tsastor

That is really not saying much!

view

Some are perhaps minor, yet it is still a very, very bad decision from SAS to dump all EBG+ and Plus at almost 50 outstations without a lounge. Talk about shooting themselves in the foot, this is going to be death by a thousand cuts.

At the least they should have kept lounge access for EBG+, I never understood why they gave Plus all the benefits like that.

ksu

Of course, but you could also say that SAS should get more lounges on domestic destinations, where they do make money, but where competion is also strong.

oliver2002

SAS Plus is nothing but a premium economy product, the lounge access is a vestigial legacy from the times when SAS had a regional business class. SAS 'Euroclass' had a good run from 1981 till the introduction of SAS 'Plus'.

radu

I honestly cannot believe that this measure is to correct a mathematical error SAS made, that they wouldn't have calculated the price of lounge access for Plus passengers and they were surprised by the bill. I want to give SAS management a bit more credit than that.

So the question I have been asking myself is why first over-value the Plus product and then devalue it at a rather fast pace? I always thought it bizarre that SAS included lounge access with Plus tickets, since it is considered an economy fare. I supposed it was just a 'special offer' to get traditionally low-fare customers to move up the pay scale, to pay the premium and get used to travelling in Plus - I know a few who did just that. I also supposed that SAS would gradually eliminate this 'offer', since it made no commercial sense. And so it happened. Over the recent past I am sure we all noticed that Plus has indeed become less 'special' overall: less flexibility with the introduction of the saver fare, less points on the lower Plus fares, less availability in the 'same booking class' unless you have the highest booking class on the ticket. Now they are eliminating lounge access not only in contracted lounges, which would be an expected thing to do, but also in *A lounges outside Europe.

Moreover, why devalue in this way the EBG/EBD status, when every survey they ran showed that lounge access was the most valued benefit for elite status holders? Last time I flew out of Bucharest in early December the lounge staff asked me for the first time ever if I had an invitation from SAS for the lounge, and my negative answer was followed by a remark that SAS passengers would soon be accepted by-invitation-only, the Gold card is no longer sufficient, so I should remember to ask for a voucher next time. It did make me think on what grounds the invitation would be issued, but I had not seen this coming.

Here's my two penn'orth, considering that Scandinavian cultures are long-term oriented and that all SAS enhancements are meant to make us travel/pay more. What if this, in fact, was a long-planned step in a strategy to
(1) add value to EBD and
(2) re-introduce business class fares intra-Europe?
In a (short) while SAS will launch its enhanced EB programme. Will they start issuing lounge invitations for EBD irrespective of travel class at all airports, while EBG will be limited to *A business lounges where they exist? And will further enhancements follow, with the current saver fares remaining in Plus, while the higher fares - and some even higher ones - becoming Business, including full flexibility and invitations to lounges?

This is just speculation, but probably a few things I would go for if I were somewhere high up at Frösundavik

oliver2002

Frösundavik has a lot on their plate in 2017. Fuel is going up, interest rates are going up and the labor contracts with the 12 unions are still not sorted out. They are certainly looking for any low hanging fruit to cut out of pocket costs and the contract lounge contract renewal was most certainly hanging very low. Unit revenue is comparatively low since the ME3 and FR/DY are happy to lower their prices to retain customers. SAS is no longer long term oriented since the 2009 crisis nearly made them go belly up.

GUWonder

Interest rates are going up? If SAS no longer is long-term-oriented, they should be happy that the central bank in the largest of the home market countries for SAS has plans to keep the current interest rate environment hostile to savers. Aren't fuel prices lower now than they were at the end of 2009?

oliver2002

Nearly all of SK's fleet is leased, the rates of which are related to the greenback interest rates in the world market.

GUWonder

Just because some plane lease agreements' terms may be rooted in USD terms and US interest rates doesn't by itself exclude the possibilities for the airline to finance its leases and operations in other ways and to play the arbitrage and hedge game to tap into money on somewhat different terms than those made directly explicit in a lease agreement. But then again which private sector financiers or even sovereign wealth funds really want to be a major creditor to an airline and be a generous creditor while at it.

KL714

Does anyone know what will happen to the lounge in AMS (since it is not mentioned in either list)? I sent an email to SK customer service about some issues and asked them this as well and got the following amazing response: 'Regarding the lounges this has recently started with the new concept so i'm afraid i don't have to much information regarding this so far.'

Tango Alpha

I'm flying MXP-CPH today. BP shows 'Fast Track'. Interesting as fast track was announced to be terminated at MXP on January 1th. SAS IT? Or?

Will soon know.

Jainzar

According to the *A lounge finder nothing has changed when I checked at the beginning of the month. At other airports mentioned in the list lounge access was removed in the *A lounge finder for SK flights.

Tango Alpha

Worked perfectly with fast track. The checkin agent even told me, that I had that possibility.

Strange.

another_shot

VNO lounge has a printed note at the entrance explaining SK pax are no longer welcome. No note at TLL but I have witnessed a number of frustrated pax being explained they cannot get in. Both VNO and TLL are 7-8 SK departures a day each

view

Itīs crazy to butcher the service in busy business airports like that, I will certainly consider LH next time, as I usually connect at ARN or CPH anyway to OSL. Seems SAS kept AMS lounge (and FT?), must be a reason for that. Amount of business traffic? Competition from KL?