British travellers hoping to reach the Caribbean on a budget will be encouraged by the news that Norwegian is expanding its services to the region.
The low-cost airline, which already flies from the UK to New York, LA and Fort Lauderdale, last week launched routes from several US cities to the islands Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Fares are from $51 (£34) one-way, and with flights from London to New York starting at £149, it raises the possibility of UK travellers being able to reach the Caribbean for as little as £183.
The reality isn’t quite so simple. A quick search on the Norwegian website found that the £149 fares to New York are available on departures on February 26 and 27, March 8, 9 and 11 and April 19, but the cheapest fares from New York to both Caribbean islands do not correspond with those travel dates. One could fly from New York to Martinique, for example, on February 27 for £88.60, giving a total of £237.60 one-way. After a week in Martinique you could catch a flight back to New York (on March 5) for £137.50 and then complete the journey back to Gatwick for another £152.30. Total flight cost: £527.40.
Colourful houses on Martinique Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
According to Skyscanner, the flight comparison website, the cheapest return fares from London to Martinique during the whole of January are with Norwegian (£518 return, flying Jan 15-28), but for February and March they are with Air France (£576 for Feb 11-23 and £576 for March 3-13, both via Paris).
Air France also has the cheapest options for Guadeloupe, according to Skyscanner, with return fares from £586 during January and February, also via Paris.
Despite this, the added competition on services to the Caribbean – traditionally a costly region to fly to – ought to be welcomed.
According to Fred Mawer, Telegraph Travel's Caribbean expert, "Guadeloupe comes in two distinctive halves: flat Grande-Terre, with resorts and good beaches, and incongruously named Basse-Terre, with impressive rainforest, waterfalls and a towering volcano, all in a national park."
Mountainous Martinique "has a distinctive French/Creole culture and cuisine, and another volcano, whose eruption in 1902 destroyed St Pierre, the island’s fascinating former capital."
Norwegian is committed to a long-haul strategy, with eight Boeing 787 Dreamliners in its fleet, plus a further 30 on order. It already flies direct from Gatwick to Puerto Rico, with returns fares currently available on its website from around £330, and serves both Bangkok and Dubai from its bases in Scandinavia.
Norwegian has 10 aircraft based at Gatwick, making it the third largest carrier operating at the airport Photo: GETTY
It also recently announced plans to launch a UK subsidiary next year which could see it begin direct flights from Britain to destinations in Asia, South America and South Africa.
The low-cost long-haul model has previously been dismissed as unworkable - Laker Airways, Zoom and Oasis Hong Kong all tried and failed – but falling fuel prices have helped revive the idea.
WOW Air is another carrier taking advantage. It flies from Reykjavik to Toronto, Montreal, Washington DC and Boston, with routes to Los Angeles or San Francisco in the pipeline. British travellers can book flights from Bristol and Gatwick to several US destinations – flying via the Icelandic capital – for as little as £99 one-way.
Ryanair has frequently claimed it will offer flights to the US once it secures the long-haul fleet required to do so; Air Asia X, the low-cost arm of Air Asia, briefly flew from Europe to Asia, and has stated its desire to relaunch services; Jetstar already offers no-frills flights from Australia to destinations including Japan and Hawaii.
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