International competition for AA and United at Chicago O’Hare heats up as low-cost carrier Norwegian Air launches new non-stop service to London Gatwick. Even more, Norwegian will be using one of their new Boeing 787 dreamliners on this route featuring both a 56 seat premium cabin in addition to their economy seats.

International Competition for AA and United at Chicago

Per Biz Journals,

Norwegian Air, the ultra-low-fare trans-Atlantic carrier that has been creating a stir in the airline industry all around the country as it aggressively expands its route network, is about to hit the Windy City.

The carrier will launch new nonstop service from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to London’s second major airport, Gatwick, on Sunday, Mar. 25.

The outbound flight will depart at 9:05 p.m. daily from the international Terminal 5 at O’Hare with arrival into London at 10:50 a.m. the following day. The return flight departs at 4 p.m. from Gatwick, arriving back at O’Hare at 6:40 p.m.

Initially, the airline was gonna offer 5x weekly service, but has since decided to offer daily service across the pond, meaning even more competition for American and United.

The really, really bad news for American and United Airlines is that Norwegian Air is coming to town with really low fares in the reservation system — a one-way to London economy ticket is priced as low as $159.90 including taxes and fees, while a premium cabin seat can be had for $579 one way, including drinks and meals, checked bags, lounge access and other perks.

At $159 one-way to London, as a consumer we should hopefully see a decrease in fares from both American and United on this route.