Excellent transatlantic business class
Written: May 27 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Spotlessly clean, superb lounges, comfortable seats, modern aircraft, polite service
Cons: Food a bit lacking
The Bottom Line: If SAS is not the best way to cross the Atlantic, then it is certainly one of them. The product is excellent in almost every aspect.
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| in31122's Full Review: SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
I recently took my first flight on Scandinavian Airlines, and was most impressed with its product. Perhaps the best thing about SAS is that it appears to be consistent throughout in its application of "Scandinavian Style," from the check-in desk to the lounges to the aircraft itself. My particular flight was from Chicago to Copenhagen on board an Airbus A340, traveling in business class.
CHECK-IN: Efficient. The friendly agent gave me my boarding pass and made sure my luggage was checked in(I was connecting off a United Express flight). SAS flies out of Terminal 5 at Chicago O'Hare, which is the international terminal. It is a very convenient terminal to use, and well-designed.
LOUNGE: Wonderful. Nicely sized, beautifully decorated as mentioned in "Scandinavian Style" (think IKEA), with a great bar selection and lots of healthy snacks. Although it was crowded, there was enough seating for everyone as far as I could tell. Plenty of reading material, as well, plus electrical outlets for laptops.
BOARDING: Slightly chaotic. For some reason, O'Hare has not upgraded the boarding areas in Terminal 5. There are old-style TV screens displaying only basic information at the gates, and there is little separation from one gate to another. However, this was not the main problem; what really mattered was that for some reason, the public address system was not working, so the gate agents had to shout to the passengers. It was crowded in the gate area and this was surely not an easy task for them. However, boarding was quite efficient, and although they nearly forgot, business class and other premium passengers were invited to board first. Just outside the aircraft in the jetway was a selection of English- and Danish-language newspapers. Upon boarding, I was greeted by a flight attendant and my coat was taken from me. Although I was not shown to my seat, it was pointed out for me.
SEATING: Amazing. As I sat down, I looked around the cabin and was very impressed. The A340 is an extremely modern aircraft and SAS has utilized this to maximum effect. A nice color scheme with large, comfortable seats offering about 50" of legroom. The seats themselves are electronically controlled, with electric headrests to boot. You can manually adjust the seat, as you would in a car, and you can also opt to push one of three programmed settings: sleep, eat, and takeoff/landing. In fully reclined mode, the seat is very comfortable and I was able to get a good night's sleep. There are also lots of little cubbyholes for putting your belongings in. SAS provides all of its passengers with a 30-page booklet describing the various features of the aircraft although most of these are exclusive to business class passengers. Fortunately on this particular flight I was among those relative few! There is a "buffet" bar at the back of the cabin with a good selection of drinks and snacks, plus an espresso/cappucino machine, which stays open throughout most of the flight. The bathroom is spacious and immaculately clean like the rest of the aircraft, and features a full-length mirror. A unique feature to SAS is that the bathroom has two (count 'em) windows, complete with pull down shades (I'm not sure who the audience would be, but I'm sure some people find it comforting). The aircraft is also very quiet, which is conducive to a good night's sleep.
SERVICE: Polite and efficient. I imagine it's very Scandinavian, although I'm regrettably quite unfamiliar with the customs of that region. The cabin attendants' English was very good. However, the food itself was a bit disappointing. The menu made it all look so delicious, but the portions weren't particularly large and were served all together on a tray from a cart, just like in coach albeit on nicer trays. It wasn't bad but it felt a bit out of place with the experience as a whole. Breakfast was adequate, featuring cold cuts, breads, and a yogurt.
ENTERTAINMENT: Excellent. Lots of movies, TV shows, and video games. It wasn't on-demand, which is a great feature that not very many airlines seem interested in offering, but it was very good nonetheless. The PTV screen itself was nice and large, and in good condition.
OVERALL: A terrific flight which I will remember for some time to come. Almost everything was flawlessly executed, and SAS deserves to be commended for the obviously significant amount of effort it has put into providing an excellent product. Well done!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
in31122
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Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 6 members
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