Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) announced on Twitter yesterday that it was restarting widebody direct flights to Los Angeles from yesterday and that flights between Oslo and New York would resume on July 3, 2021. On the routes between Scandanavia and the United States, SAS will deploy its Airbus A350-900 and Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
On March 16, 2020, SAS suspended most of its flights due to the effect COVID-19 was having on international travel, saying:
Due to the coronavirus and the measures implemented by national authorities, the demand for air travel is essentially non-existent. SAS has therefore decided to put most of its operations on hold, starting Monday, March 16, and until necessary prerequisites for commercial air traffic returns.
SAS A350 to Los Angeles
Starting with the Los Angeles flights first, SAS reintroduced its three times a week service between Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup Airport (CPH), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on May 15, 2021.
Today @SAS restarts LAX to/from #Copenhagen service 3x weekly, enabling connectivity between #Scandinavian capitals, other key #European cities, #LAbeaches & more! @discoverLA #LosAngeles #CPH #AVGeeks #DiscoverLA #Travel pic.twitter.com/XsuiI8CUlT
— LAX Airport (@flyLAXairport) May 15, 2021
Flight number SK931 departs CPH at 12:45 on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday and arrives in LAX at 15:15 local time. The duration of the flight is around 11 hours and 30 minutes. SAS says that the Copenhagen departure time allows for convenient connections from other Scandanavian and European cities.
The return flight on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday to CPH, flight number SK932 depart LAX at 11:00 and arrives in CPH at 07:10 local time. The duration of the flights is around 11 hours and 10 minutes.
Since first entering service with Qatar Airways in 2015, flyers worldwide have enjoyed many of the A350-900s passenger-friendly features like super quiet engines, increased cabin pressure, and oversized windows. SAS received its first of eight A350-900 in November of 2019 and has them configured in three classes. SAS business class has 40 seats in a 1-2-1 layout providing each passenger with direct aisle access. SAS Plus has 32 recliner seats with a width of 18.8 inches and a recline of 38 inches. SAS Go has 228 standard economy class seats with a width of 17 inches and a recline of between 31-32 inches.
SAS A330 to New York
In a statement released on May 12, 2021, SAS said it is resuming direct flights between Oslo Airport, Gardermoen (OSL), and Newark Liberty International Airport from July 3, 2021. On the route, SAS will be deploying one of its nine Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
SAS is resuming its direct route from Oslo to New York on 3 July. The Oslo to New York flights will operate on a Wednesday and Saturday, returning on a Thursday and Sunday.
Flight number Flight SK 907 will depart OSL at 11:10 and arrive in EWR at 13:15 local time. The duration of the flight is around eight hours and five minutes.
The return flight to OSL flight number SK908 will depart EWR at 18:55 and arrive in OSL at 08:20 +1. The duration of the flight is around seven hours and 25 minutes.
The Airbus A330 is by far the European planemaker’s best-selling widebody aircraft and a big part of SAS’s long-haul fleet. SAS’ A330-300s are configured in three classes, with the business class having 32 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, giving passengers direct aisle access. SAS Plus has 56 recliner seats with a width of 18.3 inches and a recline of 38 inches. SAS Go (economy) has 174 seats with a width 17.3 inches of and a recline of between 31-32 inches.
The EWR flights are important for fish exports
When speaking about the importance of the Oslo to New York flights in the company statement, SAS Executive Vice President and Norway director Kjetil Håbjørg said:
“SAS is very pleased to be able to resume direct intercontinental routes with an attractive schedule from Oslo. Many people are looking forward to visiting family and friends in the USA, and our customers have been requesting this route in particular. The New York route will also be important for Norwegian fish exports.”
Regarding the Oslo to New York route, SAS constantly reviews the demand for flights between Norway and the USA and will increase the frequency of flights if the demand is there.
Have you flown on SAS’s new A350s yet? If so, please tell us what you thought about them in the comments.
