No-cash policy causes turbulence for Norwegian airline

A European low-cost carrier apologized last week after imposing a no-cash policy for passengers wanting to buy onboard extras on new routes to New York and to Bangkok, Thailand.

Most airlines in the U.S. already accept only credit cards for payment of onboard purchases.

But the hard-line policy at Norwegian Air Shuttle meant a 16-year-old passenger who had no credit card and was flying from Oslo to New York could not pay for a blanket to use during the long flight. A woman flying from Thailand to Norway reportedly was refused food and water on the 12-hour flight because she also had only cash.

The airline apologized, saying it has changed its policy and will now accept cash from those few passengers who don’t have a credit card on long-haul flights.

“It’s crucial for Norwegian that our passengers enjoy their journey with us,” said Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen, a spokeswoman for the airline.

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