Restructuring continues at Scandinavian Airlines after its official launch Entering the SkyTeam alliance.
A day after the Stockholm-based airline announced new nonstop service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), SAS announced a major expansion of its Copenhagen hub, along with two new routes in North America.
On Wednesday, SAS announced 15 new routes from its base at Copenhagen Airport (CPH), with more than a dozen new flights to European cities such as Krakow (Poland), Madrid, Budapest (Hungary), Valencia (Spain) and Bucharest (Romania). It will also increase its service to other short-haul European cities such as Prague, Berlin and Helsinki by 15%.
It is just one part of a plan to boost Copenhagen’s presence as a global hub and gateway for travellers connecting to destinations beyond Europe, SAS said on Wednesday.
But the airline is also beefing up its transatlantic schedule, and not just in Copenhagen.
The airline announced 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 operate between March 30 and October 25 as part of the airline’s summer 2025 schedule.
SkyTeam changes its hub
This is the latest move SAS has made to make its network, including in the US, more friendly to Team of Heaven connections after the airline joined the alliance earlier this month following a Partial acquisition by Air France-KLM.
The change is already visible. The map below, compiled by aviation analytics firm Cirium, shows SAS’s planned U.S. routes for summer 2025 to SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines hubs.
This is what the comparatively more limited map looked like in the summer of 2024, a year that already Saw the airline add the Delta homeHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), to its network.
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It will be worth watching to see if the airline makes any further shifts from Star Alliance to SkyTeam hubs 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 international travel hub,” SAS said in a statement on Wednesday.
New service at JFK
The new JFK-OSL route will give New York’s airport a second direct flight to Norway’s capital. Norse Atlantic Airways currently serves that route.
Starting in late March, SAS will fly the JFK-Oslo route with one of its Airbus A321neo narrow-body aircraft, according to the airline’s booking channels.
It is worth noting that SAS already serves JFK Airport with non-stop flights to CPH.
Meanwhile, it currently serves nearby Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), a Star Alliance hub, with non-stop flights to OSL, CPH and Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN).
Copenhagen growth
In addition to its direct service to JFK, SAS announced an additional new flight in North America for summer 2025. Starting March 30, the airline will fly from CPH to Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ).
This expansion of SAS’s presence in Copenhagen comes at a time when the city (and, more broadly, the country of Denmark) has seen an increase in air traffic in recent times.
Service to Denmark grows
In August, the number of seats on transatlantic flights to Denmark exceeded any other country in Europe, Cirium reported during a recent briefing.
Cirium data shows that seats between the United States and Denmark were up about 24% this summer compared to last year, and 15% from 2019 levels.
Related: Villa Copenhagen Review: Scandinavian Style in an Iconic Danish Location
Improving the intra-European trade offer
In addition to strengthening its flight offering next summer, SAS is… He reportedly plans to improve his game At the front of the plane.
On short-haul European flights, there will be an enhanced business class offering, with an empty middle seat, plus improved service both on the ground and in the air.
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