Norwegian was named one of Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Companies in Travel for 2017. The magazine’s annual ranking of the world’s Most Innovative Companies honors leading enterprises and rising newcomers that exemplify the best in nimble business and impactful innovation. Norwegian was the only airline featured on this year’s travel list.
– To be named one of the Most Innovative Companies in Travel by Fast Company is such an honor for Norwegian and all our employees. At Norwegian, we truly strive to offer a different approach to air travel, and create new initiatives to be more relevant and competitive. Not only are we reinventing the customer experience along the way, but we are also making it more affordable for everyone to fly,” said Norwegian’s CEO and Founder, Bjørn Kjos.
Fast Company ranked Norwegian sixth among travel brands and stated:
“One of the world’s fastest growing airlines, low-cost carrier Norwegian Air has expanded from its Scandinavian roots to cover 150 destinations in Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, and beyond. Primarily known for its European presence, in the past few years Norwegian has been taking on major international carriers and legacy U.S. airlines by flying low-cost routes from seven mainland U.S. cities across the Atlantic, undercutting its rivals’ fares by between 20% to 50% in some cases. And, thanks to its highly fuel- and space-efficient fleet, Norwegian hit record profitability in 2016. In December 2016, the U.S. Department of Transportation approved the carrier’s application to expand from an Ireland base into even more U.S. cities. First up: Stewart International, near New York City, and Providence, Rhode Island.”
Norwegian launched its first transatlantic flight to the U.S. in 2013, and now offers a total of 46 routes from the U.S.; 39 of which are to Europe and seven are to the French Caribbean. Upcoming route launches from the U.S. include: Oakland/San Francisco to Copenhagen (March 28); Los Angeles to Barcelona (June 5); New York/Newark to Barcelona (June 6); Oakland/San Francisco to Barcelona (June 7); Orlando to Paris (July 31) and Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona (August 22).
Norwegian also has more U.S.-based cabin crew than any other foreign airline, with two bases at JFK International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The airline will add two dozen pilots to its Fort Lauderdale base by next quarter, and will then open two additional bases; one at Stewart International Airport and another at T.F. Green Airport with both pilots and cabin crew. These two bases will launch Norwegian’s Boeing 737 transatlantic operation in mid-2017. At the end of 2016, Norwegian had 500 U.S.-based employees, and aims to have almost 1,000 U.S.-based employees by the end of this year.
About Fast Company and its Most Innovative Companies Franchise
Fast Company is the world’s leading progressive business media brand, focusing on innovation in technology and leadership.
Most Innovative Companies is one of Fast Company’s most significant and highly anticipated editorial efforts each year. To produce the 2017 list, Fast Company reporters surveyed thousands of enterprises across the globe to identify the most notable innovations of the year and trace the impact of those initiatives on business, industry, and the larger culture.
