To build up excitement around its new routes to the US from the UK and Ireland, Norwegian shares its top picks of US East Coast destinations.

In June and July Norwegian will launch its new transatlantic routes from Edinburgh, Belfast, Cork, Shannon and Dublin to the US east coast, serving smaller US airports on the East Coast, within reach of New York, Boston and New England, but incurring lower landing charges which support Norwegian’s lower fares.

Norwegian reports these have been some of its fastest selling routes in the company’s history with bookings to these destinations still proving popular.

Norwegian Chief Commercial Officer Thomas Ramdahl said: “Our new routes are not only making transatlantic travel more affordable than ever before, they also offer a perfect gateway for British and Irish travellers to see some of the finest parts of the US east coast. From the bright city lights of New York and Boston to the history and natural beauty of New England, these new routes offer something for all passengers.”

The airline has highlighted some of the cities, visitor attractions and tourism hotspots accessible on Norwegian flights from the UK and Ireland.

From Press Release (with light editing of superlatives):

Providence – perfect for Boston-bound travellers, a Rhode Island road trip, or a visit to “America’s coolest city.”

Norwegian offers low-cost flights from Cork, Shannon, Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh to Providence Airport offer passengers connections to:

• Buzzing Boston –for passengers wanting to visit vibrant and historic ‘Beantown’, a range of road, rail and bus links make Boston just 90 minutes away from Providence Airport
• Cape Cod and picture-perfect islands –no trip to New England would be complete without a visit to the beautiful Cape Cod and picture perfect islands of Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard, made famous as the filming location of Jaws (90 minutes away from the airport)
• America’s “coolest city” – Providence itself is one of America’s oldest cities, dating back to 1636, but in a modern twist it has also been named “America’s Coolest City” by GQ magazine
• Historic Newport– just 30 minutes from the airport, the historic “city by the sea” of Newport offers boat trips and history tours including some of the oldest colonial homes in the USA, and St Mary’s Church where John F Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier married in 1953

Stewart International – connections to Hudson Valley, premium shopping and of course the Big Apple

Norwegian flies from Edinburgh, Belfast, Shannon and Dublin to Stewart International in New York state, offering access to:

• Hudson Valley – situated in the south of Hudson Valley, Stewart Airport offers a direct link to historic attractions, cruising down the Hudson, farm-to-table restaurants and over a hundred wine and craft beer producers. In winter, the valley offers skiers the perfect opportunity to test out their skills, while in summer daredevils can enjoy white water rafting or rock climbing.
• Woodbury Common Premium Shopping – Woodbury Common (16 miles from the airport) is one of the world’s largest retail outlets, attracting 15 million visitors each year. The centre’s 220 stores offer discounts of 25-65% on premium brands and designer goods
• The Big Apple – travellers can take a bite out of the Big Apple with a new direct bus service from Stewart Airport to the Big Apple for $20 each way, perfectly timed to meet the Norwegian flights. Stewart Airport also offers a range of road, rail and bus options to Manhattan in 90 minutes.

Bradley International – a gateway to New England that is also ideal for history buffs and foodies

Norwegian has low-cost flights from Edinburgh to Bradley Airport in Connecticut providing access to:

• A gateway to New England – Bradley Airport is a perfect gateway for travellers to explore the beauty of New England in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Vermont
• Historic museums and speciality food trails – history fans will enjoy the Mark Twain Museum in Hartford and the New England Air Museum at Bradley Airport, while foodies can enjoy Connecticut’s speciality food trails including craft beer, wine, chocolate and even a pizza trail
• Arty New Haven and historic Yale University – just an hour away is the city of New Haven, described by the New York Times as having “Art everywhere you look” for its world-class theatres, galleries and music venues. New Haven is also home to Yale University, with award-winning public tours of the history and architecture of one of America’s oldest institutions
• New York and Boston – the bright city lights of the Big Apple and Beantown are also both within two hours reach from Bradley International

Launching this Summer on Boeing 737 MAX

Norwegian’s new transatlantic routes will launch from 5 UK and Irish cities this summer and will be operated on new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Flights are now on sale from www.norwegian.com and include:

Edinburgh – 14 transatlantic flights per week from 15^th June:

• • • Stewart Intl (New York) – daily flights
    • Providence (greater Boston) – 4x weekly flights (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)
    • Bradley Intl (New England/Connecticut) – 3x weekly flights (Tues, Thurs, Sat)

Belfast – five transatlantic flights per week from 1^st July:

• • • Stewart Intl (New York) – 3x weekly flights (Tues, Thurs, Sat)
    • Providence (greater Boston) – 2x weekly flights (Tues, Sat)

Cork – three transatlantic flights per week from 1^st July:

• • • Providence (greater Boston) – 3x weekly flights (Tues, Thurs, Sat)

Shannon – four transatlantic flights per week from 2^nd July:

• • • Stewart Intl (New York) – 2x weekly flights (Wed, Sun).
    • Providence (greater Boston) – 2x weekly flights (Mon, Fri).

Dublin – 12 transatlantic flights per week from 1^st July:

• • Stewart Intl (New York) – daily flights
  • Providence (greater Boston) – 5x weekly flights (Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sun)

Other Quick facts on Norwegian in the UK and Ireland:

• Norwegian carries 5.2 million UK passengers each year from London Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester Airports to 50 destinations worldwide
• Norwegian is the third largest airline at London Gatwick, with 4.6 million yearly passengers, and with more than 800 UK-based pilots and cabin crew
• In 2014, Norwegian introduced the UK’s first low-cost, long haul flights to the US—the airline now flies to 7 U.S destinations with fares from just £139 one way
• Norwegian is the only airline to offer free inflight WiFi on UK flights to more than 30 European destinations
• The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average age of 3.6 years, including next-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Boeing 737-800s

As an interesting and meaty read explaining why these destination promotions matter to Norwegian’s overall strategy, I highly recommend OAG’s analysis of the benefits to secondary US airports of the new low-cost battle for the transatlantic.