How Do You Choose an Airline?

How in the world do you pick an airline for international travel when you’ve only internationally traveled once? The only time I had been abroad before last summer was for a high school senior trip. Everything was taken care of by the school, tour company, and my lovely parents. Fast forward 12 years, and I had no idea what airline I should book for my upcoming summer travels. There are dozens of airlines. Which one to choose? Being an elementary school teacher, my main criterion was easy- the most budget-friendly. I was just trying to get from point A to point B in one piece and preferably on time. I think those are pretty reasonable expectations.

Norwegian’s Promising First Impression

The internet search began. I found a one way flight with Norwegian Airlines from Newark to Barcelona for $266 (plus my bag). That sounded good to me! In addition, the timing of the flight was very ideal. I would board in the evening, sleep normally, and magically wake up in Barcelona. Perfect. Did it turn out that way? Actually, yes! Boarding was timely. The plane was very clean and very new. The options for in-flight entertainment were plenty. The flight attendants were very courteous. The only thing to note is that I wouldn’t recommend buying their meals. It’s $45 for a 3 three-course meal. It sounds nice at first until you realize the meal is a small sad salad, some kind of meat drenched in gravy, and a dry piece of cake. Its redemption is that it includes beer and wine, so at least there’s that. Overall, an enjoyable flight but eat before or bring your own snacks.

And Then… Disaster at the Airport

Barcelona was a dream and after spending two months traveling through Spain and Italy, I was ready to get back to the states and into the comforts of home. I showed up at the airport in Madrid and went to check in. The Norwegian attendant had my bag on the scale for a while in silence and then told me to hold on. Alright then. After ten more minutes of awkward silence while she stared at her computer, I asked what was wrong. She avoided my question. She had someone else come over to also stare into the technological abyss.

Finally, they informed me that my flight was canceled. WHAT? CANCELED. NEWS TO ME. I didn’t get a single email, text message, automated call, nothing. This flight was going from Madrid to Copenhagen to Newark. The leg from Copenhagen to Newark had been canceled, so they didn’t want to let me on the first leg of the trip. They asked me to step aside while they helped other people who needed to get in and make their flights. Are. You. Kidding.

Turns out, there were two other people with the same canceled traveled plan waiting to be helped. We got to talking. They too had no idea the flight was canceled and had shown up expecting to get on a plane. We got the run around from multiple employees.
To save you from the headache that it was, here are some highlights.

“We don’t know. Go to that window there.”
“Oh no, we can’t help you with that here. Go back and speak to so and so.”
*an hour of back and forth*
“I’m the manager here. There’s a problem? No one told me.” “Oh, you can still get on the flight to Copenhagen and wait for the next flight to Newark from there. They have more flight options.”
“Nevermind, you didn’t check in your bags in time. We can’t allow you on the plane anymore.” (But you’re the reason my bag isn’t checked in on time! I had tried to check in my bag almost two hours before).

Finally Going Home

Ultimately, they decided the only solution was to put me (and my new frustrated friends) on a flight departing the next day. They would pay for a hotel stay that night, but I would have to wait another hour while they called hotels in the area. After spending my day in an airport going nowhere and not eating, I was livid (but always composed and cordial). Once at the hotel, I drank and ate everything from the mini fridge on Norwegian’s dime. I don’t even like whiskey, but I sure did that night.

The flight back was on an old HiFly airplane. The carpets were stained, and the seats looked like they also had a little too much whiskey last night. Because of the canceled Norwegian flight, I missed my flight to Houston and had to buy an exorbitantly high priced United flight to Houston. The whole fiasco took three days to get home.

Trying to Get Redemption (Compensation) from Norwegian Airlines

After getting settled at home, I did my research and according to EU regulations, passengers are entitled to up to 600 pounds for flights delayed over three hours or canceled. I filed a request for compensation and received this email from Norwegian.

This cancellation was caused by an earlier disruption within our network that had a direct effect on this flight. The original flight was disrupted due to a lightning strike. Although we respect your request for compensation, we’re unable to honour your claim as your flight was canceled due to an event, which constitutes extraordinary circumstances.

– Norwegian Airlines

Lightning where? I looked at weather reports for Madrid, Copenhagen, and Newark for that date. All sunny and clear. I could continue with my claim with the National Enforcement Body in Spain. But. Oh. My. God. I give up.

Should Norwegian a Second Chance?

As I look ahead for this summer’s travel plans, I am torn. On one hand, I had a great experience in a beautiful plane for an unbeatable price. And then I sure as hell didn’t. If you take a look at reviews on TripAdvisor, they are truly split like me. People either had amazing experiences or aggressively warn you to stay away. Do I take a chance on them again?

Have you flown with Norwegian before? What other airlines have you used to go abroad? Is a budget airline worth the gamble?