Norwegian Air Scrams for Ideas to Avoid Going Bust and Offers Customers Gift Cards Which Can Be Exchanged for Flights to Spain’s Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca and More

“You choose the amount, they choose the destination” reads the headline of Norwegian airline’s newest campaign which aims to soften the economic blow the coronavirus has caused the company.

The coronavirus crisis has awakened the ingenuity of numerous companies in the tourism industry, as they seek to survive the coronavirus pandemic or at least reduce its impact, Norwegian airlines is a great example of this.

The Scandinavian airline has launched Norwegian Gift Cards, which can be bought with a specified credit and then exchanged for airline tickets in the future. “With our travel gift cards, you can give the world to your loved ones. You choose the amount, they choose the destination,” the company announced on its website.

Norwegian offers four set price options for purchasing. The first one, of 500 CashPoints (defined as a ‘bonus currency’ by the airline), has a cost of €44.21; the second (1,000  CashPoints) of  €88.41; the third (2,000 CashPoints) of €176.82 ; and the last one (5,000 CashPoints) of €442.05.

It also offers the customer the possibility of choosing another value instead and setting the price point of the gift card themselves. This way, if the user cannot afford the cheapest closed price card, the €44.21 card, they can buy a card at a lower price, which will serve as a discount when paying for a trip or some of the services on board, such as reservation of seats, luggage check-in or meals.

The card will be valid throughout the year of purchase as well as the following year, and a total of 150 cards may be exchanged for airline tickets to any destination to which Norwegian flies. This includes destinations like the Malaga on the Costa del Sol, Alicante on Costa Blanca, Ibiza, Majorca, and the Canary Islands. The purchase can be done online where you can also redeem a virtual card.

It should also be noted that Norwegian Air was not going through its best financial moment before the coronavirus crisis began. This financial difficulty is led them to promote a readjustment program in late 2018, which involved the closure of bases, changes in its route portfolio and readjustments in capacity, amongst other measures. The airline will also receive a state aid of €24.48 million, promoted by the Norwegian government to minimise the impact of the pandemic.