Fredrik74

Whatever they think I don't think they're doing a good job at it considering the financial result each year. Frankly, the new concept sounds like the new Germanwings. I have also tried AB and didn't find it bad at all. These days it seems the other passengers are what make or break intra-European flights because the airline offerings are so slim. I really hate Swedish families travelling near me. I guess it's because I understand what they're saying and SAS have a lot of these people.

clifford79

I chose Y on SK metal over SK codeshare on LX metal recently for the 100% EB (and bonus challenge) points. As *G I could eat and drink in the lounge and survive the 1-2h hops with coffee and tea, but if I didn't have any status and wasn't a crazy FT miles collector I would definitely have gone for LX where possible, so you have a very valid point.

SK2751

It really depends on your travel habits, patterns and needs.

Personally, I never really missed lack of service on board. I hate eating on a short flight. It is pretty much just asking for a chance to soil your cloth. I eat in the lounge, or before/after departure/arrival. I tend to fly early morning or late night. Often the best way to use the time is actually to get a nap. I appreciate that I am not bothered with temptation of food.

The value of the food you get is always negligible in comparison to the ticket price (whether you fly Y or C). So in my travel patterns price and the smoothness of the airport experience (schedule, fast track, priority boarding, seat pre-selection, etc) are the main decisive factors for me. Cabinn experience on short haul is almost a non-issue for me (except, as someone hinted, I do not like cabins filled with charter-like loud crowd).

Having said that, LX is often a good choice on these parameters for EBG, as the experience is comparable to SK (on the parameters I care about). I almost never choose them (maybe once a year) because their schedule on my destinations is usually less competitive.

BHIL

If you are EB member then SK will give you 100% points. LX will not unless you pay a full fare (or close to).

krzysz

I wouldn't be surprised if SAS decided to quote you once they decide to further "enhance" their service and offer even less value for money in comparison to their competitors. Most passengers (i) have no access to lounges and (ii) pay for their tickets out of their pockets. What could make them choose SAS over low cost carriers or reliable, full service airlines?

gnaget

Really? With UA Mileage Plus you get 100% miles for any LX booking class.

I guess the big carrot is the 200% miles for EB with Plus, but most of the time you are paying pretty much the same old business class fares, and I found that LX offers discounted business (when available) at the same price as a normal Go fare on SK for ARN-ZRH. Surely, EB gives at least 200% points for an LX business fare?

And when you are paying SEK 7000 one way, it's criminal to not at least block the middle seats. Pathetic. Especially with the horrible seat pitch on all shorthaul aircraft now that the MD-80s are gone.

nacho

Yes it used to be, but not the case anymore. We are all MP members and we had to bank our LX flights to OZ - they are the only ones that gives the most mileage for discounted LX Y.

gnaget

I think you are mistaken: http://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/mark...spx?ItemId=297

I am not an expert on LX booking classes but that seems like a comprehensive list. As you can see, premium LX tickets give additional earnings since, so that it matches what UA offers on LH.

For LH, UA only excludes very heavily discounted tickets for intra-Europe:
http://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/mark...spx?ItemId=298

nacho

My tickets for that leg was LX 'L' = according to the UA chart = 0, OZ= 70% of the miles.

http://us.flyasiana.com/Global/US/en...?fid=CLUB15200

LX 'L' is a special fare ticket and I think it's fairly 'newish' (from 2010 or so).

gnaget

Same as LH with L. I checked ARN-ZRH. A SEK 700 one way all-in fare is in K class, which is also excluded by UA. The typical discounted saver fares (SEK 1500ish) books in S or T class, which is 100% with UA.

Actually, SK has the cheapest flight on LX metal for twice the price also in booking class K on the same day. Not the same flight!

The typical Go Savers are SEK 2000 on SK's website vs. SEK 1500 on LX's.

SK2751

I pay 90% of my flights out of my pocket ... I do my EBG qualification on personal expense. This is precisely why I never take the food on board as an argument. Price is a much bigger factor. The food you get on board is worth less than 5 EUR in a supermarket downstairs.

gnaget

Here's a review in Danish with some people taking the last business class flights and returning in "Plus".

http://politiken.dk/turengaartil/rej...usiness-class/

My examples and data from ARN-ZRH show that SAS does not offer lower prices than a traditional airline even with codeshares.

fassy

I hope they will see this is crap and turn around 180 degrees in 6 month. But I doubt it... once managers decide to try something amazing new they will stick to it until the end.

nacho

Or until SAS goes bankrupt again

fassy

which would be the end - and probably the start for a LH expansion to the north