SAS Scandinavian

CPH-VIL I had heard wonderful things about SAS but was very disappointed. The CPH airport is organised well with self check in and bag ticket printers etc but the flight terrible. I paid $AUD165 per person to fly 2 hours and was not provided with complimentary drinks (only tea and coffee)! Not even some crackers. This isn't a low cost carrier that requires you to purchase meals. I flew Aegean from ATH to LHR (4 hours) and had a full meal alcoholic beverages etc and it only cost me $AUD120!

The trip was Dublin to Stockholm return. Online check in was easy and good with seat selection. The outbound was on an older 737 which seemed clean the seats where ok but a bit too hard but with good recline legroom was fine. Cabin staff came out with free tea or coffee after takeoff. On the flight back it was an even older MD-81 with ashtrays in the seats. Seats and legroom was more comfortable with a better seat arrangement. All flights on time. SAS is a good choice if the price is right because they are reliable but they seem to be going more towards low cost and not worth paying extra for.

Was on the economy return trip from MUC-IAD on an A340 from CPH-IAD. Used 30000 United Star Alliance partner miles for this leg which I thought was good. Both flights appeared full but take-offs and landings were punctual. Economy seats were the usual cramped version and for a tall person as myself acceptable for the short flight and uncomfortable on the long flight especially when the person in front reclined the seat back. Seats on the A340 were a bit hard on the bottom but acceptable. From check-in to FAs all were helpful and with a positive attitude. On the A340 no dinner choice was offered; but the heated pork offered was decent. I have flown for years and I do not expect gourmet food. Limited complimentary drinks were offered during the meal and water coffee or tea was offered a couple of times outside the meal. The so- called second serving about an hour before landing at IAD was a thick-dough cold sort-of pizza which was terrible. Most people I observed either did not eat it or finish it. Unfortunately one cannot expect much more in economy travel so I would say the overall trip was acceptable.

OSL-FCO-OSL in mid June - old 737 on outbound and more comfy 737-800 return. Unnecessarily chaotic check- in procedure at OSL since SAS mixes charter holiday travelers check-in with scheduled flights such as their daily Rome service. Endless and disorganized queues at OSL for bag drop due to holiday groups. Flight on time both ways. So happy we didn't opt for the premium or business product on this sector. One row is "business" (marked by a cardboard sign on the seat back) and a couple of premium economy rows follows. In all honesty we would nearly have felt silly sitting in business class on this flight. Cabin staff did their job nothing remarkable. In economy you have to purchase everything you want to eat or drink (save coffee/tea). Thus it would be nice if SAS actually offered something one would like to enjoy during the three hour flight. The products offered now resembles what you may find at a petrol station or a newspaper kiosk. Check-in at FCO for the return was a breeze. On time departure. Brought own food from airport restaurants on board (highly recommended). Uneventful flight on 737-800 with the older comfortable seats. Good legroom in cabin forward of wing. Cabin staff made no impression in any direction.

Having lived in Copenhagen and Stockholm I have been flying many times SAS within the last two years only on European routes. Last flight was yesterday CPH-LIN. In my opinion they are too expensive for what you get which is basically nothing: they have recently started serving again tea and coffee free of charge but still not enough. Flight attendants are in general quite old: have recently dealt with some rude ones as well. On the other side they have been awarded as the most punctual airline which is true. Many of my flights with them took off late but at the end they caught up and landed before schedule. One final note: I am not a big fan of their soft seats: being part of Star Alliance they should replace them with the new Recaro seats Lufthansa and Austrian have been installing on their planes.

CPH-EWR-CPH in economy extra. Nice legroom and only 2-3-2 seats in each row. First a round with cocktail and snacks. After that a decent dinner of two choices with wine and what you want. Including brandy with the coffee. Meal/snacks or breakfast before landing according if it is a day or night flight. Between meal services all liquor is free of charge in Economy Extra. I prefer to walk to the galley to get some exercise and wine but if you go there and don't order in your seat make it clear if the FA has not seen you before that your are in Extra. What is most important in Economy Extra is the comfort. I can even take a nap or sleep in these seats compare to normal economy seats. Okay VOD system. Some people have claimed that you have to pay for liqour outside dinner time and that the seats are the same as in Economy. I have never experienced that and I have been in SAS E Extra quite some times either by paid tickets or upgrades.

Flew economy extra ORD-STO return CPH-IAD. The good news is the 38 inch legroom and the friendly FA's. Food was economy class not bad but not great. Free wine was offered. Other liquor they charge for. The less good news is that the planes are very badly in need of refurbishment or replacement. The AV system was ok visually but the sound system was pretty poor. Both flights were on time. A decent airline but not up to standards of BA or LH.

Oslo-Newark non-stop. Check-in was ok some queues in OSL but it moved rather quickly as most people had checked in online. Boarding was ok. Water pillow and blanket on all seats. Just after "boarding completed" an alarm went off in the cabin. The captain informed us that we would be delayed as the alarm needed to be reset prior to take off. The flight took off and we were served something to drink prior to the first meal service. Strangely enough you have to pay for alcoholic drinks after dinner. The entertainment system was just horrible and far too old. I have never flown with any long haul flight carriers with such a poor entertainment system. The best part of the flight was that it was non stop.

Flew Bangkok to Copenhagen on A340 recently. Granted A340s are relatively new the business class seats seem to age already. The position adjuster is hard to use and one can never adjust individual segments such as recline or leg-rest. Everything was linked. If one wants to recline the leg-rest retracts first so one must raise one's legs slightly first. Rather odd. Video selection is way too thin for a long haul flight. Compared to what Singapore or ANA are offering in the same class the seats seem antiquated. SAS also has the odd rule of not allowing blankets on or shoes off during take off and landing. So after a good snooze the cabin crew yanks the blanket off 30 minutes prior to landing. A rather rude way to wake up. I miss Air New Zealand which allows the same class full recline during landing.

ZRH-OSL-ZRH. For the price paid - flight experience was good. Online Check-in went well both ways. Baggage drop as well. Inflight free coffee or tea. Free baggage allowance as well. Everything else has to be paid for. Prices for sandwiches and beer are ok. FA's professional - some do smile and some friendlier than others. Way out B737-500 seating with enough legroom but interestingly - 600 on the way back seemed to have same seat pitch but a better seat wide. Aisle was smaller but definitively prefer wider seat. Seats itself were ok. To wrap up if price is cheaper compared to Star Alliance partner LX on the route or flying time is important (evening flights) then would go again for SAS on this route. Otherwise use partner airline.