Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS, pronounced with letters spelled out, or “sass” if you want to sound local) is a pan-Scandinavian flag carrier that recently left Star Alliance and joined SkyTeam. Its long-haul network centres on Copenhagen these days, and the route map continues evolving to align with new partners like Delta and Air France-KLM. Here’s everything you need to know about flying this airline in transition.
Why should you consider SAS?
At its best, SAS offers attractive Nordic-flavoured service alongside good fares, especially for premium cabins on connecting itineraries between North America and Europe. While relatively small compared to European majors, it can be a great way to fly transatlantic.
The Nordic capitals are less conveniently situated than other Euro hubs, and SAS has lower brand recognition in North America. That means they compete on price, which works in your favour.
I think its long-haul business class is underrated. The seats are comfortable, the design is clean and the Nordic food and drinks are a nice touch. It’s more minimalist than some competitors, but the vibe is just right. Service quality can vary from flight to flight, but the main reason to fly SAS business is the comfortable seat.
Plus, the Nordic hubs (Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm) are all pretty small, well-designed and easy to connect through. There’s a healthy debate about which one is best, but I won’t get into that (even if my home airport of Stockholm is in the running).
Destinations
SAS has a relatively small intercontinental route network mainly focused on North America. From the UK, flights depart from Birmingham, Cornwall, London and Manchester to/via Oslo, Copenhagen or Stockholm, and it offers good connections to many major US airports. It has a smaller offering to Asia with Shanghai, Tokyo and Bangkok currently served.
Within Europe, SAS has solid coverage, connecting the main Scandinavian cities to both sunny getaways and business hubs. The European map is changing with the move to SkyTeam, so expect to see more flights to partner hubs like Amsterdam and Paris and fewer to old Star Alliance haunts like Frankfurt.
Tip: During the off-season, SAS is the only airline offering nonstop flights from the U.S. to Oslo in winter and one of the few offering year-round service from North America to Stockholm. They’re also the sole operator of direct flights between Scandinavia and Canada during winter (specifically Toronto). Copenhagen, however, is a year-round hub with plenty of long-haul connections, since that’s where most of the connecting traffic flows.
The SAS fleet
SAS flies a modern and fuel-efficient fleet, with quiet and comfy A350s and A320NEOs doing a lot of the work. Even its older A330s are so well-maintained you’d never guess their age. For shorter hops around Europe, you’ll find a mix of Embraer E195LR jets and CRJ900s.
You’ll notice some aircraft fly under “SAS Connect,” others under “SAS Link,” and some just as SAS. From a passenger standpoint, don’t worry about it. The onboard experience is largely the same since it’s mostly about labour contracts. The only noticeable difference: SAS Connect has more internationally-based crew (with bases at London Heathrow and Copenhagen), while mainline and SAS Link crews are based in Scandinavia.
Understanding “SAS Premium” (formerly “SAS Plus”)
SAS recently restructured its cabin offerings, renaming “SAS Plus” to “Premium” on long-haul flights and reintroducing a separate Business cabin for European flights. It can be a bit confusing at first, so let’s break it down.
On flights within Europe, Business is now their top cabin. You get an economy seat with a blocked middle seat (finally), plus free meals and drinks, fast track where available, lounge access where available and perks like priority boarding and two checked bags. There’s also a Premium cabin on some European routes, which is essentially an economy seat without the blocked middle but with similar perks to Business.
On long-haul flights, Premium (what used to be called Plus) is the premium economy cabin, with wider seats, extra legroom and complimentary meals and drinks. Here’s where it gets tricky: if you’re booked in Business for your long-haul leg, your connecting flight in Europe is also in Business, which gets you into the SAS lounge. But if you’re in long-haul Premium, you typically connect to regular Economy on the European leg unless you have elite status. No lounge access included.
Onboard experience
If you ask me, SAS Business is excellent, and its long-haul Premium (the old Plus premium economy) is comfy and often a great deal. Even economy is pretty decent in terms of comfort, though the service has a few quirks. Overall, if the price is right, SAS is one of my top choices for flying across the pond in any class.
Long-haul economy class
Economy class is what you’d expect, but the calming grey tones, wood-effect panels, and blue mood lighting create a surprisingly nice vibe. The seats are comfortable enough, and the legroom is standard for economy.
The thing to know about long-haul economy: SAS opts for a low-cost service model here. You’ll get a free meal with one non-alcoholic drink, but anything additional (an extra Sprite, any alcohol) costs extra. They do provide a water bottle at your seat, and coffee, tea, and water are always complimentary throughout the flight.
SAS has also stopped charging for kids or vegetarian meal requests after some backlash. So that’s progress.
Tip: You can buy-up to a premium pre-order meal that includes two drinks of your choice, but I don’t think it’s worth the extra cash. If a bigger meal is a priority for you, though, it’s an option.
Long-haul premium economy class
Premium (formerly SAS Plus) in premium economy gives you wider seats with more legroom and padding, making it much easier to get some sleep on a long flight. The food is a step up with complimentary meals and drinks. In my opinion, it’s the perfect sweet spot between comfort and cost. Plus, you can often bid for an upgrade to business class for a reasonable price using either credit card or EuroBonus points.
Long-haul Business Class
Business class is among the more comfortable for sleeping and resting – the cabins are beautiful, the menus have interesting Nordic drinks and healthy food, and all seats provide a full flat bed.
The footwells are even spacious enough that you don’t feel boxed in. It’s often available at a great price, and I think it’s underrated.
Tip: For maximum privacy, pick an even-numbered window seat. They’re positioned closer to the window with the console on the aisle side, giving you more privacy than the odd-numbered ones.
European business class
SAS recently reintroduced a proper European Business cabin with blocked middle seats. Like other carriers, it’s still just an economy seat with no extra legroom, but at least now you get that empty middle seat for extra personal space. You also get free meals and drinks, lounge access where available, fast track where available, and priority boarding, so if the price difference is small, it can definitely be worth it.
Tip: Try to snag a seat in row 1. You get the bulkhead in front and no one reclining into you. As a window-seat person, it means I can get up without bothering my seatmates, which is worth a lot to me.
Upgrading
SAS has a great upgrade bidding programme (including live bidding on selected flights), and I’ve often scored an upgrade by placing the minimum bid. It’s an especially good way to use SAS EuroBonus points. If you fly SAS and its partners enough to collect some points, you can get upgrades for a steal using either credit card or points. It’s one of the best perks of flying with them.
Loyalty programme
SAS EuroBonus is the airline’s frequent flyer programme, and it’s not only good for upgrading. It’s really great for families since it offers Point Sharing that lets you form a group with up to seven other friends or family members (eight people total) to pool all earned points into a single shared balance at no extra cost. Award tickets for children aged 2-11 cost 50% of an adult’s ticket in points. Gold status requires either 45,000 Basic Points or 45 qualifying flights during a 12-month qualification period. I stick with the Eurobonus programme for these reasons.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up to date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
