Earlier this month we reported on Norwegian’s plans to charter an Airbus A380 for its Gatwick-New York service during August, to help it cope with capacity issues caused by ongoing (and industry wide) problems with the B787 Dreamliner engines.
The superjumbo is being used on flights DI7015 from Gatwick and DI7016 from New York until August 23, although note that the usual 1705 departure from Gatwick has been pushed back to 2105, due to A380 slot restraints at JFK.
The aircraft is being wet leased from Hi Fly, and features ex Singapore Airlines seating, including the carrier’s old first class suites.
It was initially unclear how these premium seats would be assigned on the Norwegian service, but Business Traveller now understands that passengers travelling on the carrier’s Premium fares, are being given the opportunity to upgrade at check-in to the suites for a one-way fare of £250 (from Gatwick) or US$400 (from New York).
Note that the upgrade applies to the hard product only – passengers received the usual Premium class meal and amenities service.
When the Hi Fly A380 finishes its stint for Norwegian, it is set to operate flights on behalf of Air Austral between Paris and La Reunion on a temporary basis.
