Flight Report: $490 to Stockholm on Norwegian... Plus, first time on a 787!

One of the new benefits of being in Oakland is that I have a new option for getting to Scandinavia: Norwegian flies to Stockholm, non-stop, from Oakland. It's a ten hour flight where you step on in California and off in Sweden. That's pretty much unheard of, since I've always had some connection, either in Europe or on the East Coast. The most convenient was always SAS, who flew to Copenhagen and then onward to Stockholm... but this is a new level of convenience.

Plus, my ticket was $490 round trip. I've paid more to get to the mid-west. For that price, you might be wondering what you get and how scandalous Norwegian will treat you once you get to the airport. After all, prices that cheap make people think of RyanAir and their shenanigans.

Turns out, you get exactly what you pay for. In my case, I opted to skip any additional services like food, drinks, checked bags, and a reserved seat (saving $140 in the process) and I got what I paid for: A spot on a plane. They did weigh my carry on (there is a 10kg limit that IS enforced), but none of the Ryan Air stuff like being forced to check in online or pony up a hundred dollars.

On the plane, there is no free drink or food service, but you can ask for a glass of water in the back for free. Otherwise, the best move is to bring it with you; Even at airport prices (and Oakland Airport does suck for food), it's still less than buying it on the plane. I didn't get a snap of their meals, but it looked like standard airline fare. Not worth the money they want for it.

The bottom line is this: I'll fly with them again. They are cut rate, but they are at least nice about it.

Another big bonus for this flight was that I finally got to fly on a 787. I've been waiting for the opportunity to take a trip on one of these aircraft and Norwegian runs them on their international routes (to the US and Thailand). Inside, it is pretty spacious. The cabin is nice and the storage pulls up pretty far to give it the feeling of having extra room. The new electrochromatic windows are alright, but they let in far too much light for my taste (see the last image). It's harder to sleep than with traditional blinds that can be pulled down. I suspect in the future they will either do both or have to dramatically improve the technology.

While the inside is nice, the real stunner is the wings. These things are amazing. They move like they are almost organic and on lift off, the bend in the wing is pretty dramatic. Most other wings are pretty stiff, but these flex in the wind and you can see them curl as the lift starts pushing the plane upwards. Check out this video of what I'm talking about.. (not mine). Pretty exciting to see them in action in person!

My Shortest Commercial Flight Ever: LKE - KEH on Kenmore Air

What if I told you that I could fly on a commercial route for less than the price of  cab? As it turns out, such a route does exist and it is a surprising amount of fun thanks to being operated by Seattle's seaplane airline, Kenmore Air.

The route itself is a little known leg in the Kenmore Air route map. It is a nine mile, as the plane flies, jump from Lake Union in Seattle to Kenmore Air's main base in Kenmore. It is the shortest commercial flight I have ever been on or may ever be on. 

The price if you were to take a traditional cab*? About $70, plus tip.

The price to fly? $40, total. 

The flights themselves are short, lasting about 15 minutes in each direction. You do get a little more time in the air and see more if you book the scenic tour for $100 a person, but a round trip from Lake Union to Kenmore can be a cheaper and just as interesting alternative (All of the photos in this post were taken from the flight I was on). 

Booking this little round trip does, however, require a little work. It is not a "normal" route that pops up on the website, but it can be booked online via their booking system. The link to connect directly to the booking system is here. The ticket and route is legit, as my photos here prove. 

One work of caution is that while you can do a tight turn around like we did where you depart, arrive, and immediately turn around to fly back, there is a risk that your flight will be delayed going up. That almost happened to us, so it is probably advisable to to leave time in between the flights. It depends on how much you want to live on the edge. If you do leave time, you have the option of walking over to the 192 Brewing Company Tap room for a beer or two. There is not a lot to do in Kenmore, so don't plan an entire day there!

 If you are snapping pictures like mad, the left side flying up and the right side flying down will probably give you your best shots, including something like this perfect shot of the Space Needle. The final approach is usually from the north, so the plans come in and bank left, given a view of he city. Enjoy!



*Even a flat rate taxi is $31 for the trip. Uber estimates that it would be between $23-31 for a one way trip, but you could make it less using their first ride up to $30 free deal.

JFK to SEA on JetBlue

There are far more stories to tell in New York, but I need to catch up on my blog. In the recent months, I've moved to a new state and started a new job (plus I am working on a revamped version of this site). All that has combined to make me tardy in posting these travels.

Flight Report: Seattle to Boston with a Flightlapse

The best part of the new rules that allow electronics is that in most cases, it means I can have my cameras out at all times on the flight. This is fantastic and I have been able to get some great shots as a result, as well as more fully realizing the whole "flightlapse" idea. This trip was on a United 757-200 from SEA to ORD and then onward to BOS. My last few flights have not been all that great for the views due to them being mainly at night or winter weather, but this time around the weather was about perfect and the camera was rolling throughout the trip.


While taxiing to the runway, I got sight of two interesting planes. The first below is a Hainan Airlines 787. I still have not been on one of those yet, but I am looking forward to it sometime soon. It is just a beautiful plane and I want to see the wings in action first hand (there's a good video of the flex here and another that shows how the wings are articulated here and here).

New "Sky" Interior on an Alaska Air 737-900ER!

On my last trip to Oakland and the Bay area, I was on a brand new Alaska Airline 737-900ER, which is really nice! I can't recall being a plane with this new type of interior, but between the thinner seats and the reconfigured bins the plan really does feel like it is more spacious. The LED lighting is nice although I am no sure how long the "cool blue" thing will last, fortunate it can all be reprogrammed!

Let's Fly on a Seaplane to Victoria BC!

Victoria BC is a popular day or weekend trip from Seattle. The provincial capital (literally, the capital of British Columbia) is a beautiful city and is the gateway to Vancouver Island and Vancouver city for many travelers. It is a small, walkable city with family friendly attractions and decent transit options for getting out to the attractions that are a little further out, such as Buchart Gardens.

There are a couple different way to get to Victoria from Seattle. There is the Victoria Clipper for foot passengers, the car friendly Black Ball Line from Port Angeles, and automobile ferries from either Anacortes or Tsawwassen in BC. I have taken all of these, but there are two more options: You can fly from Seatac into Victoria airport (located to the north of the city) or... you can fly in style on a seaplane into the inner harbor itself with Kenmore Air.

If you are looking to make the journey, here are a couple helpful links to your options (All estimates are just that: estimates):

1. Kenmore Air (Seaplanes from Lake Union in Seattle)
• 45 minutes, ~$135 to Victoria and $159 to Seattle (~$295 round trip), passenger only.
2. Victoria Clipper (Fast Foot Ferry from Seattle Waterfront)
• 2.75 hours, $88 one way or $140 round trip ($107 with advance purchase, passenger only.
3. Black Ball Line Ferry (Auto Ferry from Port Angeles)
• 4.5 hours (2 hours, plus 2-2.5 hours by car from Seattle), ~$150 round trip ($34 round trip for a passenger, $87 round trip for a car, $13.55 for Seattle to Bainbridge Island with a car, plus gas).
4. WSDOT Ferries (Auto Ferry from Anacortes)
• 4.5-5 hours (2.75 hours, plus 1.5-2 hours from Seattle), $81 round trip (plus gas)
5. BC Ferries (Auto Ferry from BC)
• 4.5-5.5 hours (1.5 hours, plus 3 hours drive from), $125 round trap (plus gas)

I had never tried Kenmore Air and when the opportunity came up to fly this time around, I jumped on it. Kenmore Air is a small nearly seaplane only airline that flies out of Lake Union and into the Victoria Harbor. Prices right now are about $135 each way for the short 45 minute minute flight, which is just about double the fare of the Victoria Clipper. The disadvantage with Kenmore Air besides price is that you are limited to very little in the way of luggage (about 10kg). However, in many ways it's a better deal overall: Not only does it take less time (about 2 hours faster), but there is less hassle checking in and waiting for your trip to start. Oh, and the views. Flying low over the Puget Sound is amazing!