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United adds 4 new nonstops to Europe

September 12, 2017

United will fly from San Francisco to Zurich next summer. (Image: Zurich Tourism)

You wanted to book award travel to Europe this summer but couldn’t find any available seats? The earlier you start, the better, and United Airlines has just opened the books on several new seasonal routes to Europe for summer 2018.

The new schedule includes one route from San Francisco – a daily 787-8 flight to Zurich that will operate from June 7 to October 27. Onward connections at Zurich are available on Swiss, United’s Star Alliance partner. (United also offers year-round service to Zurich from Newark and Washington Dulles.) Currently, Swiss flies year-round using its flagship B777-300ER nonstop between SFO and ZRH.

As of today, round trip economy airfares on United’s SFO-ZRH nonstops are about $1,280. Business class is in the $4,400 range.

While there are award seats available on the new route, regrettably I could not find any at the lower “saver” level on the nonstops— a quick scan showed United charging a whopping 130,000 miles roundtrip in economy or 300,000 in business while rates were much lower for one-stop flights. Since these flights were just loaded today, keep an eye out for changes.

I thought United would have added nonstops between SFO and Rome or Milan to go up against the new Norwegian nonstops to Rome across the Bay at Oakland. SFO-Amsterdam would make sense, too, since there’s currently not a Star Alliance partner offering nonstops. We’ve asked United about this and are awaiting a reply.

Will United ever fly between SFO and Rome? Hope so! (Photo: Pixabay)

Other new seasonal routes on the 2018 schedule include:

Washington Dulles to Edinburgh, Scotland with a 757 operating daily from May 23 through October 4.
Newark to Porto, Portugal, with a daily 757 flight from May 4 through October 4.
Newark to Reykjavik, Iceland, also with a 757 flying daily from May 23 to October 4.

In addition to the new routes, United said it will extend some seasonal Europe routes for a longer period in 2018. San Francisco-Munich and Chicago-Edinburgh service next year will operate from May 4 through October 26; and Chicago-Dublin and Washington Dulles-Lisbon flights will be available from April 9 through October 26.

See all details about United’s new summer schedules here.

In addition to United’s new summer offerings to Iceland, Portugal, Scotland and Switzerland, the airline will start daily service between Los Angeles and Singapore and between New York/Newark and Buenos Aires in October 2017 and in January 2018, will begin daily nonstop service between Houston and Sydney.

Where would YOU like to see United fly next?

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Ten new Europe routes will offer $65 fares

February 23, 2017

Norwegian will add 10 new routes this summer. (Map: Norwegian Air)

In its latest assault on the transatlantic market, Norwegian Air has unveiled details of its much-rumored plans to add a bunch of new low-fare routes to Europe from the northeastern U.S. this summer.

The airline said it will kick off service on 10 new routes, with one-way fares starting at $65, including taxes and government fees. That’s a total of 38 flights a week to four airports in Ireland and one in Scotland, all using the carrier’s new 737 MAX aircraft — a next-generation version of the single-aisle plane that has greater range and fuel efficiency.

The flights will operate out of Stewart Airport in Newburgh, N.Y. (about 60 miles up the Hudson from New York City); and from Providence, R.I. and Connecticut’s Bradley International near Hartford. Destinations include Cork, Shannon and Dublin in Ireland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; and Edinburgh, Scotland.

A screenshot from Norwegian’s U.S. website today (Feb. 23)

Why the smaller U.S. airports? “These airports offer good access into the New York, Boston and New England areas but carry significantly lower landing charges, allowing Norwegian to offer some truly affordable fares that will allow as many people as possible to fly,” the company said.

Specifically, the schedule calls for service to Edinburgh starting June 15 from all three U.S. airports (daily from Stewart, four a week from Providence and three a week from Bradley); the only transatlantic non-stops into Belfast, beginning July 1 from Stewart (three flights a week) and Providence (two a week); the only transatlantic flights into Cork, starting July 1 from Providence (three flights a week); and service into Shannon and Dublin from Stewart and Providence, also starting July 1. The Shannon flights will operate twice weekly from both airports, while the Dublin schedule includes daily service from Stewart and five a week from Boston.

A Boeing 737MAX in Norwegian livery. (Image: Boeing)

The new flights are already on sale. The $65 one-way fares are subject to capacity controls, and do not include separate charges for a variety of services and amenities.

Norwegian is on a strong growth track. The airline is due to take delivery of nine more 787-9s this year, which it uses on longer-haul U.S. routes, along with half a dozen 737 MAX aircraft. Norwegian already flies to London Gatwick from Oakland, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, and on several other transatlantic routes.

Norwegian is also negotiating with European carriers Ryanair and EasyJet about the creation of a low-cost carrier alliance that would permit passengers to easily connect among their networks.

Soooo dear readers, how do you feel about flying a 737 across the Atlantic? Have you flown Norwegian Air yet? Please leave your comments below.

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New East Coast-U.K. 737 flights for $69

December 29, 2016

A Boeing 737MAX in Norwegian livery. (Image: Boeing)

Norwegian Air, Europe’s fast-growing low-cost transatlantic airline, revealed plans to begin new service between New York State and Scotland next summer with fares as low as $69 one-way.

The Scotsman newspaper reported this week that the carrier plans to use its newly acquired Boeing 737MAX aircraft to launch super-low-cost flights linking Edinburgh with the New York area.

Norwegian will be getting six of the planes in April, and will start flying the new Edinburgh route a few months later, the newspaper said. The 737MAX is a next-generation, fuel-efficient model of the 737 that can fly longer distances than its predecessors.

Norwegian Air CEO Bjorn Kjos told the newspaper that the airline will cut costs on the new route even more by using “secondary airports” in New York for the service instead of JFK or Newark to take advantage of lower landing fees. (Although Norwegian’s base fares are very low, passengers are assessed separate fees for a wide variety of amenities and services.)

Kjos didn’t identify any airports, but The Times Herald-Record newspaper in upstate Middletown, N.Y. recently reported that Norwegian plans to start a significant amount of transatlantic service in 2017 – as many as 21 flights a week — from Stewart Airport to Scotland, Ireland, England and Norway with its new 737MAX aircraft.

Stewart Airport is in Newburgh, N.Y., a Hudson Valley town about 60 miles north of New York City. Despite the distance from the city, Stewart is controlled by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

New York’s little Stewart Airport could get a lot busier next year. (Image: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey)

Norwegian is also said to be considering new transatlantic 737MAX routes out of Providence, R.I., or Portsmouth, N.H.

An official with New York State’s Orange County, where Stewart Airport is located, told the newspaper that discussions have started with bus lines to provide express service between the airport and New York City for Norwegian’s passengers, and that plans are under way to expand the airport’s Customs facilities. Officials suggested that a large Norwegian presence could lead U.S. carriers to operate more domestic service into the airport.

The airline already flies from New York JFK to London Gatwick with fares starting at around $150 each way, and recently announced plans to increase service next year on routes from Gatwick to New York, Oakland, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando. The company also won U.S. approval recently for its new Irish subsidiary, which is expected to start flying to the U.S. East Coast from Cork and Shannon, Ireland in 2017.

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Trip Report: Aer Lingus, Economy class SFO-Dublin-Edinburgh

June 14, 2016

Taking off from SFO on Aer Lingus’ big green plane to Dublin (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Earlier this year, I decided to take a trip in April to visit a friend in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was working with a minimal budget and was excited to discover that one of the cheapest economy fares ($1,199 RT) from San Francisco to Edinburgh was offered by Aer Lingus. I had never flown with Aer Lingus before and jumped on the opportunity since I’d heard so many positive things about their service. When I told Chris about my upcoming trip, he mentioned that several readers enjoyed the Trip Report he wrote on Aer Lingus’ new business class, but we didn’t have a trip report on the economy experience. So, I decided to document my first trip on that big green plane!

(Note: For this Trip Report, we asked our amazing TravelSkills office manager Kimberly Grimes to write about her Aer Lingus flight to/from Scotland. Enjoy! –Chris)

Aer Lingus is even green(ish) on the inside (Photo: Kim Grimes)

As I boarded the Aer Lingus A330-200 at SFO, I was politely greeted by all of the crew members and directed to my seat above the wing. When I got there, a pillow, warm fleece blanket, and complimentary earbuds were waiting to help me enjoy the in-flight entertainment.

Economy class seats on Aer Lingus A330 are arranged 2-4-2 (Chris McGinnis)

There was also a small envelope for donations to UNICEF, Aer Lingus’ charity partner for nearly 20 years, which came in handy for getting rid of spare coins on my flight back.

32 inches of pitch in economy class is plenty of space. (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Once settled into my window seat I found the 32” pitch to be more than enough for my 5’4” self and I was comfortable even with a larger person seated next to me. Before takeoff, I flipped through Aer Lingus’ magazine Cara (“Friend” in Irish Gaelic). I usually get through half of the in-flight magazine before putting it away to watch takeoff, but on my flight to Dublin I only had the chance to flip through some photos as we happily departed almost 10 minutes early. I’m impressed that Aer Lingus operated with such timeliness during my entire journey with them. On my flight home, we landed at SFO 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

Perfect pasta and a really nice salad on the dinner flight over the pond. (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Dinner was served about two hours into the flight with a choice of beef stew or creamy spinach pasta. I don’t eat beef so I went with the pasta, but my seatmate got the stew and enjoyed it. I don’t usually expect much from pasta on airplanes, but the sauce in the dish was delicious and the pasta was cooked perfectly.

The salad is a nice low-carb option (Photo: Kim Grimes)

My meal also came with a light salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and a bit of feta which I enjoyed after my pasta. It was fresh, tasty, and delivered an extra bit of hydration that I really needed. The pasta had enough carbs for me so I didn’t eat the dinner roll, but I did save room for the dessert of berries and light whipped cream.

Plenty of good films, TV shows and music to keep me occupied (Photo: Kim Grimes)

I tried to doze off after dinner, but I spent most of the flight exploring the entertainment system. I was thoroughly distracted with the selection of over 50 films, a variety of TV shows, and an extensive list of music albums, podcasts, and radio stations to indulge in. Wi-fi was also available on the flight at the price of $9.95 for an hour or $18.95 for a full flight pass but the entertainment system was enough to keep me from boredom. When my eyes got too tired to watch any more movies, I browsed the music selection and made a playlist perfect for sleeping. I don’t think I actually slept much, but meditating to the RnB and soft rock sounds for a few hours was nice relaxation.

Good morning! Breakfast is served– with tea (Photo: Kim Grimes)

The cabin crew served morning snack boxes and warm beverages about an hour before we landed in Dublin. Inside was a ham and cheese croissant and a cup of strawberry yogurt. I wasn’t in the mood for yogurt, but I enjoyed the croissant. It was simple, yet comforting and I really appreciated the warm food and tea in the morning.

I’ve never been a fan of propellor planes, but this one changed my mind (Photo: Kim Grimes)

I was not at all excited about taking a propeller plane to connect from Dublin to Edinburgh. I’ve had an aversion to propeller planes since I rode on one as a kid flying over Alabama. It was like a loud, tumultuous rollercoaster that my parents couldn’t wait to get off of. My journey with Aer Lingus was nothing like that. The flight was operated by Irish regional airline Stobart Air (formerly Aer Arann) and had two Aer Lingus crew members on board. These crew members were exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable, reassuring some other nervous passengers and myself that we’d have a safe ride on the ATR 72-600.

I was particularly impressed with how one crew member successfully comforted a terrified, screaming child during the flight by assuring her that the noise and extra turbulence was just part of what makes propeller plane flight special. The entire experience was so stress-free that on the way back I felt no anxiety hopping on the propeller plane, even with someone obnoxiously joking that our plane was probably going down.

(Photo: Aer Lingus)

On my return flight from Dublin to SFO, I got a special treat for my in-flight meal. Before my trip, Chris told me about some upgraded meals that Aer Lingus offers to economy passengers and asked me to try out the service (which he generously paid for 🙂 ). These meals are part of Aer Lingus’ Bia Pre-Order service and have been created by their executive chef and Irish chef Clodagh McKenna.

Passengers who would like to enjoy these meals must pre-order them online at least 24 hours before the flight. Meal options include Roast Chicken with a Twist ($25), Melt-in-the-mouth Salmon ($25), and Succulent Steak ($28). The chicken and steak options are similar to entrees served in business class, but I was really curious about the salmon and decided to try that.

Ordering my meal was as simple as choosing my seat through the “Manage Booking” section of Aer Lingus’ website. My credit card was charged immediately after ordering and a salmon meal voucher was promptly e-mailed to me. The e-mail provided instructions to print the voucher in full and bring it on board with me to submit to the cabin crew. It didn’t specify when I should submit the voucher, so I asked a crew member at the door as I boarded and she took it right away.

My special meal as presented by FA– mouthwatering salmon and wine (Photo: Kim Grimes)

I got settled in my seat and was really absorbed in watching a television show on my laptop when a crew member came by with some food on trays and asked if I ordered a special meal. I was really caught off-guard since the meal service hadn’t been announced yet, but he handed me a nice tray with my salmon meal on it and offered me some wine.

There was nobody sitting next to me on this flight, but I wonder how people would have reacted to my special meal service if the plane was more crowded. I was prepared for a few envious glares and questions about why I got such a fancy meal when others did not. As the distinct scent of salmon floated around my section, I looked around to see if anyone was really noticing. The cabin was nearly empty and the few passengers near me were too caught up in their own experience to show much interest in what I was eating so I was able to enjoy my meal without judgement.

The mouthwatering salmon was perfectly prepared- but I wondered what other passengers were thinking! (Photo: Kim Grimes)

I love salmon, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from salmon on an airplane. As I took my first bite, any negative preconceived notions I had about “airplane salmon” went away. It was delicious and the texture was perfect – not too dry or rubbery. It wasn’t extravagant with flavors, but it was well done and exceeded my expectations. The potatoes that accompanied the salmon were less impressive. They were very bland, but also too oily for my taste. I ate all of them, but they were definitely my least favorite part of the entire meal.

My favorite part of the meal (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Surprisingly, the real highlight of the meal for me was the salad of aubergine, roasted pepper, and sunblushed tomato with a harissa and lemon dressing. The dressing had the perfect kick and reminded me of homemade cocktail sauce.

Yogurt with fruity chunks! (Photo: Kim Grimes)

For dessert, I had a sweet mango and passionfruit yogurt (instead of the listed raspberry pannacotta) with real chunks of fruit in it. Delicious! Plus, a lovely chocolate truffle by Irish chocolatier Lily O’Brien. I couldn’t help but eat them both!

I was so full from my meal that I could barely even look at the farewell chocolate bar given to me by the crew right before landing at SFO. My Bia pre-ordered meal was a great way to have a bit of extra fun on my flight home and add a little luxury to my first trip with Aer Lingus.

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JAL back at DFW, Emirates in Orlando, Delta to UK, Copa at SFO, more BA

September 4, 2015

Japan Airlines will use a 787-8 on its new Dallas/Ft. Worth-Tokyo route. (Image: Japan Airlines)

In international airline route developments, Japan Airlines plans to resume service to Dallas/Ft. Worth; Emirates starts flying to its newest U.S. gateway; Delta adds a pair of transatlantic routes next year; Copa is about to begin San Francisco flights; British Airways will boost schedules to two U.S. cities; and LAN upgrades Lima-New York service.

Effective November 30, Japan Airlines will resume service between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Tokyo Narita — a route it hasn’t flown since 2001. JAL will operate the route four times a week, using a three-class 787-8, and may boost frequencies to seven a week next spring. American Airlines, which is a joint venture and Oneworld alliance partner of Japan Airlines, will put its code on the flights. American already offers twice-daily 777-200 flights between DFW and Narita.

Emirates this week started flying its newest U.S. route, making a 16-hour flight from Dubai to Orlando International. Although the inaugural trip was with an Airbus A380 — the first one to touch down at Orlando — the regular daily Emirates service to the central Florida airport will be operated with a three-class Boeing 777-200LR.

Delta announced that in May 2016 it will add a pair of new seasonal transatlantic routes in cooperation with partner Virgin Atlantic. On May 1, Delta will begin daily non-stop 767 flights from its Salt Lake City hub to London Heathrow; and on May 26, it will launch daily 757 New York JFK-Edinburgh service.

Copa Airlines nonstops between SFO and Panama start Sept 17 (Photo: Bernal Saborio)

Star Alliance partner Copa Airlines is almost ready to kick off new service from San Francisco International to its Panama City, Panama hub, with connecting options available from there to 55 destinations in Latin America. The new daily non-stops are set to begin on September 17 with a two-class 737-800; the southbound flight will be a redeye.

British Airways has plans to increase capacity on its London Heathrow-Las Vegas route next year, increasing frequencies from seven to 10 a week effective March 16, all with 747-400s. The carrier will also add a new Monday 777 flight from LHR to Seattle, increasing its frequencies in that market from 11 to 12 a week.

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