SAS has just announced that in early 2017 they'll be eliminating access to third party lounges and fast track in many cities for premium passengers. As many of you may be aware, sometimes airlines operate their own lounges at an airport, while other times they use a contract lounge for their passengers. SAS will be…
Continue reading: SAS Premium Passengers Will No Longer Get Access To Third Party Lounges
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Glad you reminded us that Priority Pass will cover most of those lost lounges. Today a true frequent traveler must equip him or her self with such backups as fewer benefits accrue with an airline ticket. And most premium credit cards -- also a necessity -- include Priority Pass or similar programs. From reviewing the list of lounges now being cut, it might also be considered that given the nature of a unified Europe, airlines like SAS see a parallel with the United States, where airlines don't give lounge access on premium domestic-only flights. Fast Track is like our PreCheck, though it would be incumbent on the EU to introduce a similar program across its member states, rather than the current program whereby airlines pay a fee to accommodate their premium customers (the reason SAS is cutting this benefit). All this is just another way of shifting the cost of elements of air travel to the user from the airline (or government).
It's a decision that matches their lousy Business service, I'm not really surprised. Definitely one of Star Alliance's airlines that I try to avoid.
Peter n - Yes SAS is better in all US airlines in Y class and the worth airlines for Y/C in Europe / Asia for sure. Not even water is free only lousy coffee and The.
Lounge in CPH and ARN is good but always to crowded in EWR and almost nothing to eat.
Next looking forward to talk about CPH airport ... with one of the WORTH arrival hall ever seen after been flying around the world more than 40 years.
One expects less and less from SAS these days. It is not the premium airline you would seek out to fly with if looking for a premium experience. It's decidedly second-rate.
Oh, and here's a heads-up for SAS' PR spokesthingy grappling with the English language: in 2016/7, "going forward", "moving forward" is OUT, and "ongoing" should be used sparingly, if at all.
Just sayin' ............
SAS Plus intra-European these days is what monkey class was 10 years ago, apart from the lounge access and fast track. Take that away at one end of your journey and you are left with monkey class service in what's supposed to be business. At least they don't call it that, as that would be a false statement. I call it monkey class as opposed to monkey monkey at the back of the plane.
But one or two more steps in that direction and I may as well fly Ryan Air or Norwegian, perish the thought!
As a regular SAS Plus passenger from BHX to destinations in Scandinavia, I booked a number of flights for dates through to the Summer and at no time in the booking process was there any indication that Fast Track and Lounge access were being removed on Feb 1st. My question is, is this legal. Surely they entered a contract and the Plus tickets booked and premium fare paid was in expectation of premium service.
When taking the matter up with SAS their response was the pathetic corporate response detailed earlier in this blog.
I am now cancelling my bookings with SAS and moving them to another carrier.
If enough people do this, maybe SAS will wake up to the fact that they are losing loyal customers.