I spent $180 on a red-eye flight to Europe. I’d book the same budget airline again, but there’s one thing I’d change.

In October 2022, I took an eight-hour red-eye flight with an airline I’d never heard of — Norse Atlantic Airways.

The budget airline started flying in 2022 and has nonstop trips from the US to Germany, Norway, the UK, France, Greece, and Italy.

The flight from my home in NYC to Berlin kicked off a two-week train trip through Europe. I traveled with the lesser-known airline because it was the cheapest nonstop flight from my local airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). 

I booked an economy-light ticket, the lowest tier available, for $88. I also spent $75 for advanced seat selection and a $20 airport check-in fee. The trip cost a total of $183.

In the past, I’ve appreciated domestic red-eye flights because they give me an extra day at my destination.

But this was my first international red-eye flight, and the long-haul journey through the night left me exhausted at the beginning of my trip. To me, it wasn’t worth the day I saved.

I arrived at JFK at 9:30 p.m. for my 12:30 a.m. flight.

I could have checked in online for free, but I wanted to print my boarding pass at the airport.

On a late Sunday evening, the terminal at JFK felt quite empty.

I easily got to my gate without any crowds in the terminal. Aside from people in line to board an aircraft, I hardly saw anyone.

My flight began boarding at 11:30 p.m.

I was among the last to board and got situated in my seat right around midnight.

The flight’s seating arrangement was three columns with three seats in each row.

I paid extra to select a window seat before the flight so that I could rest by leaning against the wall.

A representative from Norse told Business Insider that economy-light seats are 17.2 inches wide with a 3-inch recline.

It felt like a standard plane seat to me.

I thought I had enough legroom, even with my backpack shoved underneath the seat.

My ticket didn’t include access to overhead bin storage, but I only had a backpack, so I didn’t mind.

The seat pitch was between 27 and 32 inches, according to the representative.

In front of me, there was an entertainment screen with movies, TV shows, and information about my flight.

Although I spent most of the time trying to sleep, I appreciated having the screen.

As the plane prepared for takeoff, I was thrilled that I had a whole row to myself.

In fact, I noticed many of the seats were empty.

My seatback pocket contained a menu of amenities, including earbuds, blankets, neck pillows, and sleep masks, although I didn’t buy any.

Amenity prices ranged from $3.50 for wired headphones to $6.50 for a Comfort Kit, which included earplugs, a sleep mask, and a neck cushion.

After takeoff, the plane was quiet and dimly lit. But I hardly ever sleep well on planes, and this was no exception.

I woke several times through the night.

At one point in the night, I went to the bathroom and found it cleaner than most aircraft bathrooms I’ve been in.

Unlike most economy aircraft bathrooms I’ve used, the floor wasn’t sticky and the trash can wasn’t overflowing. 

In the morning, flight attendants came around with food and beverage service, so I looked at the menu in my seatback pocket.

I found that food and beverages weren’t included in the price of my ticket, so I skipped them.

I landed in Berlin nearly an hour earlier than scheduled, so I was only in the air for seven hours.

Still, when I got off the plane, I felt completely exhausted due to a lack of sleep.

Despite feeling tired, as I would after any red-eye flight, I was impressed by the budget airline and would book with Norse again.

The flight was comfortable and clean, and landing early was a nice bonus.

Once in Berlin, I still had a two-hour train journey to my Airbnb outside the city, and I could barely keep my eyes open.

Even after a night of sleep, I found that the exhaustion from the overnight flight combined with jet lag lasted for days. This wasn’t ideal at the start of a two-week adventure.

My exhaustion wore off within a couple of days of my trip, but I had a lingering thought — next time I fly internationally, I won’t mind spending a little more money and a little less time at my destination for a day flight.

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