Primera Air: Latest airline to join the transatlantic fare wars has flights to NYC from £121

The no-frills fares are subject to hefty extras fees

Primera Air is best known for shuttling between Scandi countries and sunnier climes (Alan Wilson via Wikimedia Commons)

Another airline has jumped in the transatlantic fares ware, offering flights from the UK to New York for £271 return.

Primera Air, which is based in Latvia and currently operates in Scandinavia, will fly direct from Stansted and Birmingham to Newark from next April. It will also fly to Boston.

The fares – which have been announced as £149 each way, but can be as little as £121 on the return segment – are for the flight only. Everything else, from seating to luggage to meals onboard, will cost extra.

To check in a 23kg bag will cost £25 each way. Seat reservations start at £22 for a regular seat, £55 for an exit row, or £40 for an XL seat, which promises “extra legroom” to “guarantee a super-enjoyable journey”.

Unfortunately, the legroom is relative, because the XL seats have a mere 32-inch seat pitch – the same as a regular economy seat on some long haul British Airways and Virgin Atlantic planes. Standard seats get 30 inches – the same as Ryanair.

If you’re planning to eat onboard, you may want to bring sandwiches – all meals cost a flat £30 each when prebooked, even for children and infants.

Alternatively, passengers can upgrade to a fare category that includes a checked bag, “priority” seating and a meal, for £50 each way.

And if you can’t handle other people getting a bargain, look away now – US customers are able to book the same flights for $99, or £76 each way – almost half the cost of the flights for UK customers.

The no-frills transatlantic market is getting increasingly crowded, with leader Norwegian having competition from Barcelona-based Level, and airlines such as Wow Air, which requires a stop in Reykjavik en route.

More transatlantic routes from Primera are expected to be announced by the end of the summer.