the premium cabins on these budget carriers are worth it sometimes.
I just went on the Norse website and I do not see any fares under $263 each way and then only 3 flights in august. The rest are between $300-$465 each way. After adding a checked bag, food and seat, it is well over $1000. Probably still a bit cheaper than others but not by much. I just don’t see this working for them.