On September 1st, 2024, SAS officially joined the SkyTeam alliance. SAS, also known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and was a founding member of Star Alliance along with United, Air Canada, Lufthansa, and Thai Airways. Now, the carrier is making the jump to SkyTeam after Air France-KLM took a 19.9% stake in the airline.
With the carrier’s introduction into SkyTeam, the airline becomes the 20th member of the alliance. SAS has already signed codeshare agreements with Air France-KLM which activated with the airline’s official introduction into the alliance.
A variety of European destinations will be included under the agreement. Air France and KLM customers will have access to 33 destinations in Scandinavia and Northern Europe from SAS’ Copenhagen (CPH) , Oslo (OSL), and Stockholm (ARN) hubs.
SAS customers will have access to 33 destinations throughout Europe via Air France’s Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) hub and KLM’s hub at Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS). Intercontinental destinations are expected to be added to the codeshare at a later date (as SAS will likely join the transatlantic joint venture between Air France, Delta, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic).
By Adding SAS, SkyTeam Now Serves the World’s Northernmost and Southernmost Airports
While we’re still waiting to see if SAS will be included in the SkyTeam transatlantic joint venture, a fun tidbit of information out of the upgraded alliance is the fact that SkyTeam now serves the world’s northernmost and southernmost airports.
Aerolíneas Argentinas, the Argentinian flag carrier that joined the alliance back in 2012, serves Ushuaia Malvinas Argentinas International Airport (USH), which is the southernmost airport in the world. Now, with the addition of SAS, SkyTeam also offers service to the world’s northernmost airport, Longyearbyen’s Svalbard Airport (LYR).
While I doubt that anyone, outside of a few adventurous frequent flyers, will ever have a need to travel between the two airports, it is a cool little piece of trivia for the alliance.
Summary
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has officially joined the SkyTeam alliance. The flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden becomes the 20th member of the alliance. With the addition of SAS, SkyTeam now lays claim to serving the world’s northernmost and southernmost airports.
