From the sounds of it, Norwegian's next earnings update won't be pretty but it will be hoping that it has done enough cost-cutting to put it on a sounder footing in 2019.
We suspect Norwegian Air, which is in weaker financial shape than most passengers might expect, will survive 2019. But the first quarter will be an important harbinger of things to come. It's always a rough period for European airlines because leisure demand is slow.
Europe’s airline sector is a mix of thriving and struggling carriers. It’s also a mix of welcome developments, like booming transatlantic demand, and very unwelcome ones, like severe air traffic control delays.
Willie Walsh loves a deal and it sounds like he is still keen. If Norwegian can sort out a cash injection, then a potential acquisition is even more attractive.
Stephen Kavanagh is staying on for a couple more months and will then serve as a non-executive director, both of which imply an amicable decision. New CEO Sean Doyle inherits an airline in decent financial shape but one that has its fair share of competitive challenges.
IAG is still willing to play the long game with Norwegian. If the price of fuel keeps rising, you'd imagine that the acquisition price would come down.
IAG has big plans for Level and with a new dedicated CEO, we can expect further expansion. The only question is what would happen to the carrier if the airline group added Norwegian to its growing family.
Given Norwegian's financial situation, we should expect IAG's approach to have been on the low side. CEO Willie Walsh is a shrewd operator and is probably happy to wait things out rather than overpay.