Norwegian Stockholm after three years: Scandinavian low cost, the winter rosters, the pay in krona and the union difference
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#1 Three years at Norwegian, Stockholm Arlanda, short haul, and there is almost nothing on this forum about the Scandinavian low cost carriers, so here is the shape of it from inside.
Norwegian now
After the restructuring a few years back Norwegian is a short haul European operation from Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki and a few other bases, 737-800s and MAXs, no more long haul. So if you read a 2019 post about Norwegian Dreamliners to New York, that airline does not exist any more. What exists is a solid Nordic short haul carrier that competes with SAS and with the big European low cost names.
The flying
From Stockholm: the Nordics, the UK, Spain and the Canaries, Italy, Greece in summer, the Alps in winter. Two and four sector days, some night stops in the sun in summer which everyone wants, and a lot of Oslo and Copenhagen shuttles. Full cabins. The Scandinavian passenger is quiet, polite and buys almost nothing from the trolley, which matters for the commission line.
The winter
The part nobody warns you about. Stockholm in December: sign on in the dark at 5am, fly to Alicante and back, sign off in the dark at 4pm, and you have not seen daylight except from the aircraft. De-icing delays are constant from November to March and a 9 hour duty routinely becomes 12. The rosters are lighter in winter in flying terms and heavier in mood terms. Crew who move here from the south struggle with the dark more than with the job. Vitamin D, a lamp, and a plan for the days off.
Pay in krona
A proper Scandinavian collective agreement, which is the big difference from the agency models elsewhere. Basic is higher relative to variable than at the UK or Irish low cost carriers. Sector pay and allowances on top. Net for my grade in a normal month is around 27,000 to 31,000 SEK, more in summer with the night stops. Stockholm rent takes a large bite. It is a livable income, in the Scandinavian way, with the tax doing a lot of things for you that you would pay for elsewhere.
The union difference
The collective agreement sets duty limits, rest rules, and the way overtime and disruption are paid, and it is enforced. When a duty runs over, it is paid. When rest is short, it is protected. Crew from the agency contract world find this remarkable. To us it is normal and it is the reason a lot of Scandinavian crew never look at the Gulf: the money there is higher, the protection here is better.
Culture
Flat. First names for everyone including the captain. Decisions explained. A manager who is a person you can email. The cabin crew community is smaller than at the giants and quite tight within each base. English is the working language on the aircraft with Scandinavian languages in the announcements.
For non Scandinavian applicants
Norwegian hires across the Nordics and does take non Scandinavians with the right to work in the EU or EEA. A Scandinavian language is an advantage, not a requirement, at the bigger bases. The assessment is small and civilised. The winter is the interview you do not know you are taking.
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#2 SAS Stockholm, the other option, and Nina's description of the winter is exact. The passengers who buy nothing from the trolley is also exact and it is why the commission line at any Scandinavian carrier is a rounding error. The union protection is the reason I am still here at 34.
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#3 Norwegian Oslo, and Oslo is the bigger base with more variety. The culture paragraph is the thing I would underline for foreign applicants. First names for the captain sounds small. It changes how the whole aircraft works.
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#4 Copenhagen base, and I would add: the Danish and Swedish and Norwegian crew tease each other constantly in three mutually comprehensible languages and the non Scandinavians on the crew learn to follow it within a year. It is a good crew room.
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#5 Stockholm, and the dark is not a joke. My first winter I thought I was depressed. I was in Stockholm in January doing 5am sign ons. The lamp helped. The second winter was fine. Tell the southerners.
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#7 easyJet Geneva, the Swiss version of a proper contract, and I recognise every word about the protection versus money trade. The crew who leave us for the Gulf come back to the same conversation two years later.
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#8 Widerøe, and I want to say for the record that Nordic regional and Nordic low cost are different jobs with the same winter. The winter is the shared experience. We should have a support group.