This week the US Department of Transportation approved a licence for Norwegian Air's Irish subsidiary to fly to the US.
Some might view this as the end of a three-year campaign by US carriers to limit the long-haul low cost airline's access to transatlantic routes. BTiQ views this as the beginning of a long-heralded trend in corporate travel programmes.
For years pundits have predicted that low-cost, long-haul air will be an intrinsic component of future corporate air programmes. Long-haul services between Europe and the US launched by someone other than a network carrier have traditionally been targeted at leisure travellers. Even the all-business class services of recent years, with the possible exception of Eos, have all been considered as more appropriate for 'high end leisure'.
Norwegian, like easyJet before it, isn't aiming only for the backpack brigade. The carrier flies to 150 destinations, some of which are Europe's leading business cities. It does not have the route network of many more established carriers but it is growing quickly.
And it is also conscious of business customers. It has a corporate portal, a corporate loyalty programme and a premium class which features dedicated check-in, WiFi and seats with generous leg room and USB and charging points.
At present it has a successful long-haul service between London Gatwick and Los Angeles, Oakland, New York and Boston as well as the more leisure-focused destinations of Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Las Vegas. This is possible because Norwegian's Gatwick services are operated by a Norwegian unit under a Norwegian licence. It has access from the UK to the US via the EU because while Norway may not be a member of the EU it is a signatory to the US-EU Open Skies agreement. It will presumably have to find another way of operating out of Gatwick after Brexit.
But that's only the US and the UK. The US decision opens the door for services from operations based in other EU markets and with an Irish subsidiary already in existence Norwegian will be able to start services between Ireland and secondary airports for both New York (Stewart which is 60 miles north of Manhattan) and Boston (Portsmouth, NH or Providence, RI). Both of these are about 50 miles from Boston - think Narita and Haneda.
Norwegian can charge lower fares because it has a young fleet so its aircraft are very fuel-efficient and because in economy class the seats are rather crammed in. So the operating cost per passenger is very competitive. It also has lower taxes and fees because of access to that Open Skies agreement.
The Department of Transportation has allowed Norwegian's Irish operation access because of Ireland's EU membership. But it did this only after three years and despite a lot of pressure from US carriers who did not want to allow low-cost, long-haul competition.
Norwegian's victory may soon seem hollow — Donald Trump has promised to impose tariffs and trade barriers to protect American businesses.
The corporate market may be getting ready for low-cost long-haul just as the incoming US president prepares to abandon a free market approach.