In a statement released on Friday, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) published its plans to expand flights to the United States, including the debut of the Airbus A321LR. The carrier says that it will finally be operating all of its American routes when it returns to Boston and Miami in the fall. Flights to Boston will resume in September, followed by Miami in October.

On its Copenhagen Airport (CPH), Kastrup to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) route, SAS plans to fly its first Airbus A321LR. This plane is a long-range single-aisle aircraft that many airlines want to place on transatlantic routes that do not require high passenger loads.

The Airbus A321LR has an increased range of up to 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 kilometers). SAS has its A321LRs configured in a three-class layout with 22 fully flat business class seats, 12 premium economy seats, and 123 economy seats.

Flights will increase to LAX, SFO, and IAD

When SAS introduces its Airbus A321LR on this Boston route, it will also increase the number of flights it offers from Copenhagen to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Dulles International Airport (IAD). When speaking about the USA flights in a company statement, acting CEO of SAS Karl Sandlund said:

"We are delighted to improve the connectivity for both passengers and air freight to and from Scandinavia from all three capitals as the demand increases. From September 2, SAS will reintroduce the route, Stockholm-New York, in addition to the current direct routes from Copenhagen and Oslo."

SAS Scandinavian Airlines
Karl Sandlund, Acting President and CEO. Photo: SAS

Stockholm and Oslo flight to Miami

Starting October 1, SAS will resume flights from Copenhagen and Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) to Miami International Airport (MIA). By the end of October, MIA will have three weekly flights from CPH and ARN and a once-weekly flight from Oslo Airport (OSL) in Norway.

SAS is currently flying from Copenhagen to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) with a daily passenger flight and an additional cargo-only flight. SAS will also restart the Stockholm-Chicago route later in the fall.

SAS US routes and departures this autumn:

  • Copenhagen-New York 7 x per week
  • Copenhagen-Chicago – 7 x per week
  • Copenhagen-Los Angeles – 4-5 times per week
  • Copenhagen-San Francisco – 4 x per week
  • Copenhagen-Washington DC – 4 x per week
  • Copenhagen-Boston – 3 x per week
  • Copenhagen-Miami – 3 x per week
  • Oslo-New York – 3 x per week
  • Oslo-Miami – 1 x per week
  • Stockholm-New York – 3-5 x per week
  • Stockholm-Chicago – 3 x per week
  • Stockholm-Miami – 3 x per week

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New rules for checking in

Because of restrictions brought about by COVID-19, SAS has new procedures for checking in passengers for their flights. Using the SAS Travel Ready Center, passengers can prepare for their flights from home. On the site, passengers can see what COVID-19 restrictions and requirements apply to their destination. They can then upload travel certificates and have them verified by SAS before heading to the airport. Travelers can download their boarding passes from the site and proceed directly to the SAS self-service check-in line at the airport.

Airport-Terminal-check-in-001
SAS self-check-in.Photo: SAS

The new SAS Airbus A321LR flights to Boston sounds interesting, and with other airlines ready to start flying transatlantic with narrowbodies, it might soon become the norm when serving secondary markets.

What do you think of SAS increasing its flights to the United States? Please tell us what you think in the comments.