SAS has announced plans to increase its frequencies to the United States this winter due to sharp travel demand. With the lifting of restrictions on November 8th for visitors from Europe, the airline will be gradually growing its flights to the US using Airbus widebody aircraft, with plans to operate up to 50 flights per week from Scandinavia to various US cities.
SAS adds more US flights
SAS is growing its flights to the US after the lifting of the 212(f) travel restrictions that limited the ability for Europeans to visit the country. Flights from Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport (ARN) to Miami International Airport (MIA) resumed on November 8th. Copenhagen Airport (CPH) to Miami (MIA) resumed on November 10th with four flights per week, while flights from Oslo Airport (OSL) will resume on November 11th with one flight per week, bringing the airline up to daily flights to Miami from Scandinavia this winter.
The airline’s gateway to New York City, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), will also see a boost in international flights. SAS will fly to EWR from CPH twice per day from Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm starting this month.
Copenhagen (CPH) will also see service to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Flights to Los Angeles will operate up to seven times per week. IAD and SFO will see up to five flights per week.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) will be connected to two cities in Scandinavia. SAS will fly daily flights this winter to CPH from ORD. ARN will also see up to three flights per week to ORD.
Karl Sandlund, Chief Commercial Officer at SAS, stated the following on the growth in route frequencies:
“It is very gratifying that we can increase the number of flights and offer our customers the chance to finally be able to travel again and experience the other side of the Atlantic, and meet with friends and family.”
A strong winter
The winter season is typically not the high point of the year for travel between the US and Europe. Airlines typically wind down some more seasonal services during the winter and focus on key routes to business hubs, some leisure routes to warm-weather destinations, and partner hubs.
This winter is a different story. Travel demand during the crisis was suppressed as a result of travel restrictions. Now that the US is open for fully-vaccinated international travelers, airlines saw a rush for bookings as pent-up demand has released itself. Particularly for European point-of-sale bookings, the winter will be a much better season than the summer based simply on the fact that most travelers can enter the United States.
Connecting opportunities
SAS is a member of the Star Alliance. It has a codeshare partnership with United Airlines, and most of its flights to the US are to major United Airlines hubs. This means it can offer onward connections to other points in the US.
SAS also has connecting opportunities from Scandinavia to other destinations. It serves as a natural connecting airline for points in smaller destinations across Scandinavia while also offering connections to larger European destinations. While it does not have the size of a connecting hub like Amsterdam or Frankfurt, the incremental connections it can offer is an additional buffer to help keep planes full.
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