On September 12, the long-haul low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic
inaugurated flights to its next US destination: Las Vegas. It is the carrier’s fifth US airport. Coincidentally or not, it started on the same day British Airways revealed more London Heathrow-Sin City flights for next summer.
Despite Norse’s London Gatwick route using the Boeing 787-9—what else?—it has the flight number 777, reflecting Sin City being the gambling center. While Norse is the only foreign carrier using the number 777 to Las Vegas, multiple domestic carriers have it. Like many routes, Gatwick-Las Vegas was previously operated by Norwegian. Will it be lucky for Norse?
Welcome, Norse Atlantic!
Las Vegas is a significant market from London, with around 450,000 roundtrip passengers in 2023. Regular non-stop flights are provided by 
British Airways
, Virgin Atlantic
—and now Norse. 
American Airlines
and 
Delta Air Lines
offer limited flights for Consumer Electronic Show services.
Norse’s 4,565 nautical mile (8,454 km) route operates three times weekly. The September schedule is as follows, with all times local:
- Gatwick-Las Vegas: Z0777, 12:00-14:40 (10h 40m)
- Las Vegas-Gatwick: Z0778, 16:45-10:35+1 (9h 50m)
Z0 is Norse Atlantic UK’s IATA code. The original Norwegian unit is N0. Let’s hope the Gatwick-Las Vegas route shows good promise, or it will not stay, and ‘N0’ might be appropriate (I know it is zero and not O).
It is tough to make long-haul low-cost work, especially in the winter; hence, Norse is increasingly seeking alternative options to scheduled flying. The carrier is used to cutting frequencies, but there’s little room to maneuver with a three-times-weekly service to Las Vegas.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Six destinations have been cut
Norse’s first revenue-generating service was more than two years ago, in June 2022. Since then, it has cut multiple destinations, as outlined below. Some only lasted a season at best, raising questions about network planning and revenue management. Meanwhile, it pulled Kingston flights, which were meant to help turn around winter performance, before the first flight took off.
- Barbados (which was meant to help make winter work)
- Boston
- Fort Lauderdale (flights shifted to Miami)
- Montego Bay (which was meant to help make winter work)
- San Francisco
- Washington Dulles
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Nearly half of the routes have ended
Cirium data was used to examine Norse’s schedules, showing that 28 routes have operated. Of these, 13 have been cut (46%)—an exceptionally high proportion in just over two years. Flights must have taken off to be included, so Gatwick-Kingston is not listed.
You will notice that three routes have switched to a nearby airport. Some may not like these being included, but they did end and are therefore included. If you exclude them, it has still cut 36%.
- Berlin-Fort Lauderdale (switched to Miami)
- Berlin-Los Angeles
- Gatwick-Barbados
- Gatwick-Boston
- Gatwick-Fort Lauderdale (switched to Miami)
- Gatwick-Montego Bay
- Gatwick-San Francisco
- Gatwick-Washington Dulles
- Oslo-Fort Lauderdale (switched to Miami)
- Oslo-Gatwick (in the early days, when flights had to route Oslo-Gatwick-JFK; it is perhaps a bit unfair to include this, but it did operate and then ended)
- Oslo-Los Angeles
- Oslo-Orlando
- Paris CDG-Miami