SAS Business, Copenhagen Kastrup – Boston Logan, Airbus A321LR : Excellent hard product and catering

It’s time for the last flight of this itinerary, back to Boston. And it’s once again in a narrow-body, a newcomer to the SAS fleet, that I chose to cross the Atlantic.

As a reminder, the route followed:

#TypePost
1DiaryConference in Paris and weekend in Madrid
2LoungeUnited Club, Boston Logan
3FlightUnited Domestic First, Boston Logan – Washington Dulles, Boeing 737 MAX 9
4FlightScandinavian Airlines Business, Washington Dulles – Copenhagen Kastrup, Airbus A350-900
5LoungeScandinavian Airlines Gold Lounge, Copenhagen Kastrup
6FlightScandinavian Airlines SAS Plus, Copenhagen Kastrup – Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Boeing 737-800
7HotelLe Parchamp, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Boulogne-Billancourt
8FlightTAP Executive, Paris Orly – Lisbon Portela, Airbus A321LR
9LoungeTAP Lounge, Lisbon Portela
10FlightTAP Executive, Lisbon Portela – Madrid Barajas, Embraer 190
11HotelThe Madrid EDITION
12LoungePuerta del Sol Lounge, Madrid Barajas
13FlightTAP Executive, Madrid Barajas – Lisbon Portela, Airbus A320
14FlightTAP Executive, Lisbon Portela – Paris Orly, Airbus A321NEO
15HotelMoxy Paris Val d’Europe
16FlightScandinavian Airlines SAS Plus, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle – Oslo Gardermoen, Boeing 737-700
17HotelMoxy Oslo X
18LoungeScandinavian Airlines Gold Lounge, Oslo Gardermoen
19FlightScandinavian Airlines SAS Plus, Oslo Gardermoen – Copenhagen Kastrup, Airbus A320NEO
20LoungeEventyr Lounge, Copenhagen Kastrup
21FlightScandinavian Airlines Business, Copenhagen Kastrup – Boston Logan, Airbus A321LR
Today’s itinerary

Boarding

I left the Eventyr lounge 45 minutes before the departure of my flight to Boston. The journey to gate E136 was very long, taking around 15 minutes.

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When I arrived, pre-boarding began and 3 minutes later zone A boarding began. I noticed that all passengers had a “USA checked” stamp, but nobody told me anything.

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So I entered the jetbridge, and after a few minutes of patience, was invited aboard.

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Cabin and welcome

The Business class cabin onboard A321LR is very elegant. It has 7 Business rows, configured alternately as 2-2 and 1-1.

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Of course, I chose a solo seat on the right-hand side of the aircraft, perfect for solo travelers.

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The seat is identical to the one chosen by TAP Air Portugal and already tested on a transatlantic, but more elegant and better designed. There was plenty of storage space.

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The bedding was excellent quality, made by Hastens.

Noise-reduction headphones and a bottle of water were provided.

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An amenity kit, identical to the one on the outward journey, was provided.

The tablet was nicely sized and well-made.

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A welcome drink was offered and I chose a glass of champagne, Charles Heidsieck.

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Menus were then handed out and are very appealing.

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Service and catering

Service began about fifteen minutes after takeoff, with a distribution of hot oshibori.

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Tablecloths were placed on each passenger’s table.

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Drinks service began, and I took a SASmopolitan, made with vodka, Cointreau and cranberry juice. It was excellent but very very strong. It was served with warm cashews, perfect!

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Next came an excellent starter platter, with seaweed-flavored butter and a very fresh salad.

The tartare appetizer was very well presented and excellent in taste, accompanied by very good warm bread.

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For the main course, I ordered ordering the beef, which was to die for, and the potatoes very melt-in-the-mouth. To drink, I had the Italian red wine, which was excellent.

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The cheese and dessert cart was brought along, but I skipped it and just have a Cognac.

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I then had a nice 4h nap and then took a few items from the buffet.

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1h30 before landing, the second meal was served, an open avocado and shrimp toast that was excellent, and some cut fruit that were not ripped enough.

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I had a black coffee and sparkling water to go with it.

Entertainment and Connectivity

I only used the entertainment system to display the airshow, and used the free wifi which was excellent.

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Arrival and disembarkation

We landed and arrived at the gate 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Immigration took a hellish 1h15.

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Bottom line

A very good flight: excellent seats, excellent catering. I wish the service was more attentive and smiling. Too bad.

Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier has been into airline blogging since 2010. First a major contributor to the FlyerTalk forum, he created the FlyerPlan website in July 2012, and writes articles with a major echo among airline specialists. He now co-runs the TravelGuys blog with Bertrand, focusing on travel experience and loyalty programs.
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