SAS plots major growth in Copenhagen and a new JFK nonstop to Oslo

The shake-up continues at Scandinavian Airlines following its official entrance into the SkyTeam alliance.

A day after the Stockholm-based carrier announced new nonstop service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), SAS announced a major expansion of its Copenhagen hub, along with two new North American routes.

On Wednesday, SAS unveiled 15 new routes from its Copenhagen Airport (CPH) base, with more than a dozen new flights to European cities like Krakow, Poland; Madrid; Budapest, Hungary; Valencia, Spain; and Bucharest, Romania. Plus, it’s upping its service to additional short-haul European cities such as Prague, Berlin and Helsinki by 15%.

It’s just one part of a plan to boost Copenhagen’s presence as a global hub and a gateway for travelers connecting to destinations beyond Europe, SAS said Wednesday.

But the carrier is also bolstering its transatlantic schedule — and not just in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen Airport (CPH) in August 2024. STEFFEN TRUMPF/PICTURE ALLIANCE/GETTY IMAGES

The airline said Wednesday that it will launch new service in late March from Oslo Airport (OSL) in Norway to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The nonstop service will run between March 30 and Oct. 25 as part of the carrier’s summer 2025 schedule.

SkyTeam hub shift

This is the latest maneuver SAS has made to make its network — including in the U.S. — more friendly to SkyTeam connections after the carrier joined the alliance earlier this month following a partial acquisition by Air France-KLM.

You can already see the shift. The below map from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows SAS’ planned summer 2025 U.S. routes to the hubs of SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines.

Here’s what the comparably more limited map looked like in the summer of 2024 — a year that already saw the carrier add Delta’s home, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), to its network.

It’s worth watching whether the carrier makes any additional shifts from Star Alliance hubs to SkyTeam ones in the near future.

“With the recent entry into SkyTeam, SAS is focusing on global reach and will continue to develop Copenhagen as its main hub for international travel,” SAS said in a statement Wednesday.

New JFK service

The new JFK-to-OSL route will give the New York airport a second nonstop to Norway’s capital city. Norse Atlantic Airways currently flies the route.

From the outset in late March, SAS will fly the JFK-to-Oslo route with one of its narrow-body Airbus A321neo jets, according to the carrier’s booking channels.

It’s worth noting that SAS does already service JFK with nonstop flights to CPH.

Meanwhile, it currently serves nearby Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), a Star Alliance hub, with nonstop flights to OSL, CPH and Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN).

Copenhagen growth

In addition to its JFK nonstop service, SAS announced an additional new North American flight for summer 2025. Starting March 30, the carrier will fly from CPH to Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ).

This broader scaling up of SAS’ footprint in Copenhagen comes as the city — and, more broadly, the country of Denmark — has seen increased air traffic of late.

Service to Denmark growing

In August, the number of seats on transatlantic flights to Denmark exceeded any other country in Europe, Cirium reported during a recent briefing.

Seats between the U.S. and Denmark this summer were up about 24% versus a year ago — and by 15% over 2019 levels, Cirium data shows.

Improved intra-Europe business offerings

On top of bolstering its flight offerings next summer, SAS is reportedly planning to up its game in the front of the aircraft.

On short-haul European flights, there will be an improved business-class offering featuring an empty middle seat, plus enhanced service both on the ground and in the air.

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