Norwegian is voted Europe’s Leading Low-Cost Airline 2018 at the World Travel Awards

Press release -

Norwegian is voted Europe’s Leading Low-Cost Airline 2018 at the World Travel Awards

Norwegian has been named Europe’s Leading Low-Cost Airline 2018 for the fourth consecutive year at the 25th annual World Travel Awards, one of the travel industry's most prestigious awards.

The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel industry and they are recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence.

Bjorn Kjos, Norwegian’s CEO, said: "We are very proud to have been once again voted Europe’s leading Low-Cost airline which is a reflection of the dedication of our 9,500 colleagues. Norwegian continues to offer exceptional value across our expanding global network and is recognised as an industry leader in the low-cost sector. We would like to thank the thousands of customers and industry peers that have once again cast their vote for Norwegian."

Graham E. Cooke, President & Founder, World Travel Awards, said: “Winning is tough but staying on top is even tougher, and Norwegian has proven its world-class credentials by winning ‘Europe’s Leading Low-Cost Airline’ for the fourth year in succession. The airline’s rapid expansion, both short-haul and long-haul, exemplify the World Travel Awards mission to push the boundaries of travel excellence.”

Throughout 2017 and into 2018 the airline continued its global expansion plans and now serves more than 150 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, South America and the US. 2018 marked a milestone year for the airline as Norwegian proudly launched its first route to South America with a direct service from London to Buenos Aires and its first route between London and Singapore. Transatlantic services were also increased with new flights from London to Chicago and Austin.

Norwegian’s long-haul routes are operated by brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, offering an economy and Premium cabin. An extended Premium cabin, fitted on the latest additions to the fleet, provide 60% more seats for passengers wanting an enhanced experience. The new 56-seat cabin configuration offers passengers more than a metre of legroom, complimentary meal service and drinks, generous baggage allowance and airport lounge access.

This latest award adds to the growing accolades that Norwegian has already received in 2018 including Best Wi-Fi in Europe and Best Overall Passenger Experience Low Cost Carrier Europe at the Passenger Choice Awards; and Airline Programme of the Year Europe and Africa at the Freddie Awards in recognition of the airline’s customer loyalty programme – Norwegian reward.

The 2018 World Travel Awards took place on 30th June 2018 at the Europe Gala ceremony in Athens.

ENDS

About World Travel Awards

Each year World Travel Awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective successes within each key geographical region.

The Grand Tour of World Travel Awards Gala Ceremonies are regarded as milestone events in the industry calendar, attended by the industry’s key decision makers, chief figure heads and the leading trade and consumer media.

Topics

Norwegian in the UK and Ireland:

  • Norwegian carries 5.8 million UK passengers each year from London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester Airports to 50 destinations worldwide
  • Norwegian is the third largest airline at London Gatwick, with 4.6 million yearly passengers, and with more than 1,000 UK-based pilots and cabin crew
  • In 2014, Norwegian introduced the UK’s first low-cost, long haul flights to the U.S. - the airline now flies to 11 U.S destinations, Buenos Aires and Singapore
  • In 2017, Norwegian also launched affordable transatlantic flights from Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Shannon to the US East Coast, using the brand new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft
  • Norwegian is the only airline to offer free inflight WiFi on UK flights to more than 30 European destinations
  • The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average age of 3.7 years, including next-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing 737 MAX and Boeing 737-800s
  • Norwegian has been voted ‘Europe’s best low-cost carrier’ by passengers for five consecutive years at SkyTrax World Airline Awards from 2013-2017, along with being awarded the ‘World's best low-cost long-haul airline’ in 2015, 2016 and 2017
  • Norwegian Reward is the airline's free to join award-winning loyalty programme offering members CashPoints and Rewards that reduce the cost of Norwegian flights

Contacts

For journalists only

For journalists only

Press contact Norwegian Press Office +47 815 11 816
Marketing/sponsorhip requests: marketing@norwegian.com

Marketing/sponsorhip requests: marketing@norwegian.com

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

Norwegian.com

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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