Norse Atlantic

[Nightcrawler]

https://www.headforpoints.com/2025/07/03/norse-atlantic-launches-manchester-to-bangkok-flights/

I wouldn't fancy it but maybe a bargain for some.

Bring your own food and drink. Looks like.a sort of Easy Jet  no frills flight to BKK. 

Doesn't show up on Skyscanner yet 😁😁

[Toy Boy]

41 minutes ago, Nightcrawler said:

https://www.headforpoints.com/2025/07/03/norse-atlantic-launches-manchester-to-bangkok-flights/

I wouldn't fancy it but maybe a bargain for some.

Bring your own food and drink. Looks like.a sort of Easy Jet  no frills flight to BKK. 

Doesn't show up on Skyscanner yet 😁😁

Yeah, it'll depend on how your finances are looking. In the late 1990's, times were hard and friends were few and I flew direct from LHR to Phuket and back with Thompson's. So basically a charter flight with all the limited space and other discomforts that involves but for 12 hours. It was a 767 and had to stop to refuel in Abu Dhabi, but the beer in the airport there was bound to be way too expensive so I didn't look. The worst was that the flight had originated in Manchester and was already 80% full of Mancunian druggies and head bangers when it got to Heathrow, lol. My Buddha, but that was an awful flight. It only cost £250 or so for the return ticket, though, and no changing planes in Bangkok to get to Phuket so at the time I thought it was worth it. I expect there'll be plenty of customers for this new service at that price, though they can count me out, my finances are healthy these days - thankfully!

[john luke]

https://thailand-247.com/index.php?/topic/5244-bangkok-and-other-airports-your-recent-experience-busy-ok-or-quiet-please-add-your-experiences/page/26/#findComment-422384

MAN BKK does not appear to start until late November.  I priced premium economy at £1800, which is about average for premium economy.  The plus of course is a direct flight.

[thunder367]

cheap if u only got hand lugagge otherwise same price as most but u only get 23kg allowance where other offer 25 to 30kg for same price

[Trip]

13 hours ago, Toy Boy said:

Yeah, it'll depend on how your finances are looking. In the late 1990's, times were hard and friends were few and I flew direct from LHR to Phuket and back with Thompson's. So basically a charter flight with all the limited space and other discomforts that involves but for 12 hours. It was a 767 and had to stop to refuel in Abu Dhabi, but the beer in the airport there was bound to be way too expensive so I didn't look. The worst was that the flight had originated in Manchester and was already 80% full of Mancunian druggies and head bangers when it got to Heathrow, lol. My Buddha, but that was an awful flight. It only cost £250 or so for the return ticket, though, and no changing planes in Bangkok to get to Phuket so at the time I thought it was worth it. I expect there'll be plenty of customers for this new service at that price, though they can count me out, my finances are healthy these days - thankfully!

I think they go by TUI now and at one time were flying into U-Tapao or planning to fly into U-Tapao. Wish they still did and perhaps they will eventually if they survive as U-Tapao is poised to become a major international airport in a decade or so as Thais work out connecting their major airports with high speed rail.

[Nightcrawler]

I was doing a Skyscanner genersl search for a flight in a few months time and a Norse flight showed up. Looked quite cheap so when I looked at the details the flights only included carry on luggage 😌. Apparently you have to pay another £168 or thereabouts for checked in luggage. 

Good for those who have a condo etc and only need to travel light. Direct comes out around £600 direct from LGW to BKK rtn with checked in luggage, was only about 460 with hand luggage only. But looking at another thread today, they dont look very reliable.  

Think I'll stick with Qatar or EVA. Im not on that much of a budget. China Air is about 400 quid. 😁

 

 

[biggles]

This quite common with low cost carriers, a low base price and everything else you pay for. 

One, that we use often,  automatically includes travel insurance even tho at age 80 they would not pay out. You need to hunt around on the site to cancel out. A good money earner!

We were caught out by HK Express last year. Their lowest fare does not include any carry on, which virtually every LLC does. Turned up at the airport with our 7kg and told we had to pay.

Edited January 15 by biggles

[Commander]

On 7/5/2025 at 1:46 PM, john luke said:

https://thailand-247.com/index.php?/topic/5244-bangkok-and-other-airports-your-recent-experience-busy-ok-or-quiet-please-add-your-experiences/page/26/#findComment-422384

MAN BKK does not appear to start until late November.  I priced premium economy at £1800, which is about average for premium economy.  The plus of course is a direct flight.

How times have changed for pricing on premium economy

In 1993 I think it was out of Gatwick on Eva (before they relocated to Heathrow) I paid £460 for Evergreen Deluxe (called Elite now unless changed again ) their premium economy which was located in the nose cone area of the 747 Combi they used at the time on the route

Now fair enough you say that was 32/33 years ago prices have risen yet economy then was only around £400 and around £700 today give or take at worse doubling in price whereas premium economy has quadrupled give or take

Happy to be corrected but I think Eva were first airline to introduce premium economy

[Commander]

Just looked at seat Guru for Norse on premiun economy

I'm surprised at the seat pitch at 43" that is big and 5" bigger than the Eva product same route

[Nightcrawler]

21 minutes ago, Commander said:

How times have changed for pricing on premium economy

In 1993 I think it was out of Gatwick on Eva (before they relocated to Heathrow) I paid £460 for Evergreen Deluxe (called Elite now unless changed again ) their premium economy which was located in the nose cone area of the 747 Combi they used at the time on the route

Now fair enough you say that was 32/33 years ago prices have risen yet economy then was only around £400 and around £700 today give or take at worse doubling in price whereas premium economy has quadrupled give or take

Happy to be corrected but I think Eva were first airline to introduce premium economy

Yes, I think you are right. Eva originally had Evergreen Delux which by all accounts is equivalent of Premium Economy,from memory. 

[Nightcrawler]

Its a shame that Guruda stopped direct flights from London to BKK. 

I flew twice with them back in the day and they were cheap as chips and not bad.  I believe there were profitability and safety issues leading to the demise of these flights. Indonesian owned. 

[Stillearly]

51 minutes ago, Commander said:

Just looked at seat Guru for Norse on premiun economy

I'm surprised at the seat pitch at 43" that is big and 5" bigger than the Eva product same route

Seat Guru isn't being updated anymore, AeroLOPA and Seatmaps are the alternatives iirc 

[Derek Dangleberries]

59 minutes ago, Nightcrawler said:

Its a shame that Guruda stopped direct flights from London to BKK. 

I flew twice with them back in the day and they were cheap as chips and not bad.  I believe there were profitability and safety issues leading to the demise of these flights. Indonesian owned. 

 

Safety issues indeed !!!

I used to drink with Ossie and Kiwi Garuda pilots when I worked in Indonesia prior to coming here in '96 ..

I have never flown Garuda since and never will I again ....

[Commander]

2 hours ago, Stillearly said:

Seat Guru isn't being updated anymore, AeroLOPA and Seatmaps are the alternatives iirc 

Yes I googled Setguru and looked at first listing without taking much notice of the actual site in browser bar !

Seatmaps looks good

[Butch]

On 2/20/2026 at 12:57 AM, Commander said:

How times have changed for pricing on premium economy

In 1993 I think it was out of Gatwick on Eva (before they relocated to Heathrow) I paid £460 for Evergreen Deluxe (called Elite now unless changed again ) their premium economy which was located in the nose cone area of the 747 Combi they used at the time on the route

Now fair enough you say that was 32/33 years ago prices have risen yet economy then was only around £400 and around £700 today give or take at worse doubling in price whereas premium economy has quadrupled give or take

Happy to be corrected but I think Eva were first airline to introduce premium economy

Yep, pretty much as I remember it as well.

"Elite" class we found was always working out at being roughly £150 more than Econ back then - so for £75 each way it was a better recline in a snazzy red seat with a leg rest and more baggage allowance. The Business class section was upstairs on the Combi's, with First class right at the front part (4 or 6 lie flat seats iirc).

EVA rewards were better as well, and I've still got my original green and white striped FF card around here somewhere.

I really miss those 747-400 Combi's, but I don't miss landing at Don Muang and going along that bloody bouncy road out of BKK, like a rollercoaster.

iirc my first EVA econ fare was £325 in 94, Elite the following year was about £500 over Xmas. PE now is the thicker end or maybe slightly over £2k, Econ around the £800 mark (very approx figures)

The hike came post Covid. What I pay now for PE is what I paid before for BC. The only downfall being is that PE is the gateway drug into Business class...

[maipenrai]

5 hours ago, Butch said:

Yep, pretty much as I remember it as well.

"Elite" class we found was always working out at being roughly £150 more than Econ back then - so for £75 each way it was a better recline in a snazzy red seat with a leg rest and more baggage allowance. The Business class section was upstairs on the Combi's, with First class right at the front part (4 or 6 lie flat seats iirc).

EVA rewards were better as well, and I've still got my original green and white striped FF card around here somewhere.

I really miss those 747-400 Combi's, but I don't miss landing at Don Muang and going along that bloody bouncy road out of BKK, like a rollercoaster.

iirc my first EVA econ fare was £325 in 94, Elite the following year was about £500 over Xmas. PE now is the thicker end or maybe slightly over £2k, Econ around the £800 mark (very approx figures)

The hike came post Covid. What I pay now for PE is what I paid before for BC. The only downfall being is that PE is the gateway drug into Business class...

I started flying PE on EVA from Vancouver in 2006, although it may have been called Elite then, I don't remember that; however they used 747's right up until 2019 or so when they switched to 787's for a couple of years and cut out PE from Vancouver for those years because the 787's only had Economy and Business - during that time I did two flights on Cathay Pacific immediately before and after Covid. Anyway, they were still using the 747 for a couple of years after all their other west coast flights had changed to the 777 but I did like the old 747 - especially when they had the cabin configured for PE in the very front and Business upstairs. Later they put Business in front, PE in the middle and Economy at the back and upstairs, which I thought was silly - I've only flown upstairs once when I managed to upgrade to Business and it was lovely up there, like riding in a space shuttle. 

As for prices, I am paying half again as much for PE out of YVR as I was before Covid and we never seem to have any seat sales out of YVR.