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.
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