A bowl of soup worth waiting for
Mar 6, 2015, 9:48 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: BA Gold (OWE), SAS Diamond (*G)
Posts: 584
A bowl of soup worth waiting for
There is currently no soup in the OSL international lounge. Meanwhile, there are signs saying that work is underway to expand the lounge. Has the hot food been enhanced until the "bigger and better" lounge opens in October?
True, this lounge is always close to capacity when I pass through, so "bigger" would be good but I am very suspicious of SAS's definition of "better". Most of all, I was looking forward to my bowl of soup.
True, this lounge is always close to capacity when I pass through, so "bigger" would be good but I am very suspicious of SAS's definition of "better". Most of all, I was looking forward to my bowl of soup.
Mar 6, 2015, 11:10 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: OSL
Programs: SK Diamond, LH SEN, KL Ivory, AY Basic, OZ silver
Posts: 1,103
Happened a few times in the CPH lounge as well. I've actually been there asking for a soup renewal. Still wasn't there when I left about one hour later.
Must be a hell of a soup to make, what SAS serves.
It is good news though that the lounge will be expanded. About time, I'd say.
Must be a hell of a soup to make, what SAS serves.
It is good news though that the lounge will be expanded. About time, I'd say.
Mar 9, 2015, 5:29 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 60
I don't know if I'm sharing a trade secret in the international lounge business, but after walking past one of the SAS CPH lounge storage facilities, I can reveal the supplier of soups... some heating required 
http://www.arla.dk/produkter/info/?productid=4002
http://www.arla.dk/produkter/info/?productid=4002
Mar 9, 2015, 5:55 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: BA Gold (OWE), SAS Diamond (*G)
Posts: 584
On Thursdays they could serve...
... or komle.
More seriously, and back on topic, I understand that it's difficult to make cost-effective good food from scratch airside for relatively large numbers of punters (look at the extensive threads over on the BA forum about what passes for food in BA Galleries First at Heathrow). But if they stick to simple things, mass-produced but done well, it needn't be a disaster. On the two occasions I have used it, the contract lounge next door at OSL had a much more appetising selection of salads and snacks.
... or komle.
More seriously, and back on topic, I understand that it's difficult to make cost-effective good food from scratch airside for relatively large numbers of punters (look at the extensive threads over on the BA forum about what passes for food in BA Galleries First at Heathrow). But if they stick to simple things, mass-produced but done well, it needn't be a disaster. On the two occasions I have used it, the contract lounge next door at OSL had a much more appetising selection of salads and snacks.
Mar 9, 2015, 11:56 pm
#5
Join Date: Oct 2011
Programs: EuroBonus Diamond, Delta Skymiles 360, BAEC LTG, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 2,822
SK already has the dual lounge setup in most places, might as well charge a bit more (indirectly) for the better one and serve real food and edible items. When an airline starts serving only the absolute minimum they are obviously not understanding the importance and necessity of a lounge, similar to having really really really ...... wifi (hello EWR lounge). I'm most willing to pay more for a better experience.
Mar 10, 2015, 1:32 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: CPH
Programs: EBG, HHonors Gold, Club Carlson Elite
Posts: 68
When it comes to food, and many other aspects too, SK lounges cannot compare to LH SEN in FRA and MUC. These are indeed some of my favourtite spots to relax, eat Leberkäse and drink good beer vom Fass (or even cocktails). Unfortunately my recent travel pattern doesn't take me to Germy as often as I would like to.
Mar 11, 2015, 5:59 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: BA Gold (OWE), SAS Diamond (*G)
Posts: 584
Well, to follow up on my own rant, there was porridge this morning. So it must have been a temporary blip. And best of all, of course, is that one can eat it from a real bowl unlike on the domestic side.
Mar 11, 2015, 6:20 am
#8
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: OSL
Programs: SK Diamond, LH SEN, KL Ivory, AY Basic, OZ silver
Posts: 1,103
There's not even real food on the domestic side. Just some cat vomit that's served in plastic cups during breakfast hours. There's no real glassware or tableware there either, not even a real lounge dragon. The whole domestic lounge is fake. 
Mar 11, 2015, 6:41 am
#9
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: BA Gold (OWE), SAS Diamond (*G)
Posts: 584
Mar 11, 2015, 6:57 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: OSL
Programs: SK Diamond, LH SEN, KL Ivory, AY Basic, OZ silver
Posts: 1,103
The Café Lounge concept looks worryingly similar. Maybe SAS could do away with food in lounges like they have done away with newspapers, and instead give us each a voucher to buy proper food...
Mar 12, 2015, 12:42 pm
#11
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Koala Lemur
Programs: SK EBD LTG (*G)
Posts: 2,445
When it comes to food, and many other aspects too, SK lounges cannot compare to LH SEN in FRA and MUC. These are indeed some of my favourtite spots to relax, eat Leberkäse and drink good beer vom Fass (or even cocktails). Unfortunately my recent travel pattern doesn't take me to Germy as often as I would like to.
Mar 15, 2015, 12:16 pm
#12
Join Date: Oct 2011
Programs: EuroBonus Diamond, Delta Skymiles 360, BAEC LTG, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 2,822
Here I tend to disagree. They do have a better service, but the lounges themselves with a lot of hard surface finish and the big traffic are absolutely impossible to relax in. Acoustics is terrible They feel like a busy hotel lobby or ... an airport terminal. Noisy yes. Busy yes. Modern yes. They even have some kind of cool vibe to them, but I can't relax there. In this the CPH lounge is still better, with soft chairs and more 'at home'-like atmosphere. [note: I am not trying to say that the CPH lounge is superior to German lounges. I simply find that LH is quite unable to create spaces where one can actually rest]
Mar 16, 2015, 8:12 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,096
The lounges or interior aren't the problem, it is the appalling offering and quality of the food. Even a small offering of warm food that is accessible for non-Scandinavian travelers as well would be a massive improvement. Heck, just having some slices of pizza would really do the job. Add 100SEK to the ticket price and provide 40SEK worth of slices and it would be a financially sound and customer satisfying success.
Mar 16, 2015, 10:49 am
#14
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 624
The problem with adding 100 SEK to the price is that a lot of the passengers are happy to add a connection to save 50 SEK on their flights. It is for the wast majority not about what you get, but the price that is shown before you input the credit card number. Yeah, most of us here on this site disagree, but we are far from a majority of the passengers.
When demand is this elastic for s/h tickets (in particular), SK needs to be relatively competitive in search engines; +100SEK would do a surprising amount of damage to Go tickets (did an airline study 2 years ago, I doubt this demand landscape has changed much since).
Mar 16, 2015, 11:01 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: BA Gold (OWE), SAS Diamond (*G)
Posts: 584
And the truth is, certainly for the sort of journeys I do every week within Europe on which SAS and Norwegian compete head-to-head, SAS win not only on schedules and frequency, but also on price. Of course with SAS I get access to lounges and fast track whereas with Norwegian there is a better than evens chance of wifi. If Norwegian were even marginally cheaper I'd probably switch, because I don't feel like SAS values me when I am sitting on their planes or in their lounges.
