There is a lot to say about Norwegian Air. First and foremost, we booked our premium economy flight…read morethrough a travel agency, because it had worked so well for us when we flew to Ireland a few years ago. After watching videos and reading reviews, we felt positive that our trip to Paris would be an amazing adventure. Now that we're home, we can say with certainty that our experience was 'just okay'.
When we arrived at Logan Airport for our check-in 3 hours before our flight time, as indicated by the airport for any international flights, we were met with a problem. Norwegian had too many flights going out at the same time and they informed us that we had to wait another 30 minutes before check-in. In the meantime, we stood in line while they allowed late arrival passengers for a flight to London to check in before us. Good to know! Next time you are running late, Norwegian will let you check in before anyone else. No need to worry.
Even though we booked through a travel agency (which is evidently a no-no, if you are wishing to use the Norwegian Premium Passenger Lounge), the customer service representative gave us passes for the it anyway. Nothing wrong with free food and alcohol, right? Well... maybe if getting there requires you to walk through a barely maintained hallway and arriving at a spot-cleaned seating area. The food offering were blah at best (soup, salad, cereal, candy, and sandwiches). The servers were at least very nice and tried their best to take care of their customers.
When it was time to board the flight, we made our way to the boarding area. As the call for Priority/Premium boarding was made, we found our way down the ramp and into the 'first class' cabin. We quickly realized that one of our seats was not going to recline for the duration of the flight. When we brought it to the flight attendant's attention, they only offered an apology for the inconvenience. An apology for a very expensive 7 hour flight with no seat recline? Less than impressed, Norwegian.
The food on the flight to Paris was tasty and the portions were decent. For an in-flight meal, it was probably the best that we've had. I was displeased that the wine listed on the menu was sauvignon blanc, but they were only serving chardonnay. When I asked why it was on the menu, if they didn't have it, she offered cabernet sauvignon and tried to tell me that the red wine was the sauvignon. Fool some other passenger, lady. You ain't fooling me!
We arrived safe and sound with the excitement of our trip ahead of us and soon forgot all of the things that had made our experience with Norwegian Air less than positive. Surely, our return trip would be better. Wrong.
When we arrived at Charles Du Gaulle, we were not given access to the Premium Passenger Lounge. When I brought up that we were given access in Boston, the customer service representative didn't bat an eye when she informed us that it wasn't included in our fare. Great. Thanks! As an aside, we found the boarding area for Norwegian to be extremely small, with fewer seats than passengers for about 8 gates in total. People were packed together like cattle. When the delayed boarding began, it was chaos.
Finding our way to our seats, once again, we found that one of our seats was defective. Again, an apology and nothing further. This time, it was the foot rest. Minor compared to the recline issue, but seriously, Norwegian, how are you taking care of these planes???
When the food came on the return trip, the portions were smaller and less imaginative. We were served chicken and rice with a small salad for meal one and for meal two it was a chicken salad and cheese/dried fruit. Dessert was Haggen Daas ice cream. Okay.
We arrived home in Boston jet-lagged and tired... the exact opposite of what Norwegian promises their passengers. I'm not normally the type of person that expects things for free, but Norwegian Premium flights are not inexpensive. Some form of credit for 2 flights, back-to-back, without the ability to fully enjoy the luxury that we were expecting, would have been the least they could have done. It would have went a long way.
My suggestion? Pass on Premium. It isn't worth it.