I had booked my flight to London before I left Australia. One of the reason for doing this was to avoid the nonsense with QANTAS who incorrectly demand that you show evidence of a return or onward ticket when boarding I flight from Australia to the USA.
I will post about that issue later.

Anyway I booked a flight with Norwegian Air from Orlando to Gatwick. I had read about this company before. They are one of the newer, and apparently very successful, ‘budget’ airline.

Their model is to provide ‘no thrills’ service and use the latest most fuel-efficient aeroplanes like the Boeing 787.

Before I made the booking, I confirmed that I would be able to carry my bicycle. At GBP 60, it was not only possible, but also reasonably priced.

As the time for the flight approach I contacted the airline to confirm the arrangements for carrying the bike. I don’t mind boxing the bike, but it can be a pain. In the past I have travelled in Lufthansa. They don’t require that bikes are boxed. That makes life easier.

Anyway, I contacted Air Norwegian using ‘Chat’. I find this mechanism useful, because it provides a transcript of the conversation you have had with the ‘help’ desk.
The upshot of my chat was that I would be able to carry the bike ‘unboxed’ and leave the wheels on.

I took the train from Winter Park to Orlando where I caught a bus to the Orlando International Airport. At USD 2 this is excellent value, particularly as you can carry a bike on the bus.

When I went to check in with Norwegian Air the clerk told me that I would “not be allowed on the flight unless my bike was in a case or a box”. I was told that another customer was refused permission to fly with an unboxed bike the previous day.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was allowed on the flight with the bike ‘unboxed’. Having the transcript of my previous discussions with the ‘help desk’ proved invaluable.

The flight turned out to be okay. The configuration of the 787 seemed to be very similar to the Scoot planes that also use these planes in ‘budget’ mode. The seats have thin cushioning and are packed closely together. They hardly recline at all and you are sitting very upright.

My flights on Scoot have been during the day between Sydney and Singapore and vice versa. You don’t need to sleep on those flights.

This flight from Orlando to London was overnight. I found it very difficult to sleep.
Apart from that the service was efficient. You have to pay for food and drinks, but that is what happens of budget airlines. At least the air was included in the fare.

Notwithstanding the lack of sleep, I managed to stay awake until quite late on my first day in London, thus managing to avoid serious jet lag.