Norwegian Air Makes Concession on Pilots in Bid for U.S. Approval
Photo Credit: Norwegian Air International is pledging to use only European and American crew on its transatlantic flights in a bid to spur U.S. DOT approval of its application for a foreign air carrier permit. Norwegian Air/Creative Commons / Bo Mathisen
Skift Take
Desperate times call for desperate measures, including Norwegian's pledge to use only American and European pilots on its transatlantic routes. Is that what Open Skies is coming to?
With its U.S. Department of Transportation application for a foreign carrier permit stuck in limbo since late 2013, Norwegian Air International is ready to commit to using only European and U.S. pilots and crews on its transatlantic flights.
Norwegian, which today announced new routes from Boston, Baltimore/Washington, D.C. and New York to the Guadeloupe Islands and Martinique, all with free Wi-Fi and introductory $79 fares one-way, currently operates 25 nonstop routes from the U.S. to London and Scandinavia.
Under the U.S.-EU Air Transport Agreement, Norwegian can fly from EU countries, Iceland and Norway to the U.S. and its territories. The new service from the U.S. to Guadeloupe and Martinique is permissible because these Caribbean islands are overseas departments of France.
But Norwegian applied to the DOT for a foreign air carrier permit that would give it a much broader range of flying options. The permit would enable Norwegian to fly from EU countries and intermediate p
