Norwegian Airlines, price too good to be true?
 

Hello all, I have been researching flights from LAX to Rome, Italy (FCO) for my mother and I am seeing some flights w Norwegian Airlines for less than $400 each. They are one way tickets which is what she is looking for and its for June 2017. This seems...way too good to be true. I have no experience w the airline and from what reviews I can see on trip advisor people seem to like them. Are these prices legit? Could it be they are low because it's so far in advance?
I'm looking for any info you are willing to share on the airline.
Should she be leary or should she grab it if she knows her plans are set?
Please advise. Thank you in advance!

FYI she is a new traveler to Europe, never out of the states before and while I have traveled outside I haven't yet gone to Italy so if there is any additional info you think she'd need we'd be grateful :)

Have you proceeded through the booking process and seen the other charges (seat selection, baggage, meals) that can add to the price? I have and decided it isn't quite what it seems. And they aren't non-stop flights so pay attention to the connections and if there are long layovers. I think you may get something similar, or close, and non-stop if you watch the sales on all airlines. That's worth something to me.

Sign up for price alerts on Air Fare Watchdog http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/.

Ah no that we did not see so that's good to know. Thank you!

You don't need to go thru the booking process to see the other charges, you see them on the fares matrix where you have the choice of Low Fare and Low Fare+. If you click on the Low Fare+ heading, it will tell you what is included with that fare, typically checked luggage allowance, seat reservation & meal. Choosing Low Fare+ is better value than adding the extras on individually. Obviously you can do it the more expensive way if you prefer which is choosing the lowest fare and then add the extras one by one.

I'm not sure what's different about what I said & what you said, Odin, except maybe you used more words. The point both times was investigate further, I believe.

I agree about proceeding further. Not knowing where you saw the price it's hard to comment.

But I'll just say when I get emails from airlines about "Hawaii from $300" or whatever, it rarely turns out to be true once I dig in and try to book it.

The Norwegian website is very clear about what you are getting for your money. You can see what a checked bag will cost, and so on. That's the budget-airline style, and it's spreading. You and your mother should forget any assumptions from other airline experiences and read the website carefully. The company is the third-largest budget carrier in Europe by volume so of course their fares are "true". Nobody else has been successful using the budget-airline model across the Atlantic. The trans-ocean flight will be on a B-787, the most advanced passenger jet in the sky. I don't know about the second leg. But a question: Why one-way? Do you and she understand what obstacles may be faced entering Europe (or even being permitted on the plane in LAX) if she does not have a return ticket?

It's about $500 with a checked bag and a seat assignment, and these fares don't last, they double as seats begin to sell. It's all about whether or not you're willing to gamble on purchasing a totally non-refundable ticket 9 months in advance.

Thank you Odin, for some reason that did just make more sense to me lol

Southam- the reason for way. She is taking a cruise which leaves from venic Italy and returns to Venice but before the cruise she wishes to visit Rome and Cinque Terre.
So she had planned on flying home from Venice. I've started looking for different flight options for her. But I have never heard of having issues at the airport with no return ticket purchased, can you expand on that?

You should check into multi-city ticket options (aka Open Jaw). Fly into Rome and out of Venice on the same ticket.