Norse Atlantic dropping Broward for Miami

For Norse Atlantic Airways, the greener runways are at Miami International Airport.

The discount airline abruptly announced Wednesday that it is ending its groundbreaking TransAtlantic service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Europe and will start flying out of Miami on Sept. 18.

The reason: The customer pool is deeper in Miami.

The discount airline, which is based in Norway, launched its service across the Atlantic last summer amid considerable fanfare at the Broward County airport and from local business leaders who see the county as a growing international destination. But the impending move means that come mid-September, travelers who wish to fly Norse Atlantic from South Florida to London, Oslo, or Paris will need to drive — or take a train — to Miami to catch their flights abroad.

“We will no longer be flying at all to FLL from 17th September 2023,” spokeswoman Amy Foster said in an email. “Miami airport has a larger catchment area and in general shows more demand from Europe. This also applies to cargo.”

She said the airline has not made a decision about the fate of its U.S. headquarters office, which employs more than a dozen people and is located at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.

But the airline’s flight crews will be based in Miami starting Sept. 18, Foster said.

Unpleasant surprise

In a statement, the Broward County Aviation Department said it was “very disappointed to learn of Norse Atlantic Airways’ decision.” .

And the move came as a surprise to the department, which said it was informed of it only Tuesday and had no prior notice.

“This news comes less than a week after Norse began nonstop service from FLL to London and less than a year after inaugurating service to Oslo, Norway,” the department said. “While BCAD had high hopes that this budding relationship with Norse would grow and blossom into a mutually beneficial, established, and long-term collaboration, we wish them well in their future endeavors.”

The department said the airline indicated “it’s open to a possible return to FLL in the future, which we would welcome.”

In the interim, the department said it will remain focused on attracting European air service “to serve the needs of South Florida travelers.”

Better prospects at MIA

For the airline, the relocation is a matter of accessing higher levels of passenger and cargo traffic.

“Miami has high levels of passenger demand with both direct and connecting traffic volumes greater than other airports in the region,”  CEO Bjorn Tore Larsen said in a statement released Wednesday. “We look forward to being able to offer our cargo customers increased choice and flexibility as we begin operations from our new South Florida base in September.”

The airline said its customers could immediately start booking direct flights from Miami to London’s Gatwick Airport from $209 one way, and to Oslo, Norway, from $229.

Greg Chin, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, had no information on which of the Miami airport’s terminals would be used by Norse Atlantic. But he said the aviation department had been in discussions with the carrier about serving Miami “for several months.”

Since last year, the Miami airport has been adding new services to Europe by discount carriers from other nations, including France.

Short-lived service

Just last summer, Norse Atlantic launched its service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood  to Europe with flights to Oslo. Then came Berlin in December, but the service was terminated. Flights to London’s Gatwick Airport started last Friday.

“Norse is operating a normal service to FLL from both Oslo and London for the entire summer season until September 18,” Foster said.

Customers booked out of Fort Lauderdale after Sept. 17 will be rebooked onto flights from Miami or offered a full refund.

Norse Atlantic was founded by Larsen in March 2021 and operates a fleet of 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Its route system currently includes New York’s JFK International Airport, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Oslo, London, Berlin and Paris.

The airline’s first flight took off from Oslo to New York on June 14, 2022.