An unsurprising flight on SAS plus between Paris and Copenhagen for what would be, much to my regret, one of my last flights on the Scandinavian airline. While SAS’s medium-haul service is well known and neither exciting nor disappointing, I had to wait until the last minute to catch my connecting flight to Boston in Copenhagen.
Here’s a reminder of the air routing for this trip.
You’ll find the list of articles about this trip to Boston, New York and New Orleans at the bottom of the page.
Booking
Several months before my trip, I booked this flight on SAS in business class to Boston via Copenhagen. I paid for it with my points at an attractive fare, but you should know that it was marketed at 2,500 euros, which is a pretty good deal in the middle of a summer vacation and given the quality of the product.
In any case, I had no choice: I wanted to liquidate my SAS points before they left Star Alliance for Skyteam.
You should know that with the SAS Eurobonus frequent flyer program, and this will continue even after the change of alliance, if you are Gold or Platinum you earn a bonus of award and qualifying points on flights made on SAS even if it’s an award ticket.
Arrival at the airport and check-in
Two days before my flight, I receive a text message telling me that SAS is leaving Roissy terminal 1 to move to 2B, a sign that times are really beginning to change.
I check-in online 24 hours before my flight, but I can’t get my boarding pass because of the extra checks that accompany flights to the USA.
I was worried about a strike notice issued by Paris airport employees, but it was lifted shortly after they received an exceptional bonus.
I arrive from the Courtyard via the CDGVal and begin a long walk to terminal 2B.
You can tell it’s the summer vacations: queues are long at some check-in counters.
I finally arrive at the SAS counter. There are no small savings: first you have to check-in and pick up your boarding pass at a kiosk, then you have to queue up to drop it off, whether you’re an elite or priority passenger or not.
I then go to drop off my suitcase and there I see some passengers in deep discussion with the agent in charge of collecting the suitcases. The reason is that the agent (who is not from SAS but a subcontractor) demands to see a paper ESTA before letting the passengers go. However, this electronic authorization is linked to the passport, is check-in in US immigration systems and we don’t need the paper proof. What’s worse is that this is clearly stated on the confirmation email received once the ESTA has been granted.
Eventually, I’ll find the confirmation in my inbox and won’t waste my time explaining to the agent that she’s annoying people for nothing, which is what others inevitably did.
I then make my way to the boarding halls. A manual check of boarding passes takes place before the electronic gates, creating a long and unnecessary queue.
The pleasure of annoying people for nothing.
Fortunately, once I’ve passed this checkpoint, I’m back in the fast-track queue. The new scanners are in place and I pass through security without having to take my things out of my bag (finally!) and, for once, the agents are even friendly.
I walk through the duty free before killing time in the terminal.
SAS doesn’t offer lounge access in terminals where they don’t have their own lounges or partner airline lounges, so I won’t be going to the very nice Extime lounge and will be haunting the terminal while waiting to board.
It’s okay, I’ve got room, there aren’t many people around (yet).
The screens announce boarding 50 minutes before departure, presumably to hurry people along and avoid late arrivals. The announced boarding gate will change twice, eventually returning to the original gate.
The plane arrives 5 minutes before the theoretical boarding time.
Boarding
Passengers gather around the door, and the agents have to organize things a little, as not everyone is used to the discipline of differentiated, priority queues.
We start pre-boarding to avoid wasting time once the plane is ready. I’ll be the first to pass through the checkpoint and enter the nursery, just 5 minutes ahead of schedule.
In the meantime, passengers are still disembarking… so we’re not likely to make up for lost time.
We are finally invited to enter the aircraft.
The cabin of the SAS Embraer 195
This is an Embraer 2-2 cabin with traditional SAS gray seats.
Rather pretty.
SAS does not block seats in SAS plus, so I will have a seatmate on this flight.
Legroom is more than adequate.
The Star Alliance signage is still there, of course…in a few weeks’ time they’ll have work to do removing it all to put on the Skyteam colors.
The flight
It’s very hot in the cabin and the air-conditioning isn’t on yet. We are told that the flight will be full.
Surprisingly, the steward at the front of the cabin is a young Frenchman. I wonder how he ended up there.
The SAS application indicates in real time the percentage of boarding completion and…remains stuck at 92%. And we’re told we’ll be delayed because we’re waiting for passengers from Malaga. Now I’d like someone to explain to me how it’s possible for a SAS flight to be waiting for people from Malaga at Roissy! It will remain a mystery.
I’m starting to worry a bit: I’ve got an hour to make my connection in Copenhagen, which means 30 minutes before boarding, and what’s more, I’ve got to get through passport control, and anyone who knows the size of the airport knows that the walk can be very, very long. If we ever get to gate A and I’m boarding in E, it’s going to be very complicated.
Boarding finally ends, and miraculously almost on time. But we take forever to push off and are blocked by a plane behind us.
After a very long taxi to the north doublet, we finally take off.
I look at my watch…it’s going to be sporty in Copenhagen.
Our boxed lunch is brought to us: Roast beef with curried potato salad, horseradish cream and pickled red onion.
Miracle! I think that up to now on SAS I’ve always had salmon in medium-haul and this is the first time I’ve had anything else.
It’s not the meal of the century (SAS plus is premium economy, not business class) but it’s really very fresh and tasty, I really like it.
But we’ll have finished eating before the drinks are served.
You can’t say that the table is that big…
We’re heading up the Swedish coastline, then rounding a bend to head for Copenhagen. We’re well behind schedule, but I’m still hopeful.
Landing and arrival
In theory, it’s now a direct route to Copenhagen, but I hope they don’t make us take a loop before allowing us to land.
No, everything’s fine, we land straight away and after a short taxi we’re at our gate.
While waiting for the door to open, I chat with the French steward. He asks me if I have a connection, checks something and tells me that boarding has indeed already started, but that for a Diamond passenger traveling in business class, it’s almost certain that they’ll be waiting for me, but that I’ll still have to cross the airport at full speed.
Once on board my next flight, I realized that many Economy passengers on this flight were also going to Boston, so I had plenty of time.
But at this point I don’t know… I disembark and check the screens: I’m at gate B4 (phew…not A…those who know cph will understand) and I have to get to E120, at the very end of the airport, in less than 20 minutes.
Let’s go !
The staff
It’s a pity that, given the way the service was organized, the drinks arrived after the meal, but otherwise this young steward was really very friendly.
Bottom line
An uneventful flight that resembled all my other SAS Plus flights, with one difference: a delay that might seem insignificant, but which is a little stressful when you only have an hour’s connecting time at an airport as large as Copenhagen.
The articles about this trip to Boston, New York and New Orleans
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