We’re riding with SAS on their A320 in economy from LIN to ARN. I’ve ridden with SAS before on their A320neo, but that was an intra-Scandinavian flight in a standard economy seat(Full Review Here). So to keep it boring, I’m now reviewing the SAS A320ceo in the exit row. I like SAS, but these Intra-European flights are nothing special, it’s all about just getting to the destination cheaply and hopefully on-time. There’s no difference here.
Bottom Line: If you have the ability to select the exit row on the SAS A320, it’s worth the effort. Service is the same, but the extra leg room is nice to have, the regular economy seats are pretty tight.
SAS A320 Boarding
While sitting in the lounge we saw that people had started boarding our flight through the glass jetbrige. It looks like boarding started about 10 minutes early so we grabbed our bags and walked downstairs, fortunately we’re right above our departure gate.
We got into line right as they called group 3-4 boarding, we’re group 1 because of my Delta status and SAS has just joined Sky Team.
SAS A320 Economy Cabin
The SAS A320 cabin is configured in the standard 3-3 seating arrangement over 29 rows. SAS brands their economy seating as SAS Go. The front of the cabin is called SAS Plus. Think of it like slightly more service in regular economy seats.
The economy section uses pretty slim seats, SAS has a somewhat dense configuration for these flights.
We found our seats on the right hand side of the plane in the exit row. I was surprised these seats were free to select at check in.
SAS A320 Exit Row Seat Comfort
In the exit row, SAS requires that all baggage and any loose items are in the overhead. So our backpacks are overhead. Even things like Val’s sweater had to be worn or tied around her waist.
Legroom here in the exit row is very good. There’s also a sign showing no storage under the seat in front in the exit row along with the directions to open the door if needed.
There’s also a USB port to charge devices in each seat back. There’s not a universal AC power port in these seats, just the USB.
Overhead there are individual air vents. Boarding completed quickly, looks like the plane is pretty full, but there are some empty seats sprinkled around the plane.
SAS A320 Economy Departure and Takeoff
The flight attendant came by and gave us the safety row briefing as the door was closed and we prepped for push back.
We pushed back and the flight attendants gave their safety briefing. It should be just over 2 hours in the air from Milan to Stockholm.
We took off and made our right hand turn towards Sweden.
SAS A320 Economy In Seat Entertainment
SAS doesn’t offer in seat entertainment on the A320. There is Wifi available for purchase. I brought my fold-able flap to hold my phone.
Val used her iPad that she had downloaded some movies onto.
SAS A320 Economy Snack Menu
SAS offers a buy on board program for drinks and snacks in economy.
The drink and snack prices are somewhat reasonable. I wouldn’t say they are cheap, but honestly not bad.
We had brought sandwiches from the airport onto the plane. One last bit of mortadella for me.
SAS A320 In Flight
In flight, the cabin was nice and quiet. Once the Flight attendants had made their pass with the drinks and snacks carts, everyone settled into the rest of the flight.
The flight was smooth and the pilot turned off the seat belt sign.
SAS A320 Lavatory
With about 45 minutes left in the flight, I went to the lavatory in the rear of the SAS A320. This is a pretty tight space.
I headed back to my seat as the flight attendants made a trip through the cabin to collect garbage.
SAS A320 Approach and Landing
Outside we had begun our decent into Stockholm. The pilots made their announcement and the flight attendants started to prepare for arrival.
A few minutes later we got a view of very rural Sweden. The Stockholm Arlanda airport is the main airport, but like much of Scandinavian, it’s somewhat far form the city center. There’s a high speed train to connect the two.
And on the ground here in Stockholm right on time.
SAS A320 Exit Row Final Thoughts
If you’re going to be riding with SAS on the A320, the exit row is the place to be. The rest of the seats on the plane are somewhat tight in space, they really cram the rows into the cabin. If you have the ability to select the exit row, I would highly recommend it. With that said, on a short flight, I’m not sure I’d pay for the privilege.
The SAS A320 was clean and the crew was friendly. The drinks and snacks onboard were somewhat reasonable in price, so don’t feel bad if you forgot to bring a snack along. There is in-seat power for USB devices, but not larger universal AC power. SAS doesn’t provide entertainment, but there is paid wifi if you’re interested.
All in, SAS is a decent service for short haul flights around Europe, it’s not amazing, but it’s fine.
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