Review: Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) A320neo SAS Plus Premium Economy (TOS-ARN)

After an amazing couple of days in Tromso seeing the Northern Lights it was time for us to head on to the final stop of our trip, Stockholm. We ended up with Stockholm thanks to award availability for our return flight to Austin and were looking forward to checking out a new destination.

Booking

Booking this flight was fairly straightforward as there was only one airline operating this route on a sub-daily basis. Thankfully, the timing on SAS worked well for our needs and it avoided making a connection, which is one of Mrs. ATX’s least favorite aspects of travel.

I booked our ticket directly through the SAS website after finding our itinerary via Google Flights. I paid $193.20 per person for our one way ticket in SAS Plus, which is their version of Premium Economy. Prior to departure, I had to pay an additional $80 to update Mrs. ATX’s name as she changed her legal name to her married name between booking and departure.

Pre-Flight

We left the Clarion just before 10:00a and were pulling up curbside at Tromso Airport ten minutes later.

Once inside, we headed for the self service kiosks to tag our bags. Only 2 of the 4 kiosks were working so there was a small line but within 5 minutes we had our bags tagged and dropped at the SAS desk.

The security line was empty and with Fast Track we were airside less than ten minutes after arriving at the airport. Our flight was departing from gate E18, which was located in a separate, international departure area. While you were free to wander the airport prior, you weren’t allowed to leave once you’d entered.

Since we were stuck in a glorified holding cell, I passed the time doing some planespotting from the massive, floor to ceiling windows.

Boarding

Boarding for our flight started a few minutes ahead of schedule with Group 1 (SAS EuroBonus Diamond) being invited to board first. SAS Plus (Premium Economy) boarded with Group 2 and we headed down the jet bridge to our waiting Airbus A320neo.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
SK 1492
TOS-ARN (Tromsø – Stockholm-Arlanda)
Seat: 1A (Premium Economy)
A320-200neo (SE-RUE)
Scheduled: 11:15a-1:15p
Actual: 11:06a-1:04p

Dual boarding was utilized for this flight and the fronthalf of the plane boarded through the jet bridge while the rear of the plane was invited to board via the rear air stairs.

Seat

I assigned us seats 1A and 1C, the bulkhead row on the left side of the aircraft. Unlike European Business Class which has a blocked middle seat, SAS sells the forward cabin as SAS Plus (premium Economy) on this route which meant we had a seatmate in 1B. One of the benefits of the bulkhead is the fact that the armrests are fixed, which helps maximize personal space.

Legroom in the bulkhead seats was better than expected and we had plenty of space to spread out.

Scandinavian Airlines SAS A320neo Premium Economy Legroom

Coat hooks are located on the bulkhead wall and USB-A outlets were under each seat.

Since this was the bulkhead row, the tray tables are located in the armrest and could be folded over in half or fully extended.

Individual air nozzles, reading lights, and flight attendant call buttons are located in a panel overhead.

Though the legroom in the bulkhead row is good, the seats are extremely thin and were becoming uncomfortable by the end of the flight.

Departure

We had a completely full flight from Tromso to Stockholm but, thanks to the dual boarding doors, we were able to push back from the gate ten minutes early. As we taxied out to the departure runway, I had a great view of some unique aircraft at Tromso Airport sitting on the ramp.

We held short of the runway for a few minutes due to some inbound traffic. The winds were howling around us and buffeting the plane.

The taxiway at Tromso Airport doesn’t run the entire length of the runway so, after the inbound traffic cleared, we back taxied down to the end before turning around to line up for departure.

A SAS A320neo preparing to depart Tromso Airport

With the runway clear in front of us, we rocketed off towards the south, flying just west of the city center of Tromso which gave us some great views on the left side of the aircraft.

a view of a city and water from an airplane

We had some light chop on our climb out, but nothing of note. It was a pleasant surprise after our bumpy arrival a few days earlier and the winds on the ground prior to take off.

View of Ramfjorden departing Tromso by Plane

In-Flight

As we climbed out of Tromso I took the time to review the menu card located in the seatback pocket. Since our flight was within Scandinavia, only the left side of the menu was available on this flight.

Scandinavian Airlines SAS Buy On Board Menu

Since we were flying in SAS Plus (Premium Economy), we were allowed a complimentary snack and beverage. I ordered a Mikkeller and potato chips. The crew stated no Mikkeller was catered so I settled on a Carlsberg.

Scandinavian Airlines SAS Plus Premium Economy Snacks

We climbed above the low layer of clouds and had a bright and sunny day for flying.

As we were cruising, I attempted to connect to the Wifi. It took a couple of tries but I was able to get signed in. Wifi is free for SAS EuroBonus Diamond and Golf members and can be purchased by other passengers for $3.90, which is very decent rate. Since we only had an hour or so left in flight by the time I connected, I just used the free sites.

I passed the remainder of the flight editing photos from this trip and soon we were starting our descent into Stockholm.

Arrival

We had a twisty approach into Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, though I didn’t have a good reference point as a thick layer of low clouds was present. Finally we broke through the clouds a few thousand feet before the runway and touched down at 1:00p local time.

an airplane wing on a runway with snow on the ground

We had a quick, 3 minute taxi over to our arrival gate F33 and pulled in next to another Airbus A320 in the old SAS livery.

Scandinavian Airlines SAS Airbus A320 Se-ROE at Stockholm Arlanda Airport

Since we had checked our bags and were sitting in the bulkhead seats, we were first off the plane and started our long walk to baggage claim. Our flight arrived at Arlanda Airport Terminal 5 (Arlanda North) which is the newest terminal at the airport. The huge glass windows allowed for a lot of light even on an overcast day and the wood made it feel warm and inviting.

We had a 7-8 minute walk to baggage claim, which was packed thanks to an Emirates flight that just arrived from Dubai. We waited roughly 10 minutes for bags but our priority tagged bags were some of the first on the belt.

Bags in hand, we followed the signage for the Arlanda Express train into the city.

Arlanda Express Elevators to the Platform at Terminal 5

Summary

I didn’t have much of a reference point for our flight on SAS. I knew going in that we weren’t flying Business Class but expected a slightly elevated experience over Economy. SAS Plus has great legroom in the bulkhead row, complimentary snacks and beverages, and reasonably priced Wi-Fi for all passengers. The seat however was rock hard and was starting to become uncomfortable by the end of our flight.

For short hops around Scandinavia I would absolutely consider booking SAS again. The fact that they were the only nonstop option made this flight a no brainer.