Scandinavian Airlines Continues Growth After 80 Years in the Sky

NEW YORK, NY – “The world needs more Scandinavia,” Anko van der Werff, president and CEO of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), said at an 80^th anniversary celebration for SAS. 

SAS, the joint airline for Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, hosted leaders from each of the country’s consulates, as well as other stakeholders and media, at the Consulate General of Denmark building in New York on Friday, Sept. 18. 

The significance? SAS took its very first flight to New York 80 years ago on Sept. 17, 1946. That flight had three stops and lasted 25 hours. Today, the airline makes the direct trip in 7 ½ hours – and offers flights to nine other U.S. cities, including Miami, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, from its home cities of Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo. 

According to van der Werff, it is the strength of the three nations coming together that has allowed SAS to thrive over the years. And in the current geopolitical climate, it is also what will allow the airline to grow. 

“Especially in this day and age, it’s the trust in which society is built in Scandinavia, and the trust that therefore is relied upon every single citizen, that makes society in Scandinavia so powerful,” he said. “Nature, gender balance, all the focus on family life – it is truly a special place.” 

At the event, Travel Market Report spoke with Edward Fotheringham, vice president of global sales at SAS, about what the airline’s growth plans could mean for North American travel agencies. 

Currently, the U.S. and Canada are the airline’s largest markets after Scandinavia, but there is plenty of room for growth there. For travel advisors perhaps selling a coolcation to the northern European countries, Fotheringham says a flight on SAS is a “fantastic opportunity for their customers to feel a piece of that Scandinavian passion.” 

From Scandinavian design and simplicity to seamless connections to other parts of the world, such as Asia, there are several selling points for the North American market.  

Fotheringham also called the 80^th anniversary a perfect way to showcase the strength of the SAS brand and its recent investments. The growth plans include strengthened partnerships with Air France, Virgin, Delta, and KLM.  

SAS also recently ordered 45 new Airbus A320neo, which will support more long-haul flights.