Star Alliance Member Airline

Scandinavian Airlines

Scandinavian Airlines, SAS, was founded in August 1946 as a consortium of the national airlines of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Over the years, SAS has established itself as an innovative, pioneering airline. In the 1960s it became the first airline in the world to fly over the North Pole and in 1962 was awarded the Christopher Columbus Prize - often called the Nobel Prize of communication - in recognition of its pioneering transpolar flights. In 1952 SAS was the first airline in the world to introduce Tourist Class, a discounted ticket with certain conditions. The entire airline industry later followed suit.

Today, SAS shall offer the market’s most sought-after products. Its offerings are based on giving customers flexible, value-for-money air travel with great freedom of choice-completely depending on the customer’s need for flexibility and comfort.

SAS is in the forefront of the industry in relation to environmental concerns, and aims to

  • Be seen as the most environment-conscious airline in Europe
  • Have 20% lower emissions by 2020 with traffic growth included
  • Have the industry’s most efficient fuel saving program

In line with IATA’s vision, the overarching long-term goal for SAS’ environmental work is to have zero emissions no later than 2050

With 25,4 million passengers a year SAS is one of the largest airlines in Europe. Each day SAS operates more than 820 flights. SAS was founded in the spirit of international cooperation. This same spirit was applied in May 1997 when SAS founded Star Alliance together with Air Canada, Lufthansa, United Airlines and Thai Airways International, offering convenient connections throughout an integrated global traffic system.

Facts & Figures

  • Number of aircraft: 198
  • Aircraft types: B737-600/700/800, A330/340, A319/321- MD81/82/87, Fokker 50
  • Hubs: Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm
  • Number of employees:7,598
  • Passengers per year: 25.4 million
  • Sales revenue: US$ 4.86 billion
  • Frequent flyer programme: SAS EuroBonus (Gold, Silver, Blue)
  • Number of destinations: 126
  • Network strengths: More than 820 daily flights covering Scandinavia and Finland, the Baltic, Europe including central and eastern Europe, Russia, Asia and USA
  • Date of entry: May 1997

Information provided by member airline.