Scandinavian Airlines (stylized as SAS), short for Scandinavian Airlines System and legally referred to as Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark-Norway-Sweden, is the flag carrier airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
History[]
Early years[]
The airline was founded on 1 August 1946 by a partnership between Svensk Interkontinental Lufttrafik AB, Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S, and Det Norske Luftfartselskap AS, which aimed to manage the combined air traffic of Denmark and Norway.[1]
In 1948, Swedish flag carrier AB Aerotransport joined SAS, coordinating European operations.[2] Three years later, the companies merged to form the SAS Consortium. Ownership was divided between SAS Danmark, SAS Norge, and SAS Sverige, with 50% owned by private investors and 50% by their governments.[3]
Transpolar route[]
In 1954, SAS became the first airline to operate scheduled flights on a polar route, flying Douglas DC-6Bs from Copenhagen to Los Angeles with stops in Greenland and Canada.[4]
In 1957, SAS became the first airline to offer around-the-world service over the North Pole via a second polar route using Douglas DC-7Cs from Copenhagen to Tokyo via Anchorage International Airport in Alaska, as the Soviet Union prohibited flying across Siberia and Chinese airspace.[4]
Jet era[]
In 1959, SAS launched its first jetliner, Sud Aviation Caravelles, by procuring French-built aircraft.[5]
Destinations[]
[]
Scandinavian Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
- Aegean Airlines
- airBaltic
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air France
- All Nippon Airways
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Delta Air Lines[6]
- Egyptair
- El Al[7]
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Etihad Airways[8]
- Icelandair
- KLM[9]
- LOT Polish Airlines[10]
- Lufthansa
- Luxair[11]
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- Swiss International Air Lines
- Thai Airways International
- Widerøe
Interline agreements[]
Scandinavian Airlines has entered into interlining agreements with the following airlines:
- Air Greenland[12]
- Pakistan International Airlines[13]
Controversies[]
Controversial advertising campaign[]
SAS released a YouTube commercial titled "What is truly Scandinavian?"[14] on February 10, 2020, highlighting the company's values and the contributions of globalism to Scandinavia.[15][16][17][18] This caused outrage among right-wing groups, who perceived it as denigrating Scandinavian culture. However, SAS Group, SAS' parent company, stated on 12 February 2020 that they would continue the campaign.[19]
3 days after, SAS offices in Copenhagen and &Co, the advertising agency responsible for the commercial, received bomb threats.[20][21][22][23][24] A shorter 45-second version was later republished on Facebook, and the official version on YouTube was made private.[20][23][24]
Responses[]
Norwegian Air responded to the controversy by promoting the message "Nobody can take away the cheese slicer from us" and a Facebook image of a cheese slicer claimed by Norwegians.[25][26]
References[]
- ↑ https://simpleflying.com/sas-75-years/
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2021/08/02/in-photos-75-years-of-scandinavian-airline-sas/
- ↑ https://www.sasmuseet.com/en/historie
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.sasgroup.net/about-sas/sas-history/history-milestones/
- ↑ https://simpleflying.com/sud-aviation-caravelle/
- ↑ https://www.sasgroup.net/newsroom/press-releases/2024/sas-expands-its-summer-program-to-include-atlanta/
- ↑ https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240129-sklycodeshare
- ↑ https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231225-eyskcodeshare
- ↑ https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240715-klskcodeshare
- ↑ https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231025-sklocodeshare
- ↑ https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/272033/luxair-sas-begins-codeshare-service-from-march-2017/
- ↑ http://www.airgreenland.com/about/news/air-greenland-og-sas-indgaar-ny-og-udvidet-samarbejdsaftale
- ↑ https://www.piac.com.pk/interline-travel
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20200313161311/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShfsBPrNcTI
- ↑ https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/penge/casper-schroeder-om-sas-video-de-er-vadet-ind-i-et-minefelt
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2020/02/13/is-anything-truly-scandinavian-the-bizarre-sas-ad-controversy-explained/
- ↑ https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/4/8/what-an-airline-advert-revealed-about-scandinavian-nationalism
- ↑ https://onemileatatime.com/controversial-scandinavian-airlines-ad/
- ↑ https://www.sasgroup.net/newsroom/press-releases/2020/sas-continues-the-campaign-what-is-truly-scandinavian/
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20200313161311/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-13/bomb-alert-in-copenhagen-over-controversial-sas-ad-campaign
- ↑ https://www.thelocal.dk/20200213/copenhagen-agency-that-made-sas-ad-targeted-with-false-bomb-threat/
- ↑ https://www.aftenposten.no/verden/i/XgLjwn/bombetrussel-mot-reklamebyraa-som-laget-sas-reklame
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 https://www.nrk.no/urix/bombetrussel-mot-sas-sitt-reklamebyra-1.14901058
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 https://www.nettavisen.no/12-95-3423923201
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/flynorwegian/photos/a.343227875252/10162915302285253/
- ↑ https://www.tnp.no/norway/panorama/norwegian-mocks-sass-controversial-scandinavian-culture-ad-with-its-timely-sharing-on-facebook/
