Last December 22, Scandinavian Airlines SAS made the first intercontinental flight of its new long-haul narrowbody aircraft. The Airbus A321LR flew between Copenhagen (CPH) and Washington Dulles (IAD), in anticipation of the official start of operations on March 27, 2022.
Cabins
The new SAS aircraft is equipped with an innovative concept of three classes of service: the business class consists of 22 fully reclining seats with a 2-2 and 1-1 staggered configuration, the last row has the very popular «throne-type» seat, this product is similar to that of several European competitors such as TAP Air Portugal and Aer Lingus.
See also: Great delay, great experience: flying on Aer Lingus A321neo
Furthermore, SAS is setting a new trend with the first narrowbody aircraft to offer a true premium economy product for long-haul flights: the Scandinavian airline will offer 12 SAS Plus seats in a 2-2 configuration. This product is the same as that offered by the carrier on its Airbus A350-900s and similar to the U.S. carriers’ domestic first class.
The economy class consists of 123 seats, in a 3-3 configuration, and with individual entertainment screens. The airline provides high-speed Wi-Fi and USB port connections at each seat on the new A321LR.
SAS put its new Airbus A321LR into revenue service for the first time yesterday. We take you inside for a tour and see some of the cabin highlights you'll find aboard the newest member of the SAS fleet. https://t.co/YaTydSkKOO pic.twitter.com/5pza9m2nJ4
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 21, 2021
«This is a brand new aircraft type for SAS, which is amazingly well suited to the Scandinavian market and emerging travel patterns to and from the region. It gives SAS the opportunity to offer travelers more intercontinental routes, fewer stopovers, and shorter travel times to and from Scandinavia. The new aircraft is equipped with a service concept to match the rest of the SAS long-haul fleet, offering passengers all the benefits, comfort level, and options of our travel classes,» said Karl Sandlund, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of SAS.
With the new Airbus A321LR, SAS continues the commitment to reduce environmental impact, this aircraft whose carbon footprint is 15-18% lower than previous-generation models.
«We have set ourselves the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 25% by 2023. The fleet renewal, including the new long-haul aircraft, is an investment towards more sustainable aviation,» added Sandlund.
Entry into service
The new Airbus A321LRs will be based at the main SAS hub in Copenhagen (CPH) and will only operate transatlantic flights to the United States during the 2022 northern summer season. The first routes will be to Boston (BOS), Washington Dulles (IAD) and the second daily flight to Newark (EWR).
SAS will feature the second-largest premium configuration on an Airbus A321LR in the market, second only to JetBlue Airways and the only one to offer three classes. This new aircraft will also enable the airline to explore new destinations, keep routes operating year-round and add capacity on existing routes.
