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Norway issues travel deadline for partners from the US

Norway has issued a tight cut-off date to travellers from the US hoping to reunite with their partners, after the government removed the United States from its Covid purple travel list earlier this week.

Published: 15 July 2021 11:35 CEST
Norway issues travel deadline for partners from the US
The deadline for partners to visit Norway from the US if fast approaching. Photo by Anna Gru on Unsplash

Travellers from the US who have had their application with the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) accepted have until July 19th to come to Norway, the Ministry of Justice announced in a statement.

Anyone who arrives after this date will not be allowed to enter the country, even if their application had been previously accepted. 

“Partners residing in the USA who have been granted an application for entry by the UDI can travel to Norway until the next effective date for any changes in the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s colour codes/areas, i.e. until midnight Monday,” the Ministry of Justice wrote on the Norwegian government’s website. 

The ministry also said that entry to partners would be based on a country’s classification at the time of their arrival rather than when the application to reunite couples was accepted. 

“Even if a foreigner has received prior consent from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration for entry as a partner from a purple country, it is the countries colour code at the time of entry that determines whether they can enter,” the ministry wrote. 

Simply put, this means if a purple country is removed from the list between the application to visit Norway being accepted and the date of arrival, then entry will not be granted. 

This comes after the US was removed Norway’s Covid purple travel list after just a week after being classified as such. 

This meant that close family of Norwegian residents travelling from the US would no longer be permitted to enter, and applications for partners to visit from the US would no longer be considered. 

Travel: Norway to take the US off Covid-19 purple travel list

Purple countries are selected by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health from the EU’s third country list and allow entry to the partners, subject to a free application, and the close family of Norwegian residents and citizens. 

Those travelling from the US in time for the deadline will need to take a test before arriving in Norway, test at the border once they have landed, fill out an entry registration form before they travel and then quarantine for a minimum of seven days at home or anywhere else with a private bedroom and bathroom. You can read more about Norway’s entry requirements here. 

It’s also worth noting that the US currently ranks Norway as a level 3 for its Travel Health Notice.

This means Americans “should reconsider travel to Norway”.

Currently, Australia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan are purple countries. The list is assessed every Friday and updated every Monday.

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TRANSPORT

Why a Norwegian airline wants to charge tourists more than residents

Widerøe, a Norwegian regional airline, is pushing for a new ticket pricing strategy that will see tourists charged more than residents on some flights.

Published: 16 April 2024 13:47 CEST
Why a Norwegian airline wants to charge tourists more than residents

The airline Widerøe has propsoed a new approach to ticket pricing, over concerns that the recently halved maximum prices on short-haul flights provided by the government may actually make travel less accessible for residents in Norway’s rural districts, regional newspaper Brønnøysunds Avis reports. 

The airline has suggested adopting a Spanish model, where different fares apply to permanent residents and tourists, the newspaper reported on Tuesday.

This model, according to the airline, would aim to strike a balance between making air travel in rural areas accessible for local residents while ensuring that routes are not filled up by tourists.

Norway’s FOT route system

In Norway, the vast majority of air traffic operates under commercial arrangements.

However, to maintain a comprehensive network of flight services across the country, the government pays for transportation by procuring flight route services through public competitions among airlines on routes that may not be economically viable for commercial operators.

These routes are primarily located in western Norway and northern Norway (you can find the full list on the Norwegian government’s website), and Widerøe is one of the largest providers of these flights.

These arrangements, known as FOT routes (forpliktelser til offentlig tjenesteytelse på flyruter in Norwegian roughly translates to a ‘public service obligation on flight routes’), impose requirements such as maximum ticket prices, capacity, frequency, and routing.

Typically, the contract is awarded to the airline offering the lowest cost to the state, granting them exclusive rights to scheduled traffic on the designated route for the contract period.

Higher demand prompts reaction from Widerøe

Effective from April 1st, 2024, and August 1st, 2024, new agreements will govern these FOT routes. One of the tweaks will see the maximum prices that airlines can charge on some routes halved. 

While these agreements are expected to enhance accessibility and affordability for travellers across Norway, Widerøe has already noted a surge in demand on some of the routes, particularly from holidaymakers and leisure travellers.

Concerns have also been raised regarding potential adverse effects on patients reliant on air transportation for medical purposes.

Lina Lindegaard Carlsen, Widerøe’s communications advisor, acknowledged the issue and suggested exploring alternative pricing models to address them effectively.

“It remains to be seen how it will actually turn out, but if it becomes difficult to get people in need to be served, then we believe that other price models will work better for those completely dependent on aeroplanes as public transport,” Lindegaard Carlsen said.

The communications advisor added that Widerøe had recommended to the Ministry of Transport that a new price model be considered. Under this model, residents along the FTO network would get a solid discount on flights, regardless of whether the journey consists is a FTO or commercial flight.

“This would ensure a low price for the residents of Norway’s districts while at the same time ensuring that the most popular departures are not filled up by holiday and leisure travellers many months in advance,” Carlsen said.

Widerøe was formally acquired by Norwegian Airlines in January 2024.

When the takeover was first announced in July 2023, Norwegian CEO Geir Karlsen said, “With this transaction, we will now create a streamlined and more comprehensive offer for all customers, and we look forward to offering seamless travel across our entire route networks.”

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