Off-line is an Advantage for SAS

“While we really would like to commence flight services to Australia there are several significant advantages of being an offline carrier to Europe,” said Scandinavian Airlines System General Manager Australia and New Zealand Lars Sandahl Sorensen at the Sydney launch of the new SAS Business Class Seat and other onboard product upgrades.

“The most important advantage for passengers is the flexibility of our arrangement with partner online carriers,” he said. 

“We work very closely with QANTAS, which means that passengers can utilise the Australian flag carrier for the flight to Shanghai or Tokyo and then conveniently connect with the SAS service to Copenhagen and other destinations on our expanding network,” he said.

“On the return journey Australian passengers can fly from Copenhagen to Bangkok or Singapore and then connect with their onward QANTAS services,” he added.  “SAS Asian gateways may well be expanded because there is a long term goal to reintroduce SAS services to Hong Kong and New Delhi”.

nother advantage of the SAS/QANTAS alliance is a “very popular option known as the Business Combination”, he said.

“This allows Australian travellers to fly economy with Qantas to Asia and then in business class onwards to one of SAS’ 70 European destinations.” 

“The Business Combination is our biggest selling product out of Australia”, said Sorensen.

While the QANTAS/SAS link is very popular with Australian travellers SAS also has an around the world option with United Airlines. 

Passengers fly to New York, Chicago, Washington DC or Seattle with United Airlines.  The onward flight is with SAS to Europe and then via Asia back to Australia.

SAS overnight and long haul flights have become more comfortable with the induction of the hi tech designer SAS Business Class cabin featuring second generation “Business Flat Beds”, video on demand and wireless connectivity that allows the use of SKYPE and the viewing of internet TV transmissions (CNBC, BBC World, EuroSport News and EuroNews/MSNBC) via a passenger’s personal laptop. 

The seat also boasts of a massage function. This is SAS’ biggest service upgrade for business class travellers in many years.

“The focus has been on providing customers with comfort as well as good opportunities to work onboard. The modern business traveller seeks the ability to work, relax and sleep onboard,” Sorensen said. 

The new SAS Business Class cabin on A340 aircraft flying Asian routes has 46 flat beds. The new flat beds will also be installed on SAS’ A330 aircraft flying trans-Atlantic routes in November/December 2006.

The SAS leather trimmed Business Flat Bed is the widest in the industry at 20” (51cm) in seat mode and 23” (58.5cm) in bed mode. It reclines 170° and has a 61” pitch (155cm between seats – increased from 127cm).  The flat bed extends to a 188cm long bed. 

Meal and cocktail tables feature a classic Scandinavian design including Georg Jensen cutlery, glasses from Orrefors and Royal Copenhagen porcelain.

The new flat beds feature an extra large 10.4” screen, fixed to the seat in front. Business Class passengers can play, pause, fast forward or rewind 30 movie and 18 audio channels and play 10 video games.  

Last year SAS introduced SAS Net Access for all passengers on its inter -continental services.  SAS remains the only airline in the world to offer wireless Internet and email access across all classes on all its long haul flights.

Meanwhile Copenhagen Airport, the biggest in Scandinavia and the hub for air traffic to and from Scandinavia and the Baltic Regions has been voted as the best airport in Europe for the fifth consecutive year in a survey of 100,000 passengers of 66 airports.  (Copenhagen Airport currently handles some 20 million passengers a year.)

The airport took out top honours partly due to its outstanding architectural design, which among many innovations features the creative use of light, stylish Scandinavian furnishings and modern art decorations.

As well, passengers gave Copenhagen Airport top marks for keeping them up dated on changing conditions.  For instance, indicators at baggage carrousels provide passengers with the expected arrival time of luggage. 

On departure there are electronic indicators that advise passengers as to the time it will take to get through the security checkpoint. 

And as they are finally leaving, passengers who have signed up for the free SAS text message service automatically receive a message on their mobiles advising when it’s time to board the aircraft!

Report By Thomas E. King