- Introduction: An Arctic Summer
- Review: SAS Business Class A330 Los Angeles To Stockholm
- Review: SAS Lounge Stockholm Airport
- Review: Hotel Continental Oslo
- Review: Radisson Blu Longyearbyen Hotel
- SAS Lounge Oslo Airport Review
- Review: SAS Lounge Copenhagen Airport
- Review: W Hotel St. Petersburg
- Review: St. Regis Moscow
- Review: Business Lounge Moscow Domodedovo Airport
- Review: Singapore Airlines First Class 777 Moscow To Houston
Our connection in Copenhagen was about three hours, as were arriving from Oslo and departing for St. Petersburg. At this point in our journey we were tired. We had taken a 2:30AM flight from Longyearbyen, and had two flights behind us. On one hand the 24 hours of daylight in Longyearbyen helped, while on the other hand we were super exhausted at this point.
So waiting for three hours while super tired is never fun, obviously.
Upon deplaning we followed the signage towards lounges, which took us on a roughly 10 minute walk. When we arrived there, we found out that was just the location of the contract lounges. I Googled on my phone to try and figure out the location of the SAS lounge, but didn’t have any luck (I’m sure it can be found online, but I was on a smartphone and tired and frustrated, so I probably wasn’t at my best). In the end it took us a solid 20 minutes before we found the lounge.
The airports in Copenhagen and Stockholm both have terrible signage, in my opinion, and there are very few information desks. I know northern Europe largely uses automated check-in, lounge entry, etc., but I still think there’s a lot of value in having information desks at airports, and they were most definitely lacking here.
The SAS lounge was massive from the outside, and almost looked like a storefront.
SAS Lounge Copenhagen exterior
As we entered I saw an SAS A340 model plane, which was pretty cool.
SAS Lounge Copenhagen entrance
SAS Lounge Copenhagen A340 model display
As was the case in the other lounges, there were automated gates used to grant entry into the lounges, though there was a representative on hand in case anyone had issues. This lounge was also separated into a Business Lounge and a Gold Lounge, and thanks to my Star Alliance Gold status we could use the latter. While it wouldn’t help in this lounge, Copenhagen does have quite a few Priority Pass options, if you wouldn’t otherwise have access. So, a credit card with lounge access could be very beneficial here.
Best I could tell, the Business Lounge was located on concourse level, while the Gold Lounge was located one level up.
SAS Lounge Copenhagen entrance area
I loved the open design of the lounge, thanks to the high ceilings and amount of light.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen
Near the entrance were several communal tables, between the buffet and the rest of the lounge.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
There were also some rectangular tables closer to the buffet.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
Then as you walked further away from the food area, there were seating zones separated from one another by plants.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
There were lots of colorful carpets in the lounge to mix things up, though at times the design felt a bit mismatched.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
As you walked further into the lounge there was a completely separate room, which was located above the entrance of the lounge.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen
Maybe my vision is just completely off, but while I found parts of the lounge to be very modern, other parts felt like they were straight out of the 80s, like the first half of the below room.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
The green walls mixed with green and red chairs with wood accents, along with wood floors, just looked odd to me.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
The other half of the room looked much more modern.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
On the very opposite end of the lounge was another room, which once again didn’t feel very modern for the most part. Some sections featured old looking green and blue chairs, while others featured much more modern IKEA looking furniture.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen seating
I’ll be the first to admit my eye for design is usually way off, so let me turn the question over to you guys. Is it just me, or does the lounge have a bizarre combination of modern IKEA furniture along with outdated furniture?
Also in this room was a beer tap, as well as self serve beer and wine.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen beer tap
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen wine fridge
Back close to the entrance was the buffet, which had a similar spread to the lounge in Oslo we visited a couple of hours prior.
This lounge had a significantly better espresso machine, in my opinion.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen espresso machine
There was yogurt, granola, cereal, oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, cold cuts, etc.
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen breakfast spread
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen breakfast spread
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen breakfast spread
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen breakfast spread
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen breakfast spread
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen breakfast spread
SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen bottom line
Ultimately lounges in Europe are significantly better than those in the US. However, I found this lounge a bit puzzling.
For one, it was tough to find, with a total lack of signage, and no information desks at the airport to direct you the right way. While the lounge was spacious, it was also the most crowded of the lounges (I took all the pictures above as areas started to empty out), and also had the most puzzling decor, in my opinion.
Still, SAS has some solid lounges overall.
We love this lounge, as they have showers! Great way to freshen up between flights, and get ready for the long haul flight.
The black seats are not IKEA. It's Bruno Mathsson. Classical and very expensive.
Lucky, I don't think there is a single piece of Ikea furniture in the lounge.
@Lisa
These aren't false dichotomies, they're all elements of the passenger experience and I'm illustrating that American airlines have invested in different elements of service. (Not to say any is perfect, but to say service is worse on all fronts is false.)
Also, if you think the lounges of American airlines are all 'awful,' I'd invite you to visit the Skyclub at JFK, SFO, ATL, the Admirals club at LAX, RDU, or JFK, to name a few.
Hi Lucky! I'm not sure if you're using the Loungebuddy app or not, but I'd highly recommend it! Not only can you enter your trip itinerary (and of course, which statuses/credit cards you have are already programmed in), but it gives a really good description of where each lounge is located. It's been a godsend for me in airports like this one, that otherwise have poor lounge signage. It would have also helped in Sweden,...
Hi Lucky! I'm not sure if you're using the Loungebuddy app or not, but I'd highly recommend it! Not only can you enter your trip itinerary (and of course, which statuses/credit cards you have are already programmed in), but it gives a really good description of where each lounge is located. It's been a godsend for me in airports like this one, that otherwise have poor lounge signage. It would have also helped in Sweden, I think, when you missed that there are separate SAS and SAS Star Gold lounges.
I swear I don't work for them and that I'm not paid to say this! It's just a really helpful iPhone app that I've grown to love and depend on.
I fly back and forth between CPH and ARN often for work, and use this Gold Lounge sometimes 6-8 times per month. In the morning during the business traveler rush, and in the afternoon (once again during the rush), the lounge is super packed. Uncomfortably packed unfortunately.
The location is of the lounge is quite amazing, actually. That's unfortunate that it's hard to find as a transferring passenger. As someone coming from CPH as the...
I fly back and forth between CPH and ARN often for work, and use this Gold Lounge sometimes 6-8 times per month. In the morning during the business traveler rush, and in the afternoon (once again during the rush), the lounge is super packed. Uncomfortably packed unfortunately.
The location is of the lounge is quite amazing, actually. That's unfortunate that it's hard to find as a transferring passenger. As someone coming from CPH as the origin, the lounge is located directly next to the exit of the SAS/Star Alliance fast track security (like, 10 second walk). Fast track at CPH has never taken me more than 5 minutes!
The Old design look is due to SAS not getting rid of all the old furniture when the lounge was refreshed/updated
Combinations might be a bit off, but there's certainly some classical Scandinavian furniture design on display - the loungers in the final image of seating seem to be Bruno Mathson. Glad to hear someone agree that signage is insufficient at CPH, although I think you're also coming up against the Scandinavian impulse to try to sort things out independently rather than bothering someone at a service counter... Speaking for Sweden at least, it's safe to...
Combinations might be a bit off, but there's certainly some classical Scandinavian furniture design on display - the loungers in the final image of seating seem to be Bruno Mathson. Glad to hear someone agree that signage is insufficient at CPH, although I think you're also coming up against the Scandinavian impulse to try to sort things out independently rather than bothering someone at a service counter... Speaking for Sweden at least, it's safe to say we've embraced things like auto check-in with some gusto.
@Alpha If "people" didn't want it, people wouldn't complain about the crappy lounges in the US. Far more likely that the US airlines don't want to pay for better lounges.
Your entire comment is full of false dichotomies. Hard to imagine, apparently, that a US airline could have both a decent lounge on the ground and flat beds on the planes, and great wifi in both. Other airlines do it, so it's clearly not...
@Alpha If "people" didn't want it, people wouldn't complain about the crappy lounges in the US. Far more likely that the US airlines don't want to pay for better lounges.
Your entire comment is full of false dichotomies. Hard to imagine, apparently, that a US airline could have both a decent lounge on the ground and flat beds on the planes, and great wifi in both. Other airlines do it, so it's clearly not impossible, but your kind of "aim for adequacy" attitude certainly make it possible for things to stay as they are.
There are showers in the business lounge, which you can access as *G as well. On the 2nd floor there are 2 or 3 day rooms which you can reserve for the entire stay in the lounge. They feature a comfortable bed, a chair, and a bathroom. Worth checking out if you have a long layover.
@Varun
Because people don't want it. The happy medium established is Biz class, where American and Delta do a lot better than their European counterparts (United needs to catch up, but even their inferior biz product is better than what AF has on their a380s.)
While caviar is nice, working WiFi is a lot better. While a fancy lounge is great, direct aisle access and a true flat bed seat rules the day.
Why do US airlines and lounges have terrible service on all fronts, while the USA is considered the best and so on.....
WHY WHY WHY WHY
WHY CAN'T AA SERVE A CAVIAR COURSE.
WHY CAN'T UNITED MASTER AN LH STYLE F TERMINAL
WHY CAN'T DELTA HAVE A PRODUCT THE CAN RIVAL AF
WHY WHY WHY WHY
There is information desk on the ground-floor, where they also have showers :)