Jurisdictional Update from Norway

Reported by Kyrre Kielland, Advokatmirmaet?

?“Norse Atlantic Airlines is starting sales in March and plans for first flights in the second quarter of 2022,” said Kyrre Kielland of Advokatfirmaet Raeder. “This picks up on Norwegian Air Shuttle’s long-haul plans, and they are preparing for delivery of a total of 15 Boeing? Dreamliners, mainly for transatlantic flights from Oslo to various overseas destinations. Last month approval was given for US transatlantic routes. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, involving low-cost, long-haul airlines.”??

Kielland said that the airlines have experienced several tough decisions from the European Court of Justice regarding passenger rebooking claims last year. “The latest judgment from December states that if airlines rebook more than one hour beyond the original schedule, it is deemed to be a cancellation. The passenger is qualified for cancellation fees and is entitled to refunds varying from 250 to 600 euros, depending on the length of flights. Under COVID-19 situations, airlines are rebooking quite frequently, so this will be difficult and expensive to work through for the airlines.”?