O'Hare
We were back to the airport by 2pm, and took another quick shower in the Hilton gym, and then hopped onto the terminal train to get to Terminal 5.
Train to Terminal 5
Though we already had our boarding passes issued by United the previous evening, we went to the check-in counter, which there was no line for business class, and requested to change our seats. We found out on Seatguru that our flight was a 2-2-2 configuration in business class, and were given 2 seats in the middle section. We would have preferred a window and aisle combination, and fortunately, the bulkhead seats on the right side were still available.
Check-in
SAS Lounge in Chicago
Passing through security was a breeze, and we then visited the SAS lounge. The lounge has an open layout, and the furniture definitely has a Scandinavia feel. Since we had not eaten after the bike tour, we were hoping to have lunch in the lounge, but were disappointed to find that there's no hot food at all. There were several choices of bread, and some cold cut meat, and that's about it. Well, no worries, we are sure we will have good appetite on the plane then.
SAS lounge in Chicago
Drinks and bread
Meat and Cheese
Flight
SK 946 Chicago (ORD) 4:25pm Stockholm (ARN) 7:45am (+1)
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Distance: 4272 miles
Duration : 8 hour 20 min
Class: Business
We boarded the plane, and was glad that we made the switch to the bulkhead window and aisle seats. It definitely has more privacy than the middle section. The shades were closed to keep the interior cool, but when we tried to look for the blankets, we were told that they won't be available till after take off. Maybe it's easier for the flight attendents to see that every has their seatbelts fastened that way.
After take off, the attendants distributed a big white package that says "Comfort" on it, it took us a while to realize that's the amenity kit. The inside has a black bag made of recyclable paper, while it does not look as nice as what we use to get from other airlines, the kit is definitely as environmentally friendly as it claims. What we were most impressed with the aircraft is, hmm, the toilet. We had not been on a plane with a window in the toilet, and now there are TWO windows inside ! You never truly experience what peeing in the sky is like till you use one of these toilets
Seats
Amenity Kits
Toilets with view
Magazines
Being the good passengers we are, we were also given a Scandianvian white bear and brown squirrel as sovenirs. For the first meal, we had some smoked trout for appetizer, and then had the seared halibut with caper sauce and beef fillet with Danish blue cheese sauce for the main course. The food tasted more delicious than it looks, probably because we were hungry after the bike tour. And we had chocolates for desserts. For mid flight snack, a "Buffet" area was set up where we can have some small sandwiches, fruits and, more chocolates.
Menu
Seared halibut
Fillet of beef
Buffet area
Prior to arrival, we were served breakfast. There's not a choice for hot breakfast, except for the hot roll, and the breakfast was quite simple and consisted of several slices of ham and cheese, and some fruits. There was also a take-out option, for people who would rather sleep more in the plane and pick up breakfast upon leaving the plane, which we have not seen on other airlines.
Breakfast