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We review the best seats on Primera Air Airbus A321neos, one of the cheapest transatlantic airline flights from Newark or Boston to Europe; London, Paris & Birmingham.
Flying transatlantic has never been cheaper, thanks to Norwegian Air, LEVEL, WOW Air, Eurowings, and now the Danish Airline, Primera Air. Norwegian wins with its comfortable, reclining Norwegian Premium Economy seats, direct London routings and in-flight entertainment on its 787 Dreamliners.
There is little to choose between the economy seating on these low-cost carriers (except that Norwegian offers in-flight entertainment), but Norwegian and Primera Air offer convenient nonstop flights from London to the US. WOW air routes via Rekyavic, which means a longer flight.
Primera Air transatlantic flights will launch in April 2018 and will offer one of the cheapest ways to fly transatlantic. The headline price is $99 USD, but the cheapest flight I could find outbound from the US was $139 USD, and this fare is truly basic. You get little beyond the seat, which enables Primera Air to achieve its headline low rates. That said, a $294 USD round-trip from the US to Europe is a great price if you’re traveling with hand luggage only and don’t mind where you sit or how hard the seat is and if you are prepared not to buy any food onboard.
The new Primera Air routes will be operated by the latest single-aisle Airbus A321neo. This aircraft is currently only in service with a few carriers, including WOW Air and Virgin America. Primera Air will take delivery of eight A321neo aircraft in 2018 and two A321neoLR (long-range) aircraft in the last quarter of 2018, which will allow them to fly a longer distance; one would assume to LAX and San Fransisco.
WOW Air is another super-discounted option for flying transatlantic, although it involves a layover in Reykjavik. I have reviewed their WOW Air A330 Business Class (which has a tolerable Premium Economy). The WOW Air Economy offering is less tolerable with very uncomfortable seats, although it is undeniably cheap.
Like WOW Air, this Primera Airfare includes very little. A checked bag, choosing your seat, and a meal will add $90 USD more to the cost of your ticket. The headline $99 USD price is a hand-luggage only fare and will get you to Europe. The return flight looks to be slightly more expensive, but to fly into Europe, it would be hard to find cheaper.
What’s it really like to fly with Primera Air?
Well, we already know that there is no free food, and legroom is limited, but for this price, what do you expect; on low-cost airlines, you get what you pay for. Certainly, The seats are comparable to other Economy seats, including those on legacy carriers like British Airways and American Airlines. Don’t expect too much and you won’t be disappointed!
What Are The Best Seats On Prima Air?
The Primera Air Airbus A321neos will have two classes: Premium and Economy. But it is not quite as simple as that as you can select certain rows for leg-room, and you can select exit rows.
The best seats are in the first “Premium” seating zone at the front of the plane. According to the website’s seat map (pictured above), there will be sixteen Premium Economy seats. You can see from the picture that the first four rows on Primera Air’s A321 will be the premium cabin with a 2-2 configuration.
In Premium, you will get a “free” meal, a small amenity kit, and a bottle of water, but most crucially, more comfortable seats as they are larger with greater recline. Expect a similar product to WOW Air Biz, although nothing as good as the Norwegian Premium, which verges on a 1980’s Business Class.
Premium seats are currently priced at $500 USD one-way compared to $99 USD one-way in Economy; pretty pricy. To be honest, if you have this budget, we would always select Norwegian Premium over Prima Air Premium seats.
Behind the Premium Economy seats are four rows of extra-legroom economy, 3-3 single-aisle configuration, which the airline refers to as “a comfort seat”. For a cheap but comfortable transatlantic flight, we think these are the best seats in the cabin, and when you consider the price, these are the ones to choose. I would expect these seats to offer between 32 to 35 inches, but do remember that these are just extra legroom seats and potentially have the same lack of padding = discomfort as the rest of the economy seats. Then again, for this price, it is hard to complain.
Behind these seats are the main economy seats which are again in a 3-3 single-aisle configuration.
Which Seat & Ticket Should You Book?
If you book a basic seat and then add in a bag, a seat, and a meal, this will add $260 USD to a round-trip ticket price. BUT if you book a comfort fare, you get a checked bag, meal, and priority seating (inc. exit and XL) for $180 USD additional roundtrip.
This means that you can book one of those extra legroom seats behind Premium Economy, so you have a little space to “breathe” as well as having a sensible baggage allowance and an in-flight meal.
If you want to book a basic seat, to add in a hold bag costs $45 USD each way, hot meals start at a crazy $40 USD (we suggest buying sandwiches at the airport), and to choose your seat onboard starts at $45 USD each way or $55 USD for XL seats and $75 USD for exit row seats with more legroom.
Entertainment on Primera Air
There are no personal, in-flight entertainment screens or complimentary overhead movie screens, but unlike WOW, there is Wi-Fi. Bring your own entertainment! Primera Air says that Wi-Fi can be purchased in both Premium and Economy.
Should you travel on Primera Air in Premium Or Comfort Seats?
The low cost transatlantic (and Europe-wide) carrier, Norwegian Airlines, offers an excellent Premium Economy seat that is better than Premium Economy on British Airways but not as good as Business Class on British Airways.
The Norwegian Airlines Premium seats have an incredible 46 inches of pitch, making it the best Premium Economy airline and seating in the world. WOW Air Biz Class will offer a much less generous 37 inches of pitch in their Big Seat which is one inch less (although admittedly a whole lot cheaper) than British Airways Premium Economy (there is notably less space in the WOW XL seats). We expect Prima Air to offer similar to WOW Air.
Would I travel on Prima Air in their comfort (Economy with legroom) seats, but if I wanted to upgrade to their Premium seats, my money would be spent with Norwegian Premium rather than Prema as the Norwegian Premium product. It is so much better than the other low-cost carriers.
The A321neo is a brand new plane and should offer a quiet cabin and an excellent way to fly. Prima Air offers an excellent transatlantic flight price, but don’t expect luxury!
You may also be interested in my review of United Vs. Delta Vs. American Airlines: Which Has The Best Business Class and the best airlines to travel to Europe in Business Class.
Note: The opinions in this article are my own based on my experience of travel on low-cost airlines. Please do your own research before booking your transatlantic ticket.
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