The Price Was Right: SAS Economy Review on the Airbus A350

With roundtrip fares regularly under $400, flights to Europe don't get much cheaper than flying economy on Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). But what do travelers get for that low price?

It turns out: pretty much what you'd expect from any other airline flying economy across the Atlantic – with a few glaring exceptions. I recently flew SAS from Copenhagen (CPH) back to Los Angeles (LAX) and found it was a significant step above the experience on ultra-low-cost carriers like Norse Atlantic Airways or Play Airlines, but at a similar price point. Aside from the food and beverages onboard, it was just like any other major airline flying to and from Europe. And now that it's part of the SkyTeam alliance with Delta, it's suddenly on the radar of many more travelers. 

From booking to check-in, to boarding and inflight service, here's what it was like to fly SAS between Europe and the U.S.

How to Book

There aren't really any tricks to book SAS flights in economy. Because SAS is now part of the SkyTeam Alliance, you can book with partner airline miles from programs such Delta SkyMiles or Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles. But SAS stands out for its cheaper fares, so your best bet will almost always be to book using cash instead of points.

SAS flies to and from eight U.S. gateways: Seattle (SEA), Newark (EWR), Boston (BOS), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), Miami (MIA), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO). And while you can hitch a cheap ride to its Scandinavian hubs like Copenhagen (CPH), Oslo (OSL), or even Stockholm (ARN), you can also connect onward to almost anywhere in Europe and beyond.

You can simply search through Google Flights for cheap fares to and from Europe. And boy, have there been some amazing deals flying SAS to Europe lately. We sent this deal to Thrifty Traveler Premium members earlier this year with fares starting from $345 roundtrip!
 

To write this review, we booked one of our Thrifty Traveler Premium deals just like this one. SAS runs amazing sales like this several times a year, and we're always all over it when they do!

At Thrifty Traveler, we don’t accept freebies. We use our own points, miles, or cash to pay for every single flight or hotel you see reviewed here – including this one.

The airline offers a version of basic economy called SAS Go. If you plan to bring a checked bag, you'll definitely want to purchase a standard economy fare, which it calls SAS Go Smart.

While both types of tickets include a carry-on bag, allow changes (for a fee), and charge to pick a seat, you'll get one checked bag included if you book a SAS Go Smart fare. It's usually around $28 each way for an upgrade from SAS Go to SAS Go Smart – much cheaper than paying for a checked bag at the airport.

Check-In, Upgrades & Boarding

No matter which fare you buy, you'll typically pay $30 or so for an advanced seat assignment on SAS. You can select a seat for free at check-in, however. 

Once I was checked in, I had the option to pay around $30 (299 SEK) to have the seat next to me remain empty. For an 11-hour transatlantic flight, that's an amazing deal and something I wish I had purchased.  

It was also possible to bid for an upgrade to either SAS Plus premium economy or SAS business class. For this particular flight, the minimum bid to upgrade from SAS economy to SAS Plus premium economy was 300 euro (~$300). For an upgrade to business class, the minimum bid was 700 euro (~$700). You could also use SAS Eurobonus points to upgrade, but since there's not an easy way to earn those points, I didn't have any to use. It's not possible to use partner airline miles for an upgrade when flying SAS.

There was also the option to purchase SAS lounge access for 27 euro (~$27).

If you choose to check-in at the airport, there are plenty of kiosks available.

Boarding was much more efficient departing from Copenhagen than it was on my flight from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) over to Europe. In Copenhagen, we all got our boarding passes scanned ahead of time and were held for a short amount of time in a separate gate area before boarding actually began.
 

The Cabin & Seats

On the Airbus A350, the economy cabin is mostly laid out in a 3-3-3 configuration, with three-seat sections on either side and another three seats in the middle. The one exception is in the first row of economy, where you'll find just two seats on the sides – a great spot for couples or traveling companions.
 

If you're flying the Airbus A330 or A340 aircraft, the economy cabin is laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration, which would allow couples to pick seats along the wall of the aircraft and have more privacy.
 

Flying on the A350, the best seats in the cabin are easily the first row: row 30.
 

Another great set of seats is behind the exit row on the right-hand side of the plane (facing forward).  

There were a total of six lavatories to share between economy and premium economy passengers. The bathrooms were small and basic but served their purpose.

These seats in the economy cabin are 17 inches wide, with 31 to 32 inches of legroom. That was a far cry from the legroom in SAS Plus premium economy, but fairly standard compared to other major international airlines in economy.
 

I think my seat was most likely on the smaller side, but it still was sufficient for my 5 foot, 9-inch frame. I'm sure this would feel a little more cramped for taller travelers, but it's the norm these days flying economy overseas.
 

The tray table pulls down from the seat in front but can be folded in half for more space. You receive a bottle of water at your seat during boarding, which a nice touch that you won't get with every airline.
 

When the tray table is fully extended, it was more than enough space to hold my 13-inch laptop. But be warned: There aren't any universal power ports for large devices like laptops in economy on the SAS A350. There is a USB charging port on the seatback screen that can charge your phone or smaller electronic devices. 

For storage, there is a large seatback pocket with a mesh covering so you can see what you've stashed in there. The armrest in between seats is shared and that's also where you'll find the push button to recline your seat. 

The recline on these seats was better than I expected, so I was able to get a little sleep on this long-haul flight – even in economy.
 

Entertainment & Amenities

Every passenger in economy receives a pillow and a blanket at their seat. The pillow is pretty flimsy but the blanket was large.
 

For entertainment, there were over 70 movies to choose from on the seatback screens along with TV shows, games, and a small selection of music. Plus, you could choose to watch video lessons to pick up some basics of the local language during your flight. 

Unfortunately, the moving map was not working during my flight, but it was cool to check out the tail camera from time to time to get an actual view of the large bird flying through the sky.
 

SAS offers free Wi-Fi for its business class and SAS Plus economy passengers, but if you're flying in SAS Go economy, you'll need to pay for inflight Wi-Fi. I thought the $16 charge was more than reasonable for an 11-hour flight. While you can only connect one device at a time, you can still easily switch your internet access from your laptop to your phone (or vice-versa) whenever you'd like.

The download speeds were decent and my connection remained fairly stable throughout the flight. The same couldn't be said for my flight over to Europe on the Airbus A330, though. 

Dining & Service

While the seats were up to snuff with what you'd get on any airline, service and dining was a bit closer to a budget carrier. The flight attendants themselves were perfectly friendly, but I was surprised at just how little you get during an 11-hour flight across the ocean.

Unlike most airlines flying across the Atlantic, alcoholic beverages are not free in the economy cabin on SAS. 

While you do get one free soft drink with meal service (which is also free), you'll need to pay for any other drinks throughout the flight other than coffee, tea, or water. But you'll have to go to the galley (or ring your call button) to get a glass of water, since flight attendants don't necessarily come through to offer any in-between the two meal services.

Soft drinks are around $4, a beer costs $7.50, a small bottle of wine starts at around $10, and cocktails are around $12. Light snacks and snack boxes can also be purchased for around $3 to $10 throughout the flight. Cash is not accepted onboard, so you'll need to pay with a card. 

There were no meal service options. I was given veal meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes, and peas, a side salad with balsamic olive oil dressing, bread, crackers, and a pouch of milk for coffee or tea. It was better than I had expected … but my expectations were pretty low. 
 

About 90 minutes before landing, another light meal was served. The cheese wrap didn't have much taste to it, but the mandarin & elderflower “froosh” juice was absolutely delicious.
 

All in all, my flight in SAS Go economy was pretty uneventful. It got me from A to B at a great price.

Bottom Line

SAS economy might just be the most cost-effective way to get to Europe and back. The service might be less than what you'd expect on other major airlines, but it's still a step above the bare-bones budget carriers flying similar routes.

I wouldn't hesitate to book another flight on SAS when the fares are low. I'll just have to remember to bring a water bottle so I don't go thirsty next time.