Final leg of this trip is London-Copenhagen-Stockholm with SAS, the stop in Copenhagen is only to maximise the miles.
I had originally planned to fly London-Copenhagen with Varig, they do (did) fly Brazil-London-Copenhagen three times a week with three cabins onboard (another flight in F for me), but we all know what happened to that plan.
The Varig flight was actually still showing up on Expertflyer when I was about to book, so I asked about it when making the booking (in case of any problems I’m sure SAS would have helped me, especially since they even handled check-in for Varig in London).
However my booking contact at SAS was not even allowed to book the flight due to the financial problems of Varig, and two weeks later the route was indefinitely cancelled.
So it’s good old SAS for me to Copenhagen!
I arrived quite early at Heathrow Terminal 3, a little over three hours before departure.
I actually tend to arrive early when flying SAS out of Heathrow as terminal 3 has pretty good shopping and as Star Alliance gold I also have access to as many as three lounges in terminal 3, two of them being very nice (and no, the UA RCC is not one of them
).
Check-in at Heathrow
Four desks were open in the SAS check-in area, one baggage drop, two premium desks, and one economy class desks. That’s not a lot considering all the SAS flights out of Heathrow.
The line for the single economy class desk was quite long, and some people looked at me angrily when I could walk straight to the empty business class check-in desk upon arrival (If I had not arrived, someone from the economy class line could have used it).
The young woman at the check-in desk was very friendly, I have been very happy with the SAS staff at Heathrow on my last visits (for a while they were pretty grumpy).
However she had problems checking me in, it turned out all flights from Heathrow to Scandinavia were fully booked, and my flight from Copenhagen to Stockholm was even overbooked by as many as 17 passengers.
In order to sort out this overbooking situation they had a check-in restriction for the flight, so the check-in agents had to call to get approval to check in passengers for that flight, although with a gold card and a business class ticket it was obviously not a problem for me.
It took a few minutes before the restriction was lifted for my ticket, in the meantime I got to see yet another agent amazed by my itinerary, I agree it looks quite impressive when you see it at the back of the ticket.
Soon she got permission to check me in, my luggage was tagged all the way to Stockholm and I got boarding passes for both flights.
I also asked about the weight of my luggage, not that I was worried about having to pay (piece concept for RTW tickets), I was just curious. It turned out I had 51 kilos of checked luggage!! Yikes!!
I went upstairs and used the fast track security as I was travelling in business class. The fast track definitely takes more time now than it used to with all restrictions on liquids and the shoe circus that they have now imported to the UK.
It could have been worse though, I was through within a few minutes.
Singapore Airlines Silverkris lounge, London/Heathrow
I proceeded to possibly my favourite lounge at Heathrow, the Singapore Airlines lounge located to the left after the main tax-free area next to gate 10.
What I really like about this lounge is the food offering with plenty of proper sandwiches and even hot food in the evenings, since SAS has scrapped free food in economy it’s nice to have something proper to eat in the lounge before the flight.
The reception staff should also get credit for never making a comment about being in the wrong lounge, not once have they told me to go to the SAS lounge instead, they just advice you to keep an eye on the monitors as obviously no boarding announcements are made. ^
There were not a lot of people in the lounge when I arrived, but after a while more people started arriving for the 6.30 pm departure to Singapore.
Since I did not have much lunch I had some food to eat from the buffet, no hot food available though, I guess it was still a bit too early.
I also had some red wine from the bar counter, I tend to enjoy the red wine they have in the lounge for some reason.
Overall I think the SQ lounge in Heathrow is very nice. Very bright and modern, great staff, nice view of the apron and a pretty good food and drinks selection. ^
If you have a laptop you can also ask for one hour of free wi-fi at the reception.
Pics
The entrance to the Singapore Airlines lounge at Heathrow terminal 3
Inside the lounge
The bar (which is manned)
The self-service buffet area
The view from the lounge
SAS/Air Canada “London lounge”, London/Heathrow
After the SQ lounge and a bit of shopping I went to the SAS lounge, “The London lounge”, located right opposite the tax-free area, it’s pretty impossible to miss.
The London lounge is definitely one of the better ones, it is shared by SAS and Air Canada but certainly feels more SAS than AC, overall it’s a nice place to kill some time inside.
The lounge is divided into two floors, although both floors have a self-service buffet area. The ground floor is more suited for people who want to work in the lounge with a business area, work stations, the SAS and Air Canada service centres etc. The first floor is more suited for people who are in the lounge for leisure. There is a cinema room for example, several TVs, internet computers, video games, a secluded room where you can get some rest, and even a play area for children.
They used to have massage chairs in the lounge as well, but since they were always broken they decided to remove them and now there are lounge chairs there instead, what a pity!
I had some drinks from the self-service buffet and had a seat in the cinema room where they showed a football game. The cinema room is the nicest place in the lounge in my opinion and this summer I actually spent an evening there watching one of the world cup football games before catching my flight, that was pretty fun!
Soon the monitors indicated it was time to go to the gate, the flight to Copenhagen was leaving from the gate next to the lounge, so a very short walk.
Pics
The entrance to the London lounge
The self-service buffet on the ground floor
The self-service buffet on the first floor
Sitting areas on the first floor
People watching football inside (and outside) the cinema room
Plenty of magazines available in the lounge
London/Heathrow-Copenhagen, flight SK 1516 operated by SAS
Departure: 18:15
Arrival: 21:10
Aircraft: MD-80
Class: Business Class
Seat: 02F
At Heathrow SAS offers priority boarding for business class passengers and Star golds. This is one of the few places in Europe where I know priority boarding is offered on a regular basis and sometimes they even enforce it strictly (checking boarding passes at the door so only eligible passengers board). Very nice and very appreciated!! ^
The nice thing with the priority boarding is also that you can take whatever newspapers you want as they are available right between the gate area and the plane, they are on a first-come-first basis.
I was one of the first passengers onboard and had chosen 02F which is my seat of preference. The aircraft in use was an MD80 (I think it was an MD81) which has a 2-3 configuration onboard, however in business class the middle seat is “reserved for comfort” (as the signs say), so it’s better to go for an aisle seat or a window seat on the right side as you get more space.
There is a small closet in the front of the cabin where they sometimes offer to hang jackets for business class passengers. It’s not really an official benefit (i.e. part of the service concept) but regular SAS travellers know it’s there and usually ask for it (if not being asked) in case they have a jacket or a coat they want to get rid of.
As I had a jacket I asked one of the flight attendants if she could take it, not a problem!
Just like I had been told at check-in the flight was completely full in all classes, not sure if anyone was left behind though. We departed fairly quickly from runway 27L and we were told it would be a short flight time to Copenhagen, around 1h 35 min.
Once in the air the seat belt sign was turned off very quickly (after 5 mins or so) and the inflight service started.
SAS offers three cabins onboard intra-European flights: Economy class, which is basically no-frills, not even water is free. Economy flex, which is an upgraded economy class with a cold meal and drinks included. And Business class with a hot meal and all drinks for free.
The inflight service in business class was the standard SAS service on all longer intra-European flight (above 90 mins or so).
Drinks are offered with nuts before the meal.
Then the meal service starts, in business class they serve a hot meal, or as they call it “a cold meal with a hot item” (which is probably more accurate). The “hot item” on this flight was chicken served with some salad and potatoes.
On the tray there was also a small dessert and some cheese, and the crew passed through the cabin with bread rolls. I also had some Nicolas Feuillate champagne to drink.
After the main meal coffee and tea were offered and they passed a second time (or a third time) with the drink trolley offering cognac, whiskey, liquors etc with the coffee.
Pics
Nicolas Feuillate to drink before the meal
The inflight meal in business class to Copenhagen
Two flight attendants were in charge of the business class cabin on this flight, a young Swedish woman and a slightly older Danish woman.
The service was friendly but not spectacular, but on the other hand they had to work hard to manage all the entire meal service in less than 90 minutes.
Overall the inflight service in business class was OK, I certainly have no complaints, but not many years ago they used to hand out a nice menu in business class and maybe only five years ago they served a proper hot meal in C (not just a hot item) and there were two choices available.
The service on this flight was fine, but there have been many complaints in the SAS forum about old and grumpy FAs who can make a flight miserable. The average age of SAS FAs is quite high, and some FAs who have been around for some time have difficulties accepting all the cutbacks and unfortunately focus their anger on the passengers.
I have experienced these flights as well, and they are not fun, but fortunately this was a nice flight with a friendly crew onboard.
Due to the short flight time we landed 10 mins early in Copenhagen and were safely parked at the gate in no time. The taxi to the gate was amazingly quick, three minutes or so, the captain didn’t seem to apply the brakes one single time until we got to the gate, he just continued rolling.
I have experienced that before in Copenhagen, is it really permitted?
Copenhagen is one of my favourite airports, bright and modern with over 50 shops in the transit area. The terminal is starting to get a bit too crowded though, and it is getting increasingly hard to get from one end of the terminal to the other with all the people in the shopping areas, especially if you are in a hurry with a short transfer.
Pics
Plenty of tax-free shops in Copenhagen
More tax-free shops in Copenhagen
SAS Scandinavian lounge, Copenhagen
With the early arrival I had plenty of time for a lounge visit.
The SAS Scandinavian lounge in Copenhagen is one of my favourites, even though some parts of it are starting to look a bit worn.
The food and drinks selection is pretty good, they have free internet, and they even have two dayrooms (only mentioned on the SAS webpage, not in the lounge) which you can use if you have a long layover and want to get some rest.
I used one of the rooms once on a 4-hour layover, it was just like a small hotel room and I got two hours of sleep in there, it saved my day!!
I checked my e-mails in the lounge and had some more drinks, they also had some nice cheese available at the buffet.
The lounge wasn’t very crowded this evening, just a few people waiting for the late connecting flights from Copenhagen to the major Scandinavian cities.
Pics
The entrance to the SAS Scandinavian lounge in Copenhagen
The reception desk in the lounge
Inside the lounge
The buffet area, it is supposed to look like a Scandinavian kitchen
Plenty of newspapers, both to the right and below the departure monitors
Comfortable sofas and armchairs
The inner part of the lounge, you can usually see the strait of Oresund through the windows
Copenhagen-Stockholm/Arlanda, flight SK 1428 operated by SAS
Departure: 22:45
Arrival: 23:55
Aircraft: Boeing 737-600
Class: Economy Class (one-class only)
Seat: 03F
I left the lounge quite late and most passengers had already boarded when I got to the gate.
The flight to Stockholm was completely full, since it was overbooked by 17 passengers I’m pretty sure a few people were left behind. I think they managed it quite well though by forcing the check-in agents to get approval before checking in passengers, it’s definitely better to be rebooked to a later flight already at the departure airport than being stuck in Copenhagen at 11 pm.
The vast majority of the passengers onboard were people who had arrived one hour earlier in Copenhagen from other European cities.
Due to some late connecting passengers and some last minute transfer luggage to load we pushed back 15 minutes late. Since this was the last flight to Stockholm and obviously no passengers had connections in Stockholm they prefer to wait for late passengers rather than leave them behind in Copenhagen.
The flight time to Stockholm was around one hour in length. I really don’t remember much of it as I was very tired and slept most of the flight.
As on most intra-Scandinavian flights they probably served coffee, tea and water free of charge while everything else was available for purchase (soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, snacks, sandwiches).
We landed a few minutes late at Arlanda airport, but at least my luggage was first on the belt. I noticed the luggage tag on one of the bags had fallen off and had been replaced, well 28 kilo is quite a lot for any person to lift.
I was picked up at the airport and I was soon off for a lot of well-needed sleep!!
Pics
Just landed at Stockholm Arlanda airport, the trip is over!
The very last comment
This completes the trip report of my round the world trip 2006!
That was the last proper instalment of the report, the trip is over and there are no more flights to post (at least not this time).
I will post a short summary though of the trip and the flights taken, and I am also planning to post a little comparison of the various premium products I have tried, but after that the report will be added to the Flyertalk history.
Thank you all very much for all the comments I have received!! ^
At the time of writing this report has 11837 views and 157 replies!! That's incredible!!
I am absolutely fascinated by the interest it has generated, and needless to say I’m delighted to see so many nice comments about the report.
When some people complain FT was down for one day so no new instalments were posted and others say this is one of the best reports they have read, you really feel it was worth the time it took to write the bloody thing, type menus, and upload all the 590 pics.
So thanks all for being such a nice and friendly bunch of readers!!
^ ^