ksu

Security staff are not employed by SAS, so that cannot be blamed on SAS.

ksu

In Norway one would actually be more likely to use the full name, or the last name in that setting, as using the first name to someone you don't know would be seen as too overfamiliar,

(A major grudge against telemarketers, which provokes us 40+ here are calls starting: "Hello, [firstname1], this is [firstname2]". - It must be said that the telemarketers using this approach often are chirpy young Swedes)

GUWonder

Airport security screeners are their own characters, but that is not an issue with SAS per se as it hits much the same way when using other airlines there since they are hired by the airport. ARN tends to have at least marginally more grumpy security screeners than is the case at CPH and OSL. But in Scandinavia, I've never seen unfriendly primary security screeners like I've seen at times at the podunk MMX/"Malmo" airport that is much further from Malmo than Malmo is from CPH. Not that they can compete with the grumpy ones working for the US Government at US airports.

French service culture is far more formal than Scandinavian service culture.

And also AF crews may tend to be a little more intrinsically familiar with dealing with cultural differences and cultural expectations than SAS crews. Just consider what kind of route network AF has had in recent decades compared to what the SAS network has looked like during recent decades and what that means in terms of customer mix and customer expectations. Also, AF has a more relevant and recent history with regard to proper first class long-haul service on some routes than SAS. That has down-the-line implications too with regard to service, good and bad.

fassy

I find it quite irritating that here in Sweden telemarketing seems to be totally accepted.

in a bad week I get like up to 20 calls. And my wife another 40 (as she gets a lot more call than I do)

No idea why this is even allowed. At least give me the opportunity to put my number on a “do. not. call!” list. I have better things to do, than saying “no” to telemarketers.

one of the good changes they did in Germany… ban this practice.

GUWonder

Perhaps you can get the telephone number pinned as the number for a child who can't enter into contracts and then the calls would stop for a few years?

I'm just glad SAS FAs aren't into selling credit card applications when I'm trying to sleep or otherwise do not want to be disturbed.

One day there should be a(nother?) comedy show made about how arguments can go between Scandinavians and non-Scandinavians.

fassy

Well, I got rid of legit banks and insurance companies by claiming I do not speak any Swedish. They stopped at some point calling us. But it doesn't stop some of the usual Telefonbedrägerier like utilities, some service subscriptions, news papers or just scams.

GUWonder

Did you also have to claim you do not speak any English? Speaking of which, some airlines seem to have crew members who tend to be better able to handle dealing with passengers who don't verbally communicate in a mutual language. SAS seems to sort of struggle in this regard -- from what I've seen on SAS -- and it's probably a function of its customer mix being different/narrower than is the case with other airlines that are more "global".

RoyalSwazi

A trick I heard about was to ask the caller how they know the person they’re calling, and then saying you’re a police officer at a crime scene. Slightly surprised Sweden doesn’t have a possibility to reserve oneself from being harassed by telemarketers.

As to SAS crews, I’ve experienced everything from excellent to hostile. I’ve never been shouted at, but I have seen it. In general, the crews are nice and competent, but some are not. What is quite common is the lack of pleasantries, as in “don’t take more than one newspaper”. I’ve found Swedish crews to be the friendliest, Norwegians second and Danes third. This is a general observation, and I’ve had good and bad experiences with all three. As has been mentioned, Scandinavia is a very informal place in general and for languages like English, with plenty of pleases and thank yous, it can come across as rude. It is just the way we talk.

Fredrik74

I thought we did and it's called NIX-registret. It appears it didn't really work with mobile phones for a while.

I don't think the guys from "Microsoft" in India who call people respect that anyway.

fassy

Well, for me it is less about "formal" or "informal". I was - and still am, even after 10 years - quite surprised how minimalistic interaction is. E.g. in shop, you put your wares on the desk, the cashier says "sju.hundra.femtio.åtta kronor" MAYBE on a very good day "sju.hundra.femtio.åtta, tak", the customer pays without a word, cashier says "kvitto?" and customer says "Nej" or "Ja". Process done.

Or what I have seen on SK quite a lot, the FA ask "Drycker?" and the pax says "Öl!". Done. And nobody finds this strange or rude. It is just the way it is.

When I grew up, my mom took a lot of care to ask and reply in full sentences. Like... "Do you want to have a drink?", "Yes, I would like a beer, please", "Here you go, enjoy your beer", "Thanks you! Very nice."

But then on the other hand, you have the "some customer discusses something about the product or service with the girl at the cash desk - which obviously has no clue what the customer is talking about - for hours until the shop closes and doesn't give any crap about the 5 mile long queue behind.

I'm used to it by now, but still from time to time in a shop or where I just roll my eyes about one or the other. I can see, how it would be perceived as rude by non-Scandinavians. But that is not the issue I'm having with unfriendly SK crews. I learned to live with that, "It is just fine" (my most favorite and hated Swedish idiom). It is more about not making me feel like welcome and being their guest on board by a lot of small things.

oliver2002

Again, that you can interact in two words for a transaction in some parts of Sweden is immaterial. SAS flies to a number of countries, and they are acutely aware that the culture at these destinations is distinctly different from the 'scandinavian way'. So the training and the midset of the crews should be multifaceted so the norwegian gets a grunt. the US pax a few extra 'how you doing, appreciate your business, thank you and please' and the japanese a slight bow and no pointy fingers?

JR67

This one: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...dhvNPvOu0g2qeO

:-)

saaveraward

If anyone should care, I disputed the cash upgrade price on one of the tickets and it was resolved in my favor.

I've also flown AF, OS and UA TATL J since and they've been wonderful crews with wonderful service. In fact, my UA paid J ticket was less than the upgrade cost I paid SAS and the difference was light years.

johan rebel

Not my experience.

The vast majority of cashiers not only say "hej", but look me in the eye when doing so. Usually spontaneously, occasionally only if I greet them first. I'm also surprised when I do not get a "tack och hej" or something similar at the end of the transaction. Maybe it's because I don't speak in monosyllabic sentences myself, maybe because I'm a rube out in the sticks who mainly interacts with other yokels, bumpkins and hayseeds in rural towns and villages where a modicum of common courtesy is still not unheard of.

Johan

GUWonder

In Malmo and Gothenburg, it's not uncommon for me to get a greeting and thanks exchange at grocery stores, but it's not in much the same manner as I would find typical in smaller cities in the Upper Midwest of the US or at the more common grocery stores for me in Washington and Chicago. Instead in Malmo and Gothenburg, it's more akin to the check-out staff waiting for a visual and/or verbal signal from my end before saying anything. In Stockholm grocery stores, it's almost the same as I'd get in Malmo and Gothenburg but it tends to seem more or less friendly to me than Malmo based on the age and gender of the worker. The coldest "greetings" -- and they really are not greetings -- which I see at grocery stores in Sweden are without a doubt in the "sleepy" small cities and towns in Skane, Blekinge and Sodermanland which seem to have had their best years behind them.

I find SAS FAs to be sort of representative of the kind of grocery store check-out clerk attitude I encounter in Sweden and Denmark. And the bigger city ones aren't necessarily better or worse than the ones who are from "rural towns and villages" -- when it comes to FAs and when it comes to grocery store employees.