Flight check: Oslo to Alta on Norwegian Air

The airline celebrates about 50 great Scandinavian artists, explorers, resistance fighters, business leaders and academics by putting fabulous illustrations on its tail fins. Photo / Grant Bradley

Grant Bradley flies on Norwegian Air Shuttle DY320 from Oslo to Alta, well above the Arctic Circle.

The plane: A new Boeing 737-800. The airline celebrates about 50 great Scandinavian artists, explorers, resistance fighters, business leaders and academics by putting fabulous illustrations on its tail fins.

On time: Six minutes late on a foggy Oslo day when a number of other services were delayed for half an hour or more.

My seat: I'd booked 5A by the window hoping to see the length of Norway unfold below. I saw clouds, them's the breaks. Just the one class on this aggressive low-cost carrier, which was established 22 years ago. Norwegian likes Boeing and has seven Dreamliners and 84 737-800s.

How full: About two thirds of 184 seats taken. I had a row to myself for the two-hour flight.

Fellow passengers: It was a mix of work and visiting friends and family in the land of the Sami.

Airport experience: Modestly sized Oslo Airport is new and user friendly - a local train costs less than $20 from the city centre and takes 24 minutes; the super-fast airport train costs more but is a bit quicker. Check-in was seamless and not a single interaction with a human, booked a couple of months earlier through the Norwegian site (which has a killer app - quick to install and it all worked); kiosk check-in with patient, typically courteous locals; bag self-loaded and scanned on to the belt. AND it turned up.

Entertainment: The airline offers free wifi and hundreds of hours of entertainment through your own device. However, crew said the right gear had not been fitted on the plane I was on yet.

Food and drink: Nothing for nothing but reasonable prices for pricey Norway. About $12.50 for a sandwich and a soft drink and if you felt like an NZ-time stronger beverage on this mid-morning flight a can of beer would cost just under $9.

The service: The four-member cabin crew was friendly and looked relaxed.

Toilets: One up front and two aft. Just fine, if a little tight.

The price: $120.

Would I fly again: Any day. Norway is not cheap but air travel seems to be particularly good value and this was a good experience.