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Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was founded on August 1, 1946, as a consortium bringing together the national airlines of Denmark (Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S), Norway (Det Norske Luftfartselskap AS), and Sweden (Svensk Interkontinental Lufttrafik AB) to manage combined air traffic for the three countries. This partnership was later extended to cover European and domestic cooperation, and by 1951, all the airlines merged to form SAS. SAS pioneered early transatlantic services, with its first international flight from Stockholm to New York in September 1946, and was the first airline to commence scheduled flights on a polar route in 1954, connecting Copenhagen to Los Angeles.
SAS operates with its main hubs at Copenhagen Airport (CPH), which serves as its primary international gateway, and secondary hubs at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen (OSL), and Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN). The airline's headquarters are located in Solna, Sweden. Its route network is extensive, connecting Scandinavia with over 125 destinations across Europe, the United States, Africa, and Asia, with a strategic focus on expanding international travel, particularly from Copenhagen.
As of November 2025, the SAS fleet comprises a mix of Airbus widebody (A330, A350) and narrowbody (A319, A320, A320neo, A321LR) aircraft, alongside regional jets (Bombardier CRJ900, Embraer E195) and turboprops (ATR 72) operated by its subsidiaries, SAS Connect and SAS Link. The airline has largely transitioned to an all-Airbus mainline fleet, with the Boeing 737 models having been phased out. In a significant development, SAS officially left Star Alliance on August 31, 2024, and became a member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance on September 1, 2024. SAS offers a tiered cabin system, which, effective October 1, 2025, is being renamed to Economy (formerly SAS Go), Premium (formerly SAS Plus, a premium economy product), and Business (long-haul with lie-flat seats), and a reintroduction of a true European Business Class. The airline's loyalty program is EuroBonus.
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What Travelers Love:
Common Complaints:
Overall sentiment for Scandinavian Airlines appears to be mixed. While the airline is praised for its reliable operations, modern fleet, and professional cabin crew, particularly on long-haul and premium routes, significant areas of concern revolve around customer service responsiveness and the perceived value of its loyalty program following recent changes.
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Scandinavian Airlines maintains a strong safety record, reflected in its 7/7 safety rating by AirlineRatings.com. This rating is based on various factors, including serious incident history, government and international aviation audits, fleet age, pilot training standards, and operational excellence.
Regarding regulatory certifications, SAS has passed various audits, as indicated by its safety rating. While specific mentions of IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) certification were not explicitly detailed in the provided search results, the "Audits: Passed" status by AirlineRatings.com suggests adherence to robust safety standards. The airline is subject to the regulatory oversight of the national aviation authorities of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
The SAS fleet has a relatively modern average age, reported as 9.4 years as of November 2024, which is significantly below the global average aircraft age of 14.8 years. Another source indicates an active fleet average age of 8.4 years as of November 2025. SAS has a strong reputation for maintenance, actively leveraging predictive maintenance strategies to enhance operational efficiency, minimize aircraft on ground (AOG) events, and reduce unscheduled maintenance. This proactive approach has reportedly led to a 37% reduction in unscheduled downtime for aircraft equipped with these systems.
In terms of recent safety, AeroInside reported several non-fatal incidents involving SAS aircraft in 2025, including a passenger battery fire during boarding in October, a smell of smoke in the cabin in September, and electrical/hydraulic malfunctions and landing gear issues in August. Historically, SAS has had four major accidents resulting in fatalities, with the most deadly being a runway collision in Milan in 2001, which killed 114 people. However, the more recent incidents are minor and non-fatal, reflecting a robust overall safety framework.
Based on available data, SAS's overall safety assessment is very good, supported by its high safety rating, modern fleet, and proactive maintenance practices. No specific safety awards or recognitions were detailed in the provided search results.
| Route | Destination | Flights | Distance | Aircraft | Last Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRD → OSL |
Oslo, Gardermoen
Oslo
|
196 | 226 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| ARN → CPH |
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
|
193 | 340 mi | A20N | Dec 11, 2025 |
| SVG → OSL |
Oslo, Gardermoen
Oslo
|
187 | 212 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| TOS → OSL |
Oslo, Gardermoen
Oslo
|
182 | 694 mi | A20N | Dec 11, 2025 |
| AAL → CPH |
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
|
177 | 148 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| MMX → ARN |
Stockholm-Arlanda
Stockholm
|
176 | 331 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| UME → ARN |
Stockholm-Arlanda
Stockholm
|
145 | 297 mi | A20N | Dec 11, 2025 |
| BGO → OSL |
Oslo, Gardermoen
Oslo
|
144 | 202 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| OSL → CPH |
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
|
140 | 322 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| EVE → OSL |
Oslo, Gardermoen
Oslo
|
125 | 597 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| KRS → OSL |
Oslo, Gardermoen
Oslo
|
104 | 174 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| AES → OSL |
Oslo, Gardermoen
Oslo
|
90 | 233 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| SVG → CPH |
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
|
85 | 346 mi | E190 | Dec 10, 2025 |
| SVG → BGO |
Bergen, Flesland
Bergen
|
85 | 99 mi | E190 | Dec 10, 2025 |
| BOO → OSL |
Oslo, Gardermoen
Oslo
|
80 | 499 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| CPH → ARN |
Stockholm-Arlanda
Stockholm
|
78 | 340 mi | A20N | Dec 9, 2025 |
| BGO → CPH |
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
|
75 | 423 mi | E190 | Dec 7, 2025 |
| HEL → CPH |
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
|
71 | 555 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| HAU → OSL |
Oslo, Gardermoen
Oslo
|
69 | 213 mi | E190 | Dec 10, 2025 |
| OSL → ARN |
Stockholm-Arlanda
Stockholm
|
62 | 239 mi | A20N | Dec 10, 2025 |
| OSL → LHR |
London Heathrow
London
|
61 | 750 mi | A20N | Dec 8, 2025 |
| ARN → AGP |
Malaga
Malaga
|
59 | 1876 mi | A320 | Dec 9, 2025 |
| BGO → SVG |
Stavanger, Sola
Stavanger
|
59 | 99 mi | E190 | Dec 10, 2025 |
| BLL → OSL |
Oslo, Gardermoen
Oslo
|
56 | 316 mi | E190 | Dec 11, 2025 |
| AAR → CPH |
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
|
55 | 92 mi | A319 | Oct 23, 2025 |
Airline statistics are based on flight route observations collected from FlightAware AeroAPI and other sources. Flight counts represent observed operations, not scheduled frequencies. Route data is continuously updated as new flight information becomes available.