Everything about Scandinavian Airlines System totally explained
Scandinavian Airlines System (
SAS) is a multi-national
airline for
Denmark,
Norway and
Sweden, and the leading carrier in the
Scandinavian countries, based in
Stockholm,
Sweden and owned by
SAS AB. It is a founding member of the
Star Alliance. It is also the founder of
Air Greenland,
Linjeflyg,
Spanair,
Thai Airways International, and the former charter airline
Scanair. SAS operates out of three primary hubs,
Copenhagen Airport,
Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, and
Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. In 2006 Scandinavian Airlines had 25 million passengers and the
SAS Group had 38.6 million passengers.
History
The airline was founded on
August 1,
1946, when
Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S,
Svensk Interkontinental Lufttrafik AB, and
Det Norske Luftfartselskap AS (the flag carriers of
Denmark,
Sweden and
Norway) formed a partnership to handle intercontinental traffic to
Scandinavia(External Link
). Operations started on
September 17,
1946. The companies coordinated European operations in 1948 and finally merged to form the SAS Consortium in 1951. When established, the airline was divided between SAS Danmark (28.6%), SAS Norge (28.6%) and SAS Sverige (42.8%), all owned 50% by private investors and 50% by their governments.
In 1954, SAS became the first airline in the world to operate a trans-polar route. It was from Copenhagen to
Los Angeles, stopping in
Søndre Strømfjord in
Greenland, and it became popular with
Hollywood celebrities and production people when travelling to Europe. The route was a publicity coup for the airline, which became well known as a result. Thanks to a price structure which allowed free transit to other European destinations these trans polar routes were enormously popular with American tourists in the 1950s. It would later operate trans-polar routes to
East Asia, over Greenland and Alaska, since Siberia and China wasn't allowed to fly over at that time.
In 1957, SAS was the first airline to offer "round the world service over the
North Pole" via the North Pole shortcut, Copenhagen-
Anchorage-
Tokyo. SAS entered the jet age in 1959 when the first jet aircraft, the
Caravelle, entered service. In 1971, SAS put its first
Boeing 747 jumbo jet into service.
SAS gradually acquired control of the domestic markets in all three countries by acquiring full or partial control of local airlines, including
Braathens and
Widerøe in Norway,
Linjeflyg and
Skyways Express in Sweden and
Cimber Air in Denmark. In 1989, SAS acquired 18.4% of Texas Air Corporation, parent company of Continental Airlines, in a bid to form a global alliance. This stake was later sold. During the 1990s, SAS also bought a 20% stake in British Midland which, along with Lufthansa, own 49.9% of the carrier. SAS bought 95% of Spanair, the second largest airline in Spain as well as Air Greenland. There are plans to dispose of all of these holdings.
In May 1997, SAS formed the global
Star Alliance network with
Air Canada,
Lufthansa,
Thai Airways International and
United Airlines. Four years earlier, SAS unsuccessfully attempted to merge with KLM, Austrian, and the defunct carrier, Swissair, in a project called Alcazar. This failure led to the departure the following year of CEO Jan Carlzon, who was credited for the financial turnaround of the company starting in 1981 and who envisioned SAS ownership of multiple airlines worldwide. The ownership structure of SAS was changed in June 2001, with a holding company being created in which the holdings of the governments changed to: Sweden (21.4%), Norway (14.3%) and Denmark (14.3%) and the remaining 50% publicly held and traded on the stock market. SAS employs 9147 staff.
In 2004, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) was divided into 4 different companies SAS Scandinavian Airlines Sverige AB, SAS Scandinavian Airlines Danmark AS, SAS Braathens AS and SAS Scandinavian International AS. SAS Braathens was rebranded SAS Scandinavian Airlines Norge AS in 2007.
Awards
SAS has numerous awards collected, including Airline of the year and best international bonus promotion.
Subsidiaries
Scandinavian Airlines International SAS » Is responsible for the SAS International Group's intercontinental traffic with long haul routes to North America and Asia out of the main hub in Copenhagen, as well as Stockholm. Scandinavian Airlines International also operates all sales units outside Scandinavia. In all, Scandinavian Airlines International, has aprox. 900 employees.
; Scandinavian Airlines Danmark » Is responsible for the traffic from Copenhagen to other European countries, the route from Copenhagen to Oslo, as well as for Danish domestic routes. Scandinavian Airlines DK is responsible for the sales units within Denmark. The company has about 2800 employees.
Scandinavian Airlines Sverige » Is responsible for the traffic from Stockholm to other European countries, as well as for Swedish domestic routes. Scandinavian Airlines Sweden is also responsible for the sales units within Sweden. The company has about 2500 employees.
; Scandinavian Airlines Norge » Scandinavian Airlines Norge is the result of the merger of SAS Norway and Braathens. The airline was first called SAS Braathens, but changed name to Scandinavian Airlines Norge in 2007, SAS Norge is responsible for the traffic within Norway, as well as for the routes from Norway to other European countries. SAS Norge is also responsible for the sales units within Norway. The company has about 3500 employees.
SAS Business Opportunities
Destinations
News
During 2007 SAS started eleven routes from Stockholm, two routes from Gothenburg, one route from Oslo as well as three seasonal routes from Copenhagen.
(External Link).
As of January 2008 SAS have announced the following routes to open:
Fleet
See also SAS Group Fleet
Eleven aircraft will be pulled from the fleet in the autumn of 2008.
The Scandinavian Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft as of November 2007:
SAS Scandinavian Airlines Fleet>
| Aircraft |
Total |
Passengers
(Business/Extra/Economy) |
Routes |
Notes |
| Airbus A319-100 |
4 |
141 |
European, Scandinavian |
SAS Denmark |
| Airbus A321-200 |
8 |
198 |
European, Scandinavian |
SAS Denmark |
| Airbus A330-300 |
4 |
264 (34/35/195) |
North America |
SAS International |
| Airbus A340-300 |
7
|
245 (46/28/171) |
North America and Asia |
SAS International |
| Boeing 737-400 |
4 |
150 |
Norwegian Domestic |
SAS Norway |
| Boeing 737-500 |
13 |
120 |
Norwegian domestic |
SAS Norway |
| Boeing 737-600 |
26
(+2 orders from other carrier) |
112-123 |
Domestic, Scandinavian, European |
SAS Norway, SAS Sweden |
| Boeing 737-700 |
17
|
131-141 |
Norwegian domestic, Scandinavian, European |
SAS Norway, |
| Boeing 737-800 |
13
(+5 orders) |
186 |
Domestic, Scandinavian, European |
SAS Norway, SAS Sweden |
| Bombardier CRJ-900 |
0
(10 orders + 17 options) |
88 |
Domestic, Scandinavian, European |
SAS Denmark, Dash-8 replacement aircraft. |
| Fokker 50 |
6 |
50 |
Norwegian Domestic |
SAS Norway (SAS Norlink) |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-81 |
2 |
150 |
Domestic |
SAS Denmark, SAS Sweden |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 |
34 |
150 |
Domestic, Scandinavian, European |
SAS Denmark, SAS Sweden |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-87 |
6
(+6 orders from other carrier) |
125 |
Domestic, Scandinavian, European |
SAS Denmark, SAS Sweden |
SAS Scandinavian Airlines Fleet only for subsdidaries see SAS Group fleet. The average age of the SAS fleet is 10.7 years as of April 2007.
Retired fleet
Dash 8 Q400 removal
On October 28, 2007, in a move that was described as unique by Swedish news, the board of directors announced that all 27 Dash 8 Q400 aircraft were to be removed from service due to the three recent landing gear failures. In a move the board of directors hopes to prevent the loss of trust in the SAS brand, the cost of this action is yet to be calculated.
A press release from SAS indicated that the company had reached a settlement with Bombardier and Goodrich, where the airline would receive
SEK one billion as compensation, while SAS would purchase 27 new aircraft, with an option of 24 more. These aircraft will consist of 13 of the
CRJ900 Nextgen (10 to SAS and 3 to
Estonian Air) and 14 of the updated Q400 Nextgen units (8 to
airBaltic and 6 to
Widerøe).
Fingerprint biometric identification
In 2006 SAS Sweden launched a new biometric system in use throughout Sweden. Each passenger's fingerprints are matched to their respective checked baggage, for security purposes. The new technology will be phased into all airports that SAS serves.
Cabin
Domestic
One class » Breakfast is served free, after 9am sandwiches and drinks are available for purchase from the "CloudShop".
Intra-Scandinavia
» Passengers booked with a Business class ticket travel in Economy Extra on Intra-Scandinavian flights.
Economy Class » Breakfast, sandwiches and drinks are available for purchase from the "CloudShop".
; Economy Extra » Fast-track at the Security at some European airports, a three-course cold meal or cold breakfast.
Europe
Economy Class » Breakfast, sandwiches and drinks are available for purchase from the "CloudShop".
; Economy Extra » Fast-track at security at some European airports, a three-course cold meal or cold breakfast. The Economy Extra class is priced almost like Business class, and it's a play with words, since the state authorities and many companies in at least Sweden have rules saying that air travel shall be done in economy class if possible.
Business » Fast-track at security at some European airports and access to lounges. Free centre seat. Complimentary magazines and destination newspapers are distributed in the cabin. Cocktails and cold snacks are served before meal, a three-course hot meal or hot breakfast, on flights shorter than 1 hours and 40 minutes a cold meal is served. After the meal dessert, coffee/tea and avec are served separate. Before landing a give-away is handed out (for example Valhrona chocolate).
Intercontinental
Economy Class » Cocktails before dinner, and a three-course dinner is served (including 2 free alcoholic beverages). The starter is typically a salad, followed by a hot meal, fresh bread and dessert. Coffee or tea is also served. Between meals juice, water, snacks and sandwiches are available, depending on the length of the flight. Avec and other alcoholic beverages are available for purchase. On nighttime flights, breakfast is served before landing. On daytime flights a cold meal is served.
; Economy Extra » Fast-track at security at some European airports, juice upon boarding, cocktails and cold snacks are served before dinner. A three-course dinner is then served. The starter is normally a salad, followed by a choice between two hot main dishes, accompanied by fresh bread and dessert. Coffee or tea with brandy, cognac or liqueur is also served. Between meals juice, water, snacks and sandwiches are available, depending on the length of the flight. A hot breakfast or lunch is served on Asian flights, while on US flights a snack or breakfast is served.
Business » Fast-track at security at some European airports and access to lounges, upon boarding, cocktails are served, and cocktails and cold snacks are available before dinner. A full three-course dinner follows. The starter is again a mixed salad, followed by a first course and a choice of four different hot meals for the main course. There is always one vegetarian alternative. A selection of cheeses and desserts is served together with coffee or tea with brandy (cognac/liqueur). Alternatively, there's the option of a light cold meal on all night flights, served before the main dinner service. In between meals there's a buffet in the galley serving a range of coffee and sandwiches. On nighttime flights breakfast will be served before landing, with an option of choosing an express breakfast or a Grab and Go Breakfast bag after landing. On daytime flights a second meal will be served.
Euro Bonus
Frequent flyer programs
SAS own program
EuroBonus, also earns points on other
Star Alliance Frequent flyer programs.
Membership clubs
Fly Home Club, for Scandinavians living abroad.
SAS lounges
Locations
The following locations are SAS Scandinavian, Stockholm, and Business locations:
EuroBonus Gold card members are allowed to use partner clubs, as well as
Star Alliance Gold lounges, which offer more clubs in more locations. For partner club information, visit http://www.flysas.com/:
(External Link).
Partners
Besides the agreements SAS has with its Star Alliance partners, SAS also has strategic agreements with
Lufthansa,
Swiss,
Austrian and
United. The agreement includes
code sharing and time tables that are suited for easier connections between SAS and the other airlines. SAS also co-operates with the other airlines in the
SAS Group.
More Recently, SAS has began codesharing with
Shanghai Airlines, which just entered the Star Alliance, complimenting codeshares with
Air China.
Incidents and accidents
On July 4, 1948, a DC-6B, SE-BDA collided with a British military plane at Northwood, north of London, England. All 32 on board were killed.
On January 19, 1960, a Caravelle III, OY-KRB crashed near Ankara, Turkey. All 42 on board were killed.
On January 13, 1969, a DC-8-62, LN-MOO, hit the water while approaching Los Angeles. 15 of the 45 on board were killed.
On April 19, 1970 a DC-8-62, SE-DBE, experienced an uncontained engine fire during takeoff from Rome. Aircraft burned out, but all on board managed to evacuate safely.
On January 30, 1973, a DC-9-21, LN-RLM SAS flight 370, Oslo-Alta via Tromsø, was cleared for takeoff from runway 24. The takeoff run was normal and the DC-9 rotated at VR (125 knots). At that moment the stall warning system activated. Although the speed had increased to, the pilot decided to abort the takeoff. The remaining 1100 m however wasn't enough to bring the aircraft to a halt, the reversers didn't deploy completely and the aircraft overran the runway and onto the ice covered Oslofjord. All passengers and crew evacuated before the plane broke through the ice and sank 20 minutes later. The decision to abort the take-off in spite of the high speed was due to the fact, that the flight crew had received outdated (by several hours) runway data, giving much better braking coefficients than the actual ones.
On February 28, 1984, SAS Flight 901, DC-10, LN-RKB departed Oslo (GEN) for a flight to New York JFK. The aircraft touched down 1440 m past the runway 4R threshold. The crew steered the plane to the right side off the runway to avoid approach lights. The DC-10 ended up in shallow water. All on board the plane were uninjured.
On December 27, 1991, SAS flight 751, a MD-81, OY-KHO "Dana Viking" crash landed at Gottröra, Sweden. In the initial climb both engines ingested ice breaking loose from the wings, which hadn't been properly deiced before departure. The ice damaged the compressor blades causing compressor stall. The stall further caused repeated engine surges that finally destroyed both engines, leaving the aircraft with no propulsion. The aircraft landed in a field and broke in three parts. No fire broke out and all aboard the plane survived. Captain Stefan G. Rasmussen was later decorated by the Danish Queen for his outstanding and professional performance. This incident was mentioned on The History Channel's True Action Adventures episode "Against All Odds" which first aired in the United States on April 2, 1997.
The Linate Airport disaster, involving the highest number of SAS passenger fatalities, occurred on October 8 2001 in Milan, Italy, when an MD-87, SAS flight SK686, SE-DMA collided with a small Cessna jet during take-off. All 104 pax and 6 crew aboard SK686 were killed, along with 4 people on the Cessna and another 4 people on the ground. Italian authorities established that the cause of the accident was a misunderstanding between air traffic controllers and the Cessna jet, and that the SAS crew had no role in causing the accident. Another factor was the fact that the ground movement radar was inoperative at the time of the accident.
On September 9 2007, a de Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 (Q400), SAS flight SK1209 with 69 passengers and 4 crew members was on flight to Aalborg Airport when problems with the main landing gear were identified. The pilots were forced to make an emergency landing at Aalborg Airport. After landing the right gear collapsed and the plane toppled to the right and turned around and ended on a field and the right engine caught fire. The fire was immediately extinguished. There were no severe injuries.
On September 12 2007, a Dash 8-400 (Q400), SAS flight SK2748 with 48 passengers and 4 crew members was on flight to Palanga, Lithuania when problems with the main landing gear were identified. The pilots were forced to make an emergency landing at Vilnius Airport (better suited for an emergency landing). After landing the right gear collapsed. There were no severe injuries. This accident, along with the Aalborg accident just days earlier, caused all SAS Dash 8-400 planes to be grounded until the beginning of October .
On October 27 2007, a Dash 8-400 (Q400), SAS flight SK2867 from Bergen, Norway with 40 passengers and 4 crew members was on flight to Copenhagen, Denmark when problems with the main landing gear were identified. The pilots were forced to land the aircraft with port side landing gear up. There were no severe injuries. The aircraft in question was one of six examples that had been cleared to fly just a month before, following the grounding of the entire Scandinavian Airlines Dash 8-400 fleet due to similar issues with landing gear. The entire fleet was grounded again following the incident. It was subsequently announced that the entire fleet would be retired with immediate effect. Further Information
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