Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition – November 2018

TRIED AND TESTED FLIGHT

businesstraveller.com

69

NOVEMBER 2018

Long-haul wifi is

planned for the

Dreamliner fleet,

perhaps as early as

the end of this year

BEST FOR...

Low fares and on-board service

that greatly exceeds expectations.

PRICE

Internet rates for a return

Premium Flex flight from Gatwick to

New York JFK in Dec 2018 start from

£1,195 (US$1,568); Premium return

starts from £905 (US$1,187).

FLIGHT TIME

8 hours

CONFIGURATION

2-3-2

SEAT PITCH

43in/109cm

CONTACT

norwegian.com

THE FLIGHT We were ofered
apple juice, orange juice or
water. Waiting at each seat is a
good-quality blanket.
There was then a delay with
the captain keeping us informed
of the reason (three passengers
with checked luggage hadn’t
turned up at the gate). After 20
minutes we got away from the
gate and the captain said we
would make up that time... and
he was right, we did.
No amenity bags are ofered
(because there aren’t any),
but earphones were given
out after take-of. I have noise-
cancelling headphones, and
I’d recommend you take some
for the flight to get the most
from the IFE or your own phone
or tablet. There was a small
choice of fairly up-to-date
Hollywood films.
The tray table comes out of
the other arm of the seat to the
IFE, and was good and firm.
I had no trouble using it for
working on my laptop or eating.
Service is delivered from the
rear of the cabin, but starts from
the front, by trolley. Around 1805

the drinks service came round.

The choices were: prosecco;

one beer – Heineken; one

white wine – a sauvignon blanc

from Bordeaux; or one red – a

Minervois cabernet-syrah blend.

Shortly afterwards, the meal

service came round with a

choice of three main courses:

chicken with potato gratin, hake

ofered other drinks, including

a selection of miniature Baileys,

cognac or whisky with plastic

cups, which were either empty

or filled with ice; a nice, yet

economical, touch. Tea and

cofee came round as well.

After lunch I wanted to sleep

for a little while, and although

the lights had been dimmed,

there was still a lot of light in

the cabin so I asked for an eye

mask and earplugs. The staf

apologised, but there weren’t

any. I think this is something

Norwegian should reconsider,

but meanwhile bring your own

to avoid the glare from IFE

screens overnight.

As an example of how

good the service was, a flight

attendant said I could use his

own eye mask (that he had

brought on board from another

airline). I was very grateful,

and got an hour’s sleep that

I needed after an early start

that day. This was typical of the

service. The flight attendants

never stopped working,

walking up and down the aisles

delivering the drinks, which had

been ordered through the IFE

system, and also trays of water.

About 90 minutes before

landing, a second, no-choice

meal service took place. This

included quiche with salad and

some slices of salami, cheese, a

chocolate bar and more drinks.

ARRIVAL We landed slightly

ahead of schedule at 1950 local

time but waited 30 minutes for

a stand to become free. Once

of the aircraft there was a short

walk to immigration, and a

queue of about 15 minutes.

VERDICT This was an

excellent flight, after the initial

pain of the check-in. If two

things impressed me (and

surprised me) it was how

good the on-board service

was, and just how inexpensive

the tickets, even the Premium

Flex, are when compared

to the competition. There is

room to work comfortably,

and the possibility of getting

some sleep. It is well worth the

extra money over Economy.

Tom Otley

in a beurre blanc, or lamb rump

in a rosemary jus with roast

potatoes, grilled asparagus and

a mint pea purée.

The flight attendant described

the meal choices, and like all her

on-board colleagues, she was

professional and informative –

especially considering she was

reading from handwritten notes

jotted down onto a Post-it.

The food was tasty and

hot. The flight attendants then

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