Touring In SAS Business Class With My Household On The A350, The Full Review

I’ve had persistently good experiences with SAS longhaul enterprise class through the years and this flight was no exception…not simply due to the comfy seat and glorious meals, however due to the timing. Flying to Europe on Christmas Eve is just not how I’d usually select to spend the vacation, however typically award availability dictates your plans. Thankfully, SAS made this A350 enterprise class journey to Copenhagen each restful and pleasing for the entire household.

I like EuroBonus, the loyalty program of SAS. If you’re prepared to fly SAS, there are nice redemption alternatives and loads of additional house for members in comparison with redemptions by way of SkyWorkforce companions. Our tickets had been 60K miles every and kids 12 and below are half worth (it’s a really family-friendly program). There aren’t any gas surcharges, simply authorities taxes. An excellent deal to get your entire household in enterprise class!

We confirmed up at O’Hare Terminal 5 at 5:30 pm, just below two hours earlier than departure. The check-in agent was curious why we didn’t examine in on-line, particularly as a result of we had no baggage, nevertheless it was a busy day and I discover the method of manually coming into passport info reasonably arduous.

After a go to to the Air France Lounge, we boarded our flight at 6:50 pm, about half-hour previous to departure. Normally I wish to be first onboard, however when touring with my household I as a substitute maximize our time within the lounge and board towards the tip of the boarding course of.

Scandinavian Airlines System 944
Chicago (ORD) – Copenhagen (CPH)
Wednesday, December 24
Depart: 7:20 PM
Arrive: 10:50 AM+1
Duration: 8hr, 30min
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Distance: 4,271 miles
Seat: 4H (Business Class)

I needed to chuckle…I discussed in my intro this journey report sequence that we had been touring mild due to our connection on easyJet and since we’ve got loads of garments in Germany. My spouse Heidi was carrying her inexperienced backpack and it was crammed with medical textbooks and her laptop, making it extraordinarily heavy (and in addition deceiving, because it wasn’t significantly cumbersome).

A flight attendant welcomed us onboard and, being a gentleman, supplied to assist my spouse along with her bag. He picked it up and earlier than I may warn him yelled, “OH SH*T!” and dropped it (evenly). We all had amusing and I instructed him I’d deal with it. Hard in charge him when this little backpack in all probability weighed over 60 kilos (27 kilograms). He was not anticipating that!

Seat

Onboard, the flight was lower than half full…no marvel SAS had copious quantities of award house accessible in all three cabins! Christmas Eve is a superb day to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

The SAS A350 enterprise class cabin consists of 40 Thompson Aero Vantage XL seats unfold over two cabins in a 1-2-1 configuration, with a galley and bathrooms in between. Even-numbered A and H seats are true window seats (with the facet console on the aisle facet reasonably than between the seat and window). The bulkhead seats (rows 1 and 9) do have a bigger cutout to your ft.

Each seat is 22 inches extensive and converts right into a 78-inch lie-flat mattress. The seat has a bi-fold tray desk that slides out from the console and features a private machine holder that may assist a pill or cell phone. On the facet is a compartment that homes noise-canceling headphones and under it the seat controls and a common outlet and USB-A charging port.

Bedding features a gentle pillow and quilt from Dux. With the flight booked so mild, I grabbed a second one to create a layer beneath me whereas I slept. There aren’t any private air vents, however I slept effectively on this flight.

Heidi and Claire Marie slept effectively too:

But as all the time, Augustine fell asleep together with his seat within the upright place:

Amenity Kit

The SAS amenity equipment has not modified in years. It is Dux-branded, just like the bedding, in a striped bag. Contents included:

• Verso face moisturizer + lip balm
• Swedish Stockings (high-quality socks)
• The Humble Co dental equipment
• Dux-branded eyeshade
• Earplugs

IFE + Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is complimentary for enterprise class passengers and labored effectively sufficient for me to ship and obtain messages and e mail, although I “unplugged” for many of this flight.

A collection of films, TV reveals, video games, and music had been additionally accessible, together with noise-canceling headphones, however I didn’t watch something aside from the transferring flight map (I forgot concerning the tailcam…).

Lavatories

The SAS A350 has a bathroom reserved for crew use within the entrance of the plane and two bathrooms between the enterprise class cabins. At some level halfway by way of the flight, some eucalyptus or different inexperienced plant was added to the rest room.

Food + Drink

After a redeye from LA adopted by lengthy day, I used to be able to get to sleep, however not earlier than consuming. Thankfully, the service was environment friendly, with dinner served promptly after takeoff.

The menu:

Service started with a scorching towel and warmed cashews, adopted by an appetizer (smoked salmon or duck) and a inexperienced salad.

I like that SAS has upscale “Apple Must.” Like effective wine and occasional, not all apple juice is made equal and the Norwegian Ringi Farms takes apple juice to an entire different degree.

We had pre-ordered our primary programs on sas.com, which lately is important if you need fish (for the reason that three onboard choices are typically beef, hen, and pasta). You should order no less than 24 hours upfront (until leaving Copenhagen, the place the restrict is eighteen hours). The salmon with lentils hit the spot…a superb dish with a pleasant steadiness of muhammara and tahini.

Seared salmon with tahini, purple bell pepper and walnut muhammara, black beluga lentils, sautéed Swiss chard and purple grapes

Heidi and I had fish whereas the youngsters each wished steak:

Pan-roasted center-cut sirloin with garlic confit, Madeira sauce with sherry vinegar, roasted paprika fingerling potatoes and golden child beets, spinach and cherry tomato confit

I used to be very blissful that Claire Marie didn’t eat her beets…I like golden beets! The hen and roasted cauliflower dishes additionally seemed good. SAS nonetheless serves meals by way of cart, which is reasonably old-school, however I prefer it:

I rounded out the meal with fruit and cheese, leaving about six hours till touchdown to sleep.

I skipped breakfast and slept till we started our descent into Copenhagen, then drank a cappuccino earlier than touchdown.

Breakfast would have been:

Bircher muesli with berries and shaved coconut, smoothie, marmalade, assorted charcuterie, cheeses and diverse greens, served with breakfast breads

Flight Deck Visit

Claire Marie had bother waking up…

The first officer, who had stepped into the cabin, observed and invited the youngsters into the flight deck, an surprising and type Christmas deal with.

CONCLUSION

This was a really nice and really peaceable flight to Copenhagen and one other glorious A350 longhaul on SAS.

While I want to spend “Heiligabend” (the German phrase for Christmas Eve) at house with household and attending a late-night church service, typically you simply need to take the house that’s open. SAS delivered a cushty journey as soon as once more…it’s a service I’ve but to have a foul meal on and I discovered the in a single day journey to Copenhagen very restful.