5 Essential Questions About IAG’s New Transatlantic Low-Cost Airline
Photo Credit: With its new long-haul, low-cost airline called Level, International Airlines Group hopes to stimulate new demand while protecting its core airlines — British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus. International Airlines Group
Skift Take
Is Level a legitimate attempt by International Airlines Group to build a long-haul, low-cost carrier? Or is it a "fighting brand" designed to make Norwegian Air's expansion more challenging? Time will tell.
Travelers searching for transatlantic airfare deals this summer may see a new no-frills option — an airline called Level.
It's one of two International Airlines Group responses to a threat from Norwegian Air, a discounter that in the past three years has delighted frugal travelers with transatlantic fares as low as $69, fees not included. Norwegian is big in several European countries, including France, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden, but of two of its biggest markets are the UK and Spain. International Airlines Group, or IAG, owns the biggest airlines in both countries — British Airways in the UK and Iberia in Spain — so it has more exposure to Norwegian than Lufthansa Group or Air France-KLM.
To compete, IAG is trying two approaches. The first is at London Gatwick, where British Airways has added departures to New York JFK, Fort Lauderdale, and Oakland, all Norwegian markets. Onboard, British Airways offers its typical service, with free meals, but there's one caveat. On its
