And for those of us of a certain age they’ll remember Fly me, I’m Freddie, and Laker Airways… and fly me, I’m Norse, London to New York is the latest plane on the transatlantic runway.
It is no exaggeration to say that Freddie Laker’s Skytrain revolutionised the skies.
When he burst onto the scene 45 years ago, and brought the world to the common man and woman.
Because we wouldn’t have seen low-budget carriers Ryanair and EasyJet unless Freddie had boldly gone before.
We’ll dip in and out of Freddie’s legacy here but the trigger for revisiting transatlantic travel is the launch of Norse’s £200return fares from London to New York, from August 12.
Bjorn again
Norse Atlantic Airways are going where Norwegian Airlines and others have gone before.
And they are being powered by former Norwegian Airlines boss Bjorn Tore Larsen.
Larsen said: “We are very pleased to now be able to welcome customers looking to book great value flights between London Gatwick and New York JFK.
“Customers now have an affordable option allowing them to book a last-minute trip or a holiday of a lifetime with an airline that offers choice and flexibility.”
Now I didn’t have first-hand experience of flying Norwegian Airlines.
Although I have flown a plane into JFK on Turkish Airlines’ flight simulator and very near landed on the runway?
I did send a colleague over for a Norwegian Airlines flight overnight and a Christmas shopping mall trip.
Overnighter to NY
All of which the bould Eoin did manfully and returned bleary-eyed.
Although not I can recall with anything for the kind editor who had sent him.
That aside, and back to low-budget transatlantic flights.
And Freddie’s story is a familiar one across all businesses.
Where a new competitor brings the prices down and the more established operators follow suit.
And the consumer is a winner but the price war puts a strain on the bottom line and ultimately not everyone can survive.
Amid the fall-out new entrepreneurs come on stream, low-budget airlines return and find their place in the market.
The legacy
And that is why we have Ryanair and EasyJet today.
There are challenges, of course, fuel increasingly burns more and more money.
For those who want to make a living flying us long distances.
So yes, we’d support more choice and competition in the air and say Fly me, I’m Norse, London to New York.
And we are looking forward too to them opening up other transatlantic destinations.
