Press release -

​Norwegian announces new routes to Chicago and Austin from £179 as UK expansion takes another leap forward

  • Two new US routes announced as Norwegian celebrates third anniversary of low-cost long-haul flights from London Gatwick
  • Norwegian becomes 2nd largest long-haul airline at Gatwick with 13 direct long-haul routes

Norwegian today announced two new US routes from London Gatwick with flights now on sale to Chicago from £179 and Austin, Texas from £239. The announcement comes as the airline celebrates the third anniversary since it first launched low-cost long-haul services from Gatwick.

In July 2014, Norwegian launched its first low-cost long-haul flights from London Gatwick to three US cities – in just three years, Norwegian has grown to serve 13 global long-haul destinations from Gatwick, including 9 US cities, Singapore and Buenos Aires. Over 1.5 million UK passengers have now flown low-cost long-haul with Norwegian since July 2014 and with the new routes announced today, the rapid growth will also see Norwegian overtake other airlines to become the 2nd largest long-haul operator at Gatwick.

The new routes from London Gatwick to Chicago and Austin will start from March 2018 and will be served by new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft offering passengers a spacious, modern economy cabin with seatback inflight entertainment, together with a Premium cabin offering more than a metre of legroom, complimentary meal service, generous baggage allowance and airport lounge access. Flights are now on sale at www.norwegian.com including:

London to Chicago – 4 flights per week from £179 one way

  • Starting on 25th March 2018, Norwegian will start a year-round, four-weekly service to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, with economy fares from £179 one way and Premium fares from £499 
  • Known as the ‘Windy City’, Chicago is America’s third biggest city attracting an estimated 54 million tourists each year as well as being one of the most important business centres in the world
  • Chicago offers travellers a unique mixture of iconic skyscrapers, museums, restaurants and a scenic waterfront, as well as a vibrant cultural scene and world-famous sports teams

London to Austin, Texas – 3 flights per week from £239 one way

  • Starting on 27th March 2018, Norwegian will break the current European monopoly on flights to Austin with a new year-round, three-weekly service to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, with fares available from £239 one way and Premium fares from £579
  • With its official slogan of The Live Music Capital of the World, Austin has a world-famous cultural scene which culminates in the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival for film, music and technology
  • The state capital of Texas also offers a series of historic Texas landmarks and museums, an abundance of parks and green space and a burgeoning food and restaurant scene, as well as being considered one of the world’s major centres for the tech industry

Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos said: “Once again we have put the UK at the heart of our ambitious expansion plans, with affordable fares to another two exciting US destinations. As America’s third biggest city, Chicago is perfect addition to our growing networks while Austin has also become a major hub for leisure and business travel so we are delighted to offer passengers more choice and lower fares to these vibrant cities.

“Many people said low-cost long-haul would never work but three years, 13 routes and 1.5 million UK passengers later and Norwegian has shown there is huge demand for more affordable long-haul travel.”

Stewart Wingate, Gatwick CEO, said: “These new flights are yet more proof that the low cost long haul revolution is here to stay as Norwegian and Gatwick’s long haul networks reach into all four corners of the globe. Norwegian now offers 13 long-haul routes from Gatwick to destinations across the US and also to South America and south east Asia.

“The addition of new flights to Chicago and Austin also means that Gatwick’s long haul network breaks yet another world record as we now offer 62 long haul routes – more than any other single runway airport in the world - and the fifth largest network of any airport in Europe.”

Separately today, Norwegian also announced new routes from Paris to Boston and Oakland, as well as increased flights on the existing routes from Paris to New York and LA.

Passengers on all of Norwegian’s routes are eligible to join Norwegian Reward, the airline’s frequent flyer program and can earn CashPoints every time they fly, stay at a hotel or drive a rental car.

Norwegian carries more than 5 million UK passengers each year from 5 UK airports, to over 50 global destinations. The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average age of 3.6 years, and more than 200 new aircraft on order. Earlier this week it was announced that Norwegian has been awarded the ‘World's best low-cost long-haul airline’ for three consecutive years at the SkyTrax World Airline Awards.

- Ends -

Notes to Editors:

Flight schedule - London Gatwick to Chicago O’Hare

Four weekly services from 25th March 2018:

  • Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday: Departs Gatwick (LGW) at 10:00, arrives Chicago (ORD) at 12:35

Flight schedule - London Gatwick to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Three weekly services from 27th March 2018:

  • Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: Departs Gatwick (LGW) at 10:00, arrives Austin (AUS) at 14:05

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Press contact Marketing/sponsorship requests: marketing@norwegian.com

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The Norwegian group is a leading Nordic aviation company, headquartered at Fornebu outside Oslo, Norway. The company has over 8,200 employees and owns two of the prominent airlines in the Nordics: Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe’s Flyveselskap. Widerøe was acquired by Norwegian in 2024, aiming to facilitate seamless air travel across the two airline’s networks.

Norwegian Air Shuttle, the largest Norwegian airline with around 4,700 employees, operates an extensive route network connecting Nordic countries to key European destinations. In 2023, Norwegian carried over 20 million passengers and maintained a fleet of 87 Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Widerøe’s Flyveselskap, Norway’s oldest airline, is Scandinavia’s largest regional carrier. The airline has more than 3,500 employees. Mainly operating the short-runway airports in rural Norway, Widerøe operates several state contract routes (PSO routes) in addition to its own commercial network. In 2023, the airline had 3.3 million passengers and a fleet of 48 aircraft, including 45 Bombardier Dash 8’s and three Embraer E190-E2's. Widerøe Ground Handling provides ground handling services at 41 Norwegian airports.

The Norwegian group has sustainability as a key priority and has committed to significantly reducing carbon emissions from its operations. Among numerous initiatives, the most noteworthy is the investment in production and use of fossil-free aviation fuel (SAF). Norwegian strives to become the sustainable choice for its passengers, actively contributing to the transformation of the aviation industry.

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