Why Norse Atlantic might have the most comfortable PE seat in the sky

After a recent trip to Los Angeles, I was looking for an opportunity to jump across the pond on the cheap. My searches came up empty. That is until Norse Atlantic Airways suddenly started offering $200 basic economy one-way fares to its London Gatwick hub.

Norse has been around since 2022, and is functionally a reincarnation of the defunct longhaul arm of Norwegian. Like its predecessor, Norse is a low-cost carrier. And also like its predecessor, its reputation can be a mixed bag. When it works, it works great. When it doesn’t, things can get ugly quickly.

That said, $200 is stupid cheap, coming in at half the cost of everyone else. Just before locking in the booking, though, I decided to run the numbers on Norse’s Premium-branded premium economy cabin and discovered another stupid cheap fare: $500 for premium lite. Just a smidge more than the economy class fares on British Airways or Virgin, it was an instant no-brainer to me. I snapped it up immediately, adding another $60 for seat choice for $560 all in.

On the day of travel, I arrived at LAX via shuttle bus, observing that Norse’s name is plastered all over Terminal 2, where it facilitates check-in. But Norse’s check-in counters and actual gates are not located in the same place. The gate is typically located in the airport’s new mid-field international satellite terminal.

With no bags or reason to interact with the counter, I went through security and made the 15-minute trek out to gate 208. Passengers who do have to stop at the counter should add another 15-30 minutes to either bus or walk from T2. It’s quite the schlep, to be honest.

Norse does not maintain lounge access for Premium class.

Boarding began late, a result of our inbound aircraft running almost 90 minutes behind into Los Angeles. Premium class passengers board first, in Group 1. Functionally, though, it was a free for all. And despite the rush we wound up waiting on the jet bridge, as the crew took another ten minutes to ready the jet. I dislike this increasingly common approach, but at least the jet bridge had proper air conditioning.

Once on board, I settled into seat 7A on board the Boeing 787-9 twinjet. Norse’s Premium cabin is large, with eight rows of seats configured 2-3-2 across for a total of 56. Pitch is a generous 43”, five inches more than the average premium economy product. Combine that with enough overhead bin space to fit both personal items and roller bags and you’re left with legroom galore.

A crew member came by to offer pre-departure beverages of juice or water in plastic cups. No bubbly was on offer, for those that care about that sort of thing. On the seat was a plastic-wrapped pillow and blanket set. Neither was particularly hefty (Westin Heavenly bedding this is not), but they weren’t flimsy either.

The jet buttoned up and departed only an hour late in the end, powering out over the SoCal beaches before circling around to the north for London.

Service began forty minutes after takeoff. The crew handed out eye masks (not the best, but usable in a pinch), and completed the first drink service. Beverages were pretty standard, with a mix of juices, soft drinks, tea, water and a limited selection of beer and wine. Only plastic cups were used.

The main meal showed up 45 minutes later, a single-tray affair. In lieu of menus, printed or digital, the crew announced today’s choices over the PA. As far as I can tell, premium passengers receive the same food as the rest of the plane.

I went with the beef stroganoff. But I wouldn’t call it a stroganoff; it tasted more Asian-inspired. Whatever it was, it tasted pretty good. So too did the fresh bread and small brownie.

Presentation left something to be desired (remember, Norse is still an LCC), mostly because the airline leans almost exclusively into single-use materials.

But at least the dish and flatware all appeared to be made from recycled materials, and they looked to be compostable too, though regrettably that’s not usually how trash disposal works on international flights.

The crew came through a second time with the beverage cart and cleared trays shortly thereafter.

After that it was time to dig into the inflight entertainment. Norse utilizes a Panasonic system with an 11″ touchscreen. The screen is embedded into the armrest, and pops up aggressively with the flip of a button.

The IFE could also be controlled via a remote pad built into the side of the seat. Frankly I found the location perplexing and hard to reach, and thus never used it.

The system itself was modestly well stocked, with 117 movies and a far thinner selection of three dozen TV choices. As you might expect of an LCC, the content depth was not fantastic.

Movies from the 1990s were far more common than recent releases, not that that disappointed me. Regular fliers would likely run out of content fairly quickly, but it was no problem finding enough to stay occupied during the 10hr 13min flight.

The only gripe I had was that the otherwise large number of movies and TV series didn’t have even one full trilogy or season. It’s a minor complaint, and hardly unique to Norse or LCCs in general.

The IFE system also allows passengers to order snacks or beverages in between services (or Duty Free, if that’s your thing).

Bites, from gummy bears to chips to larger snack packs, are only available for purchase. Prices aren’t obscene, but are noticeably marked up.

Pack a few of your favorites and save a bit of money. Beverages, excepting premium alcohol, are free. I ordered herbal tea, and it appeared 15 minutes later at my seat.

There is no inflight Wi-Fi on board the jet, or at least any that’s working. Fellow RGN contributor Jason Rabinowitz reports that the functionality exists on the jet (indeed, Norse’s predecessor offered Inmarsat-now-Viasat Global Xpress-powered IFC as managed by Collins Aerospace). It just isn’t getting used.

Though I missed the free texting that most carriers offer these days, I also don’t mind being unplugged either. Anyone expecting or needing to stay connected would’ve felt differently.

If you wish to watch your own content, you can keep your device charged with a single international power port. There’s also a slow USB-A port in the screen bezel.

It was time to get some shut-eye around the halfway mark, and that’s when I became especially thankful for the high-point of Norse’s Premium class: the HAECO-made recliner.

The grey seat doesn’t look like much, with giant oversized recline buttons that are akin to what you’d more commonly see on a train. But its thick padding, adjustable headrest wings and extendable footrest translated into a phenomenal experience for this flyer.

Add in the absolutely enormous 12” recline, and I found myself in deep sleep for a few hours. That’s never happened to me outside of a lie-flat before! I posit that Norse’s PE seat is the most comfortable in the sky.

A second meal service began about an hour before arrival. I chose french toast versus the ambiguous “American breakfast,” a decision I wound up regretting. The toast was covered in a thick chocolate sauce that tasted a bit burnt, while the toast itself wasn’t warmed up enough. It was a pass. My seat mate ordered the American breakfast, including pancakes and sausage, which looked much better.

The flight landed 45 minutes behind at London Gatwick’s South Terminal. Immigration was quick thanks to e-gates, and I was off on my next adventure in no time.

I’ve flown 120 airlines to date, from some of the fanciest to some far less fancy options. Between the super comfortable seat, a great crew and the utterly unreal price point you just can’t go wrong with Norse Atlantic.

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All images credited to the author, Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren