Trip Report: SAS Airlines, Copenhagen to London (LHR)
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In looking for flights between Copenhagen and London, there are many options available including both mainline and low-cost carriers. The various airlines also serve the various airports in London, so which airline you choose largely depends on price, your airline preference, time of day, and which London airport you would like to arrive at. My only criteria for my flight was that I wanted to leave Copenhagen in the evening, everything else I was flexible with.
As I said there were a number of options available including easyjet, Norwegian, Flybe, British Airways, Ryanair, Eurowings, and SAS. In looking at base prices, initially the low-cost carriers were the lowest in price; however, once I added on extras such as a checked baggage, the price went up dramatically. When I looked at mainline carriers - SAS and British Airways - both had a variety of options available. They had 'light fares' which were comparable to low-cost carriers to 'packaged fares' which included other amenities in the fare. When I compared the package fare of SAS (which included a 23-kg checked baggage) with that of the low-cost carriers, it was only a price difference of 10euro. To me, that is not that much of a price difference especially given that with the mainline carrier I would land at Heathrow (which is more central), the timings of the flight was better, and I would have the option for miles accrual. Based on all these factors, I choose to fly with SAS.
My flight on SAS was scheduled to depart Copenhagen at 8:35p and land at Heathrow at 9:35p. The flight was scheduled to be operated by an Airbus A320 and a scheduled flight time of 2hours. Through the app I was able to manage my reservation and create flight notifications. 24-hours prior to departure I was also able to check-in and preselect my seat for the flight (at no additional charge). I went to the airport very early (as another airline had lost my luggage and had found it two days later) and while I was at the airport I wanted to check my bag in. It was about 5hours prior to the flight so I inquired with SAS who informed me that they accept checked baggage up to 24-hours prior to departure! As with most European airlines, there were self-service kiosks where I printed out the baggage tag, tagged my own bag, loaded it up on to the scale, and it was scanned and sent to holding.
Even though I already had my boarding pass and my luggage was already checked through, I still arrived at the airport about 2hours prior to the flight time. Boarding was scheduled to begin at 8:05pm, but I also knew I had to go through security and immigration so that could take a while; and it did. The security lines at Copenhagen airport were ridiculously long, and it took a while to get through the entire process. Once that was completed, those who were going to non-Schengen countries or who were going somewhere else internationally also had to complete immigration protocols - this also took some time but was quicker than the security line. I finally reached the boarding gate for it only to be closed. Apparently the boarding gate was closed until the boarding time listed on the ticket, so most of the passengers were crowded in the hallway waiting for the boarding gate to open (seems like an inefficient system). The boarding gate finally opened, our boarding passes were scanned, and passengers proceeded to sit and wait at the boarding gate. While waiting at the boarding gate, the inbound aircraft came in late and the ground crew did not seem in a rush to quickly turn the plane around; it looked like it was going to be a late departure.
Boarding finally started but there was no system to the boarding. Business class and priority members were called first, and then it was a free-for-all so passengers could board at their leisure. The operating aircraft was an Airbus A320 in a 3-3 seat configuration. The seats were slimline seats but were comfortable enough for the short flight. The seat width and seat pitch were also pretty good - better than some airlines but not as good as others; it was good for the intra-European flight. The seatback did not contain a personal screen, but rather had a slot for the airline magazine and safety cards. Next to the slot was a USB port, which was a welcome addition (the USB was only activated after reaching 10,000ft). Below the slot was a tray table and below that was a pocket for personal use. To add to the chaos of boarding, carry-ons were not limited based on their number nor weight so many passengers had multiple carry-ons in various sizes and weights; this delayed the boarding even further. Once the passengers were boarded and seated, the pilot came on and basically said he was in no rush - he said that the inbound flight was delayed and the turnaround time 'was ridiculous for a human to accomplish' so they were going to take their time and do things properly. This meant a delayed pushback and delayed take-off.
Once the boarding doors closed, manual safety demonstrations took place. The plane was operated by SAS Ireland and most of the crew had English (British) accents. Once we reached cross 10,000ft the inflight service commenced. SAS' inflight service depends on the class and type of ticket you purchased; regular economy passengers receive complimentary tea, coffee, and water but have to pay for everything else. If you have paid for a higher service, then complimentary meals plus a drink is included in your fare. Flight time was scheduled at 1h30min and the flight was entirely full so it took the cabin crew almost the entire flight time to serve all passengers. Once the inflight service had finished, passengers were left to pass the time as they pleased. The time to start the decent into Heathrow approached, and the cabin was prepared for landing. We landed and then took a long taxi to the gate at Heathrow.
Overall, it was a very interesting experience at SAS. The USB ports and the seat comfort plus seat pitch were good, but the chaotic boarding and not trying to rush and maintain on-time departure was a little disturbing. Also, there was no wifi so no personal entertainment was available on the flight (even though SAS had been advertising this all throughout Copenhagen airport and the city). I was interested in trying SAS short-haul first before testing if I could stand their long-haul service, and based on this experience I would try their long-haul service but they would not be my first choice.
I had to travel to Europe in Summer 2022 and was trying to find different ways to travel. At the time of booking, the best method was utilizing miles so on the outbound I used Star Alliance miles and on the return I used OneWorld miles on British Airways from Geneva to New Orleans via London. I am based out of New Orleans and British Airways had recently started direct service to the city so I was excited to travel on this route. 
As I said, I booked my travel using miles on American Airlines's website. It is very easy to book awardtravel through AA's website and I have previously booked many oneworld partner flights through AA.com (in fact, I booked a SriLankan flight on AA.com and it was very simple). This flight was no different and I booked the British Airways flight from Geneva to London and from London to New Orleans. Once the flight was booked, I called British Airways to manage my flight including seat reservations and special meal request. When I had originally booked my flight, premium economy was available for the same mileage amount but my dates had to change and in my revised dates unfortunately premium economy was not available. In premium economy, the seat selection was complimentary and the luggage allowance was greater; in regular economy there was a charge for seat selection and the luggage allowance was the standard. 
I was able to check into my flight 24-hours in advance but I could only receive my boarding pass at the airport due to passport check-in. My flight departed from Geneva at 11:50a and arrive at London Heathrow at 12:35pm and then my ne7xt flight departed at 3:40pm and landed in New Orleans at 7:30pm. Because I was connecting internationally, and during this time it was the summer of European travel meltdown, I got to the airport 3-hours in advance; however, the check-in desks were not open at that time. Apparently the check-in desks open 2 hours in advance but I was glad they were even opening as British Airways had cancelled almost all flights that day except 2 - the one we were on and then an afternoon flight. I checked my luggage in, received my boarding pass, and proceeded to the gate. My first flight was operated by an Airbus A319 in a 3-3 seat configuration. The airplane had a Euro business class section followed by Premium Economy and then regular Economy. We boarded through stairs and after manual safety demonstrations we pushed back and took off for Geneva. I was seated in a window seat in regular economy. The seat itself was basic and contained a moveable headrest, slimline seats, a tray table, and a literature section uptop for the magazines and pocket below the tray table for safety cards. The seat comfort was alright but the seat pitch was very tight and even though the flight was only 1h45 mins, the uncomfortable seat made the journey feel longer. Once airborne, inflight service commenced in which complimentary water and a packet of crisps were distributed; it was nice to get something complimentary as I was told that previously British Airways did not give anything complimentary in economy class. You could purchase other food or beverage items if you wanted. There was no wifi on the plane nor access to inflight entertainment so it was bring your own entertainment or enjoy the views. We landed in Heathrow and then had to clear security and transfer terminals before my next flight out.
The next flight departed at 3:40pm but because U.S. bound flights require extra security we had to get to the gate extra early for additional security screening. After the security screening, we were bused to the gate to board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner which would take us to London. The Dreamliner was also configured with a Business Class, a Premium Economy Class and a regular economy class. I was in regular economy where the seats were 9 across in a 3-3-3 configuration. On the seat were a blanket, pillow, and change for UNICEF pouch. The seat itself had an adjustable headrest and cushion. The seatback had a PTV screen, a remote underneath, a tray table that could be half opened or fully opened, a USB port to charge your phone, and a pocket underneath. The PTV screen was small and seem a bit outdated and while the seat pitch was decent, the legroom underneath was blocked by the huge metal box which contained the wires for the entertainment. Because of the extra security, bus boarding, and issues with luggage loading at Heathrow Airport, it took a while for all passengers to board but once boarded, safety video was shown and we pushed back and took off for New Orleans. Once we reached cruising altitude, a drink service plus pretzels were served and this was followed by the meal service. The meal service was average and this is definitely an area where British Airways can improve. After the meal service, the lights were dimmed for passengers to rest. About half-way through the flight a mid-flight snack was served and then right before landing another snack was served. While I appreciate the quantity of food, the quality and taste of the food was to be desired. The service onboard was also average - they were nice and decent when they were in the aisles but in between service they cabin crew were not seen; they were not walking through the aisles with water nor checking on the passengers; if you wanted something you had to search for the crew. The seat itself was alright but you could feel the wear and tear after the 7th hour and the big metal box which took up a lot of space really hampered the legroom - so you felt the 10hr+ flight time after the 7-8th hour. Even though we left late, we landed on-time in New Orleans and quickly got to our gate and deplaned.
Overall, it was an interesting flight with British Airways. They advertise themselves to be a very good to great airline but everything I experienced it made them out to be a decent to good airline. Instead of 4-5 stars I would rate them 3-4 stars; they are decent when they are on their game but its the little things and the additional items that make other airlines standout - such as crew available in the aisle throughout the flight; better catering; a more updated fleet; and other such little things. I appreciate the direct flight to New Orleans as I know not many international airlines fly direct to the city, and as someone from the city I really appreciate that. I just think that New Orleans and the public deserve what British Airways was - I have flown with them when I was a child and I got the Britishness they were trying to achieve; on this flight I got that they were trying to be a step above RyanAir. 
