Hi there,

I'm flying with SAS for the first time this coming Saturday 30th, LHR-ARN direct, late afternoon. I'm flying in business class and was just wondering what to expect on the ground and on board. What lounge/s can I access at LHR T2, and how strict is the hand luggage policy? I'm away for five nights and so ideally I would like to check a suitcase but what with all the reports of lost luggage recently I was wondering about taking a hand-luggage size suitcase and another bag onboard. Is that possible? Also, will I be able to use a fast-track security section at T2?

Very grateful for any and all advice, thanks!

You will find SAS checkin and bag drop immediately as you enter T2 departures at the top of the big escalator outside. There is Star Alliance Fast Track through security.

SAS flights usually depart from T2A (i.e. the main part of T2) although they do occasionally depart from T2B (the satellite). T2B tends only to be used by nightstopping SAS aircraft, so an afternoon flight is unlikely to depart from there.

In T2A, the Lufthansa Business Lounge (05:00-22:00) is your first option. Turn right after SAS Fast Track security. It's fine, but nothing special. I am fond of Lufthansa lounges for the German white wines, which tend to be more dry than those found in other airline lounges. If you have Star Alliance Gold or higher, you can enter the Senator lounge-within-a-lounge which is basically the same.

In T2B, you also have the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge (06:00-22:00), the SilverKris Lounge (05:30-22:00) and the United Club (05:00-20:00). The Star Alliance Lounge Finder says that you are entitled to use all of these when travelling on SAS in Plus Class. However there is no transit to T2B, you have to take the escalator down and then walk with the travelator over there. Allow 10-15 minutes each way if you know your flight is departing from T2A.

I can't comment on the checked luggage situation, I'm afraid, I always travel light. You are probably familiar with the Airbus A320neo bins - you can probably manage five days with hand luggage that will fit.

LHR routes are almost exclusively operated by the Irish-registered SAS Connect subsidiary with relatively new A320neo. Flights are crewed by agency staff who are younger, more enthusiastic and more friendly than the mainline SAS cabin crews. Occasionally on weekends, flights are operated in/out of LHR by either CityJet or Xfly on CRJ-900.

Technically SAS doesn't have business class on short haul - just SAS Plus, which is the name of the Premium Economy cabin on long haul flights. It is not a true business class. Middle seats will not be blocked. You will get an uninspiring boxed meal, probably laden with pork. Call SAS in advance (good luck with that) if you want a vegan, vegetarian or other special meal. (I usually order special meals at the SAS service counter when I pass through ARN on preceding trips). Below is a photo of a vegan box meal in SAS Plus from April this year. It featured some of those disturbingly meat-looking pieces of not-meat that are popular these days, probably Oumph. If you don't want the regular meal (highly likely) you can have as much as you like from the regular inflight menu at no cost. In addition the cabin crew will come round with some chocolates after the service.


Vegan Special Meal, SAS Plus BRU-CPH, 29 April 2022.

I assume you're flying SAS Plus, which is really premium economy onboard but in some respects treated as business class on ground. (SAS Business only exists on long haul flights, on European flights it's SAS Go = economy and SAS Plus.) I'm assuming you don't have a Star Alliance Gold card since you don't mention it.
If you do check in baggage there's a priority check in queue for you, although I seldom see very long queues at the SAS counters. I flew LHR-ARN one week ago and my bags arrived together with me. For a long time, arriving bags seems to be a bigger problem than departing bags at LHR and bag problems seem to be more common at T5 than T2.
Carry on baggage in SAS Plus is:

• 1 x underseat bag (40x30x15 cm)
• 1 x 8 kg/18 lbs carry-on bag (55x40x23 cm)

I can't remember any detailed check at gate of the carry on bags for SAS passengers that qualify for priority boarding (such as you), but I wouldn't count on being able to bring two bags that are obviously much bigger than what's allowed.
Yes, you qualify for "Gold Track" through security at T2. Just aim to the right of the regular security to find it.
You'll get in to (some version of) all four Star Alliance lounges at T2: Lufthansa at A gates, but only the outer Business part (not the inner Senator part), and Air Canada, Singapore (Business part) and United Plus lounges at B gates if you have time to walk there and back (about 10 min each way, you need to use the elevator at both T2B and T2A to get back from T2B to T2A since the escalators only go in the opposite direction). My favorite is United Plus, but some prefer Singapore Airlines.
On board you get a cold meal in a box and drinks (soft and alcoholic), and some chocolate afterwards. They typically only do one round with the drinks cart (so no separate pre-meal drink service) and then only go around with more coffee and tea rather than the full cart.
If late afternoon is the 1755 flight you unfortunately won't get free Wi-Fi in Plus because it's operated by a CRJ-900 (2-2 seating) according to SAS flight status page and they don't have Wi-Fi. In quieter times there is often a free middle seat in Plus on A320s, but it is never guaranteed. This summer (and otherwise during busy times) expect completely occupied seat rows in Plus on A320s and no free middle seat. The food and drinks service is the same on CRJ-900 flights.

The best advice I can give, get yourself a proper meal before the flight and have no expectations.

Thanks all - much appreciated.

Good morning from the LH Senator Lounge (Star Alliance Gold lounge within the LH Lounge). Just a comment that LHR-T2 queues for baggage drop are worse than for security - although this may have been exacerbated by the early hour of day. I suspect the afternoon will be quieter but I�d suggest travelling with hand luggage from LHR for the time being.

As you arrive by escalator or elevator on the departures level of LHR-T2 (the uppermost level), those with hand baggage can ignore the snaking queue to enter the terminal. Just walk past and head for security.

The problems with bag drop at LHR are early morning ones in T2. The baggage belts are not operational until 04.00 and the queues for the first round of departures at 06.00 do tend to be outside the terminal particularly for TP and SK. LH, LX TK and OS at the other end of T2 do a little better in that they start tagging the bags particularly for gold and business class so that once the belts start running they are ready to go. Security in T2 does not open until 04.30 so there is always a long queue for that too and the Gold Track doesn't open until 05.00 so unless you are on the very first round i.e. 06.00-07.00 it pays to be a little bit later to the terminal. Later in the day I haven't had too much of a problem, longest wait in the gold track was one morning a couple of weeks ago at 20 minutes.

I just returned to ARN from TLL about the same time as your flight arrived today. Overhearing people waiting at the luggage belt there was a 45 minute queue to get through immigration when arriving at ARN and even a longer wait for bags.

For our CRJ900 flight from TLL we waited over an hour to get our bags.

Unreal, my flight has just been cancelled with less than 27 hours notice.

Ugh, that sucks.... call in immediately and try to see if they rebook you on BA 776 tomorrow at 7am..... that is the only option on the weekend I currently see.... next available option seems to be on the Monday with SK 1530 at 6:40am.

Or... LX317->OS570->OS317

Sucks a lot... but at least gets you to ARN on Saturday.

Sunday evening via OSL is also available: SK810 17:30 to OSL, connecting to SK1488 to ARN.

True, SAS shows it.... but I couldn't book that via the corporate TA system... interesting.

They've offered me LH on Sunday 31st LHR-MUC-ARN which is almost doable however it will be tight, as the reason I'm going to Stockholm is to see the Rolling Stones on Sunday evening. Flight lands 17:40, need to get to city centre hotel to check-in etc and then up to the Friends Arena. Nightmare!!

P.S. thanks all for your advice in the last few minutes. This is my first experience with SAS so we're not off to a great start, haha!

Pack light and go straight to the arena

If you take the regional train (not Arlanda Express) from ARN you can get off in Solna and are in walking distance to the arena. You can check in after the show.