SAS SCANDINAVIAN review : 17 May 2008 : by E Peters

Customer Rating : 2/5

I had a 7 hour layover in the Copenhagen airport. I inquired at Dulles in the US if I could get an earlier connecting flight to Berlin. They said sure, no problem. When I got to Copenhagen, SAS was uncooperative and refused to give me a boarding pass for the flight that was four hours earlier even though there were seats based on some restriction they found (but didn't explain). I couldn't find any other reasonably priced options (the ticket on the 1 hour flight was $2300 US).

SAS SCANDINAVIAN review : 1 May 2008 : by R Müller

Customer Rating : 2/5

ZRH-ARN-HEL. Booked SAS again because the Finnair flight was more than three times as expensive. I don't know who pays over 1000 euros for an intra-European flight in Economy these days! On the other hand SAS has not had money to renew their aircraft - expect old seats and grumpy flight attendants. Reading about the economic difficulties of SAS, I don't think we would have it around for much longer were it not for the fact that the Scandinavian governments won't let it go bankrupt. There was not much of the old Scandinavian service left in the back of the plane, but the club sandwich was very tasty and my cup of tea was refilled for the same price (2 euros for a cup of tea!).

SAS SCANDINAVIAN review : 1 May 2008 : by Ian Oliver

Customer Rating : 5/5

CPH-DUB-ARL-HEL. First time with SAS for 6 years. Copilot on CPH-DUB sector gave us updates ever 30-45 mins. Food costs money but at least you get a good sized cup of tea/coffee plus one refill. No complaints and complements to the DUB-ARL cabin crew who were excellent.

SAS SCANDINAVIAN review : 30 April 2008 : by Peter Cullen

Customer Rating : 4/5

Bristol-Oslo return. My first flight with SAS for about 10 years and I was pleasantly surprised. On time both ways, good price, very easy check-in at both airports, reasonable amount of legroom, especially on the outward leg (only half full). Nothing really to complain about except the food was a bit expensive - unless you compare it with Norway.

SAS Scandinavian review - by P Moreau

11 April 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

CPH-ZRH-BEG Economy. Flight booked with Swiss, but SAS was the codeshare partner for the CPH-ZRH leg. Bag drop at CPH appallingly slow. Aircraft was I believe an MD80, and horribly uncomfortable for someone 190cm tall. FAs more or less indifferent. Didn't sample the catering, as I was not too pleased at having to pay for it (in contrast to the Swiss legs of the trip, BEG-ZUR-CPH).

SAS Scandinavian review - by B Crachiolo

11 April 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Chicago to Copenhagen flight was okay - plane was clean, crew friendly, food edible (though not better than that). Returning to Chicago from Stockholm was another story. Check-in staff in Stockholm were shockingly rude and unaccommodating. The plane was filthy! The flight crew were friendly enough, but seemed really tired. All in all, a very uncomfortable experience; I probably won't fly SAS again.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Masaki Oda

22 March 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-CPH Economy. SAS used to be one of my favorite airlines. However, the flight I took recently was very unpleasant. I am a UA*G member. As many of the readers know, UA's mileageplus elite cards expires at the end of February, while new cards usually arrive mid-March. When I checked in at LHR, "UA*G" was printed on my boarding pass, and thus I want to the SAS/Air Canada London lounge in T3. However, I was denied entry as my United card says "it expires on February". I told them that I still had a Gold status (and it showed up on my boarding pass). Nevertheless, I was not given access to lounge. The flight (MD-81) to CPH was OK, but interior was dated, and reading light was broken. Food and drink was available for purchase but selection was limited even though it was a supper time flight. I was not able to find out any benefit for taking national carriers over low cost carriers.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Johan Vranken

17 March 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Brussels to Bangkok via Copenhagen in business. Free limousine service to and from the airport is a nice touch. BRU to CPH and back okay, as good as other airlines on european flights. CPH to BKK and back is another story ! Seats comfortable, service adequate but not very friendly. Food is not up to standards of business class on for example Lufthansa or Swiss. Bad quality food and everything is served at the same time on a plastic tray. Would compare quality of food and meal service to Thai economy class.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Steven Mahoney

17 March 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Flew LHR-CPH after arriving on a 9 hour flight from the Caribbean. I know when travelling on coach, you are seated in the back section with no rights. The flight was an ancient MD-80 and to my surprise I was next to the engine which turned out to be a nightmare. The noise was so terrible. I asked to be relocated, but was declined though the flight wasn't full. I have never gotten such headache. I don't understand why they don't phase out those old planes, I mean which other European flag carrier still fly these planes besides SAS?

SAS Scandinavian review - by A Mackenzie

16 March 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Copenhagen/Rome in economy. A good, solid dependable airline who have adapted (albeit slowly) to the no frills competition. I like their website - very user friendly and informative, and in particular the online check-in facility where you can select your seat and print out the boarding card. The staff are in general helpful and pleasant.

SAS Scandinavian review - by J Jensen

4 March 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Copenhagen to Tokyo in business. The new lie flat seats are a big improvement over the old seats. The dinner was good, but nothing special; wines outstanding. Port for the cheese is a nice touch. The hot breakfast buffet was good. There are some minor touches that could be improved, but I would fly them again.

SAS Scandinavian review - by K Pellberg

2 March 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Arlanda-Oslo in Business. Old aircraft with worn seats. Very cramped seating in 737, 3x3 even in Business. Cold meal with plastic cutlery, not very nice. Definitely not worth the price.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Kevin Tunnicliffe

17 February 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Man-Tromso via Oslo return Economy. Efficient and pleasant service on this trip. Only downside to this airline is that they charge a small fortune for food and drink, other than tea and coffee, on their European flights. 20Kr (£2) for a can of coke! No inflight entertainment, but each leg less than 2 hours - would have got 4* except for the rip off on food and drinks on board.

SAS Scandinavian review - by David Gartside

17 February 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Manchester-Arlanda return Economy B737. On time in both directions despite ATC delays at Manchester, 30 mins outbound, unspecified inbound. Pasta meal for purchase in economy - a recent introduction, I believe - is a much better deal than the indestructible sandwiches.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Sarah Berry

12 February 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Oslo Gardermoen to Stockholm Arlanda in economy. Got charged a small fortune for 11kg excess luggage - went on to fly on another airline and same luggage weighted a whole 7kg less - ripped off by SAS big time! Flight delayed due to check in computer system failing and waited 1.5 hours to bag drop. Plane nice and new but very cold all flight and staff not friendly. Overall very average and I hope I dont have to fly with them again!

SAS Scandinavian review - by D Vasilenko

12 February 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

LED-Copenhagen-Chicago Business. From LED to Copenhagen - really nothing special. Small , bad food. Copenhagen-Chicago everything that you expect from Business-class. Food and drinks just like a good restaurant, great seats with massage function, choice of movies. Fly attendants professional and helpful. Another story on way back. This time I flew via Stockholm with Swedish staff. The chair didn't work properly, food was boring and flight attendants didn't pay proper "business- class" attention. They made me feel almost ashame that I got out of average level and bought business-class ticket. One airline - and such a difference in class!

SAS Scandinavian review - by Haakon Dybvik

12 February 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

CPH-SEA in business. Check-in was fast and efficient. Business and economy-extra boarded the plane first. Welcomed by friendly staff, jacket taken and offered champagne. Menus, noise-cancelling headsets, duvets and comfort-kits. The dinner, 4 options for main-course, was tasty. IFE was on- demand and very good, the seat was angled lie-flat and comfortable. Second meal of open sandwiches. When I was finished with customs at Seattle Airport, my baggage was waiting for me at the baggage- delivery.

SAS Scandinavian review - by S Vokey

7 February 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

EWR- ARN return - a 3 star airline. Checked in early online and scored first row behind econ-plus so an extra inch or two for my legs. Food a disappointment, especially from EWR, but they made up for it with 3 rounds of free drinks which is good considering by the book it was only supposed to be one drink with the meal in economy. During the night cabin crew made several passes with water and apple juice which was appreciated.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Janne Petersson

22 January 2008   Customer Trip Rating :

Copenhagen to Poznan. Felt like a low-cost airline flight, only differences were small plane, assigned seating and no extra costs for check-in or hold luggage. Otherwise, a typical SAS less-is- more-attitude flight in a Maersk Air Regional Jet. Delayed about 90 minutes because aircraft went tech. Seating very cramped. No passengers bought anything from the buy-on-board service. I chose this flight just because the ticket was cheap (approx. 65 €) - normally the tickets on this route are much more expensive.

SAS Scandinavian review - by T Iversen

23 December 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

Copenhagen - Oslo return economy. Once again SAS lived up to my expectations - none. You get an uncomfortable seat, and that's it. Staff grumpy. Service non-existant. Similar to a discount bus trip in the old days. However the flight was cheap, quick and there were no delays.

SAS Scandinavian review - by R Heelas

23 December 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

Gatwick to Aalesund return. First time using SAS in many years, long gone are days of SAS being a full service airline, but not yet as bad as full low cost airlines. checkin was quick, plane fairly new Boeing. On way out was asked for choice of window or Isle seat, and people spread over the plane. On return, all passengers cramped in the back no spare middle seats but lots of spare rows in the middle section, which I understand is for premium economy (no difference in the actual seat or indication of class change) Food is chargable and not bad value compared to other airlines and very good value compared to airport prices in Norway. All flights arrived on time or early.

SAS Scandinavian review - by David Gartside

20 December 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

MAN-ARN return B737. On/ahead of time both directions. Paid for catering OK. Bag drop and security at ARN still very slow.

SAS Scandinavian review - by S Temp

16 December 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

This airline offers fast auto check-in and bag drop, but good luck getting any other service beyond that. We asked about changing seats (possibly upgrading from economy, and yes, we were offering to pay) at the ticket counter, but were told to ask the staff at the gates for help with that. So we go through security and all that, only to be told at the gate that we should have asked about that at the counter. When we pointed out that we were told precisely the opposite earlier, we were just told that they couldn't do anything about it. Nice. So, our flight was essentially a nursery, which isn't anyone's fault, but the entire section we were seated in was stunned that the flight attendants didn't seem to care on bit that about three toddlers were sprinting laps (I'm in no way overstating this) around the plane. We finally asked one flight attendant to please ask the parents (who knows where they were) to keep an eye on their little track stars and only then did they seem to notice that the children were running around even when the seat belt sign was on. And oh, the food. I'm a vegetarian, and my boyfriend is not. I'd requested a veggie meal (which, for some reason, you have to confirm 24 hours before the flight), which worked out okay during dinner -- for once. This time, it was pasta with mushrooms. Ordinarily, SAS has by far, the worst veggie food ever. Vegetable steamed to within an inch of their being, mushy rice and totally flavorless red sauce tends to be the standard meal (I've had the misfortune of flying with them more than once, never by choice, always for work, etc.). I never get dessert thought. Always some lame fruit cup, the sort where all the fruit tastes the same and has long lost any hint of texture. For breakfast, though, I was stunned to see that everyone got warm veggie panini wraps and I got a half sandwich of some indescribable "spread" -- tasted like saw dust mixed with butter -- and shredded carrots. As miffed as I was, I felt worse for the young mother flying with a baby that couldn't have been more than 2 months old. She'd made her reservations in October and had requested a crib. Only when she got on board, she was told that "Sorry, but the cribs were taken." She asked, "So, I'm I supposed to just hold her the entire flight?" (that would be 9.5 hours) To which the flight attendant responded, "Yes. It's very difficult." The mom kicked up a fuss (good for her) and was finally moved to a row with two empty seats, so she could at least put her baby down. I can honestly say that I'll never fly SAS if I have a choice in the matter.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Alan Mackenzie

16 December 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

CPH-FCO-CPH in Economy. SAS subcontracted these scheduled flights to a company called Jetex. The outward trip to Rome was, from the very early morning, shown as delayed by one-and-a-half hours. When the later flight time came and went, SAS had to substitute an old MD-80. (Little did we know at the time that this substitute plane would be a luxury compared to the cattle-transport supplied for the return trip.) Arrived at FCO nearly 2 hours late. For the return flight Jetex supplied a 737 with the smallest seat pitch I have ever experienced, and the on-board service was almost non- existent. To sum up, the only good thing about these flights were the views of the Alps.

SAS Scandinavian review - by M Plyhr

7 December 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

ARN-CDG-ARN in Economy Extra. Check in and boarding procedures quick. Great with fast track at ARN, the normal security had a huge queue. Old MD80 but good leg room and nice crew, cold dinner.

SAS Scandinavian review - by David Worcester

27 November 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

Chicago to Copenhagen in Business class. The service from O'Hare was excellent, crew were friendly and professional. Good food and wine for dinner and a cold but comprehensive breakfast. The new business sleeper seats are comfortable and IFE which is avod is good.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Rob Weeks

26 November 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-ARN-LHR Good return trip with minimal delay (apart from usual queue to take off at Heathrow). On-line checkin from Heathrow doesn't actually get you a boarding card, so still have to go the counters anyhow - but it least it meant a decent seat. Was in Economy, so had to pay for refreshments - which I didn't object to as much as usual as their coffee is the best I've had on any airline.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Frank Sherwin

12 November 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

ORD-CPH and CPH-SEA in Economy Extra at the end of October. Pleasant experience overall, wider business-class seats with footrest, attentive service, water and soft drinks offered frequently. Only negative points were IFE (on-demand in Economy Extra) was buggy, and while salmon on the outbound flight was OK, the chicken with mashed potato on the return flight was a little sad. Would fly again.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Mohammad Zia Ebrahimi

9 November 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

Using SAS for BRU-CPH-HEL and TKU-ARN-FRA. In general it is a very good airline. Flight attendants were old but very kind and efficient. Aircraft clean but legroom in economy and economy extra was not so good for a 185cm body.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Rufo Calvo

26 October 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

Seattle-Copenhagen return : out in Economy Extra and return in Business Class. Outbound flight nice with a seat in the bulkhead section. Crew attentive. Return in business class was a very nice experience. In my section the 2 flight attendants who served us were more than accommodating. No request was too much. Meals were good and the reindeer sandwiches they have for snacks are just some of the best!

SAS Scandinavian review - by J Carvalho

18 September 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

DUS-CPH, CPH-CGN boths in ECO flex. First leg bad experience. OLD MD 80, bad seats although enough leg room. Flight delayed by one hour . Unfriendly cabin crew. Second leg was operated by Cimber airlines with CRJ. Flight nearly empty and had the seat in the emergency row so plenty of room. Service better although still poor.

SAS Scandinavian review - by James Sharples

18 September 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-GOT-LHR. No faults with either the service or the levels of comfort - better than I have had on most other inter-european flights. Plenty of information regarding the flight and the arrival at GOT was early.

SAS Scandinavian review - by David Gartside

11 September 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

MAN - ARN return, economy, B737. On time both ways. Usual poor selection of paid-for catering. How can a group of countries famed for delectable sandwiches somehow put such indestructible offerings on their planes? Bag drop and security at ARN woefully slow.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Lisa Neale

6 September 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-Stockhom-Kiruna return. First time with SAS, agree with comments about very old MD80s. We experienced no real flight delays and service was ok. I would compare to a budget airline as I did not like having to pay for inflight meal. Flights to Kiruna all economy and had more of a holiday feel. We sat front row on one leg and of course had lots of leg room.Very surprised at the general age of the FA as most appeared to be over 50, which is something you dont see very often nowadays.

SAS Scandinavian review - by M Rapp

30 August 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

Oslo-Stockholm-Vaasa late evening flight in Premium Economy. Used the internet check-in in the morning and got my favorite seat. While on the way to the airport, I got an SMS with the info that the plane is delayed by 30 min. So I decided not to check-in my trolley but to take it on board to make sure it makes the connection. Got two more SMS with each adding 30 min delay. Funny thing: I got the message earlier than the monitor at the gate showed the updated delay. Flight finally left with 90 min delay due to earlier delays summing up that day. Old and tired MD 81 which was not clean due to the short turnover time. Crew did their job. Not more and not less. Usual SAS snack with an open faced sandwich in much plastic wrapping and a plastic box. Passengers missing their connection were asked to contact the arrival desk at Stockholm airport. They had already printed out the confirmation for the changed onward journey and a hotel voucher for the airport hotel. Everything went appropriate without any discussions.

SAS Scandinavian review - by A Arndt

25 August 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

ORD-ARN-ORD: upgraded to premium economy on outbound flight. Staff attentive and pleasant. Seats were comfortable, food service was mediocre. IFE and AVOD was excellent. Return flight in economy, food was not appetizing. Legroom was very cramped and no AVOD in economy, they definitely need to upgrade that feature, it was quite nice in the premium cabin. SAS was decent, but substandard as far as european carriers go, but quite on par with the US carriers.

SAS Scandinavian review - by C Schaffalitzky

18 August 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

DUB-CPH. Plane clean, Staff pleasant but after three flights on this leg this year, fed up with the pathetic and limited food options (which we pay for) never fully available. Lost my bag in Copenhagen. I know this site is not about baggage but my complaint is customer services. Their baggage service number is impossible to reach. I try twice a day and wait for half an hour before getting cut off (average time 30 minutes). The general customer service phone desk is polite but unhelpful ("They are very busy"). Today that number's answering machine told me to call back tomorrow due to ‘internal meetings’. What a fiasco. They should be ashamed.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Christoffer Madsen

9 August 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

LIN-CPH. Rather old MD 82 showing its age. SAS, for some reason, still operates with these old aircraft while everybody else seems to have moved on to Airbus or Boeing. Interior looked shabby and in need of renewal. Staff fine and friendly, not only onboard but also at the check-in. Bought a breakfast box containing sandwich, yoghurt, orange juice and coffee with free refills for 6 euro, which I found to be good value. In general about SAS you can say that if you manage to pick up the cheap tickets by booking well in advance, you get a good value-for-money product. But if you book in the last possible moment, the level of service lets down the price of the ticket very badly.

SAS Scandinavian review - by David Pretorius

9 August 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

Rome-Copenhagen, Premium Economy. Good service. Onboard staff coped well with a group of Italians who would not sit down, or keep quiet, to be counted and we risked missing our departure slot. On arrival, discovered luggage of half a dozen passengers still in Rome. Avoid Rome Leonardo da Vinci airport like the plague. Copenhagen-London (Heathrow), also good, but seats hard and windows very dirty. Although my flight was on time, it seems to have been a surprise to the BAA and we had to wait 15 minutes for stairs and buses to take us to Terminal 3. It is sad that a good service was spoiled at London, for reasons beyond the control of SAS.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Simon Smith

23 July 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-ARN return economy, on rather elderly MD81. These aircraft are fine if you sit near the front, but at the back it's very noisy and vibrates all the time. The service is equivalent to a low cost carrier - you have to pay for everything, and although you do get allocated seats, the machine at check in does not offer any choice. The flight was late in both directions but this was due to problems at LHR, so not SAS's fault, and they kept us informed OK. Overall no major complaints but was very expensive given the low cost style service. In future I wouldn't pay a penny more to go on SAS than on a low cost carrier.

SAS Scandinavian review - by Kristian Laursen

3 July 2007   Customer Trip Rating :

CPH-NRT Business Class a nice experience. Food was good, but nothing really above good. Service and FA were nice and helpful.

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