Background: We’re heading to Europe for our annual Thanksgiving vacation. This time, we’re flying to Copenhagen on SAS’s A330-300 in Business Class. (I will note, this was scheduled to be on the SAS A350 but we were swapped to the A330 a few weeks before departure, bit of a bummer, but these things happen.) This ATL-CPH route is somewhat new for SAS. When they joined Skyteam, SAS added flights to ATL to better connect to Delta’s largest hub. I’m a big fan, being based in GSP, ATL is a common connection point for me.
We’ve ridden on and I reviewed the SAS A330 in Premium Economy and enjoyed it if you want to check out that full review here.
Bottom Line: The SAS A330 Business Class is solid. The seats are a little older, but very comfortable. The dinner meal was surprisingly good and the service was friendly and professional. The in seat entertainment screen is fast and responsive, while the selection is good, not great.
SAS A330 Business Class Boarding
We headed to the gate from the Concourse F Delta Skyclub here at ATL(Full Review Here). When we arrived we were a little surprised that the gate was empty and we were among the last to board. We only arrived 3 minutes after boarding started. Anyway we had our passports checked and boarded.
SAS A330 Business Class Cabin
We made our way into the cabin and I was pretty impressed. It looks great. Very clean and great colors.
We found our seats on the left hand side of the plane. When flying to Europe, I usually try to sit on the left because there’s a possibility of seeing the northern lights.
I stowed my bag overhead and got settled into my seat. The even number seats are closer to the window and the odd are near to the aisle. Val and I usually just sit one in front of the other at the windows. We both like a view. On this particular flight, we couldn’t get seats next to each other, I’m in row 2 and Val’s in row 8. Happens. We don’t need to be 4 feet from each other all the time.
The flight attendant then came around and offered champagne, juice, or water. I went with the champagne, it was ok.
SAS A330 Business Class Seat Features
Legroom in the SAS A330 Business Class is what you’d expect from a lie flat seat. As with most forward facing staggered seats, the footwell is often a concern of others. I didn’t have any issues, but I’m also not very tall.
The seat controls are to my right over the side table. On this side there’s also a reading light.
Behind the seat controls there is a small storage shelf, the provided headphones, and a bottle of water. This is also where the amenity kit was kept. As you would expect, there was USB power and a 110v universal power port to charge devices.
As seems to be pretty common these days, there’s a separate smaller control panel for the seat. I’m really not sure why there’s both, seems kinda superfluous but that’s ok.
There was a coat hook in the seat, at first I had my jacket on the hook. As I got settled, the flight attendant came around and asked if I wanted my coat hung up, I took him up on the offer. Mostly so that if I got hot in the flight, I can take my sweater off and have somewhere to hang it.
A great think about these window seats is there are 2 windows that I can watch from. It’s November, perfect season for northern lights(sadly didn’t happen on this flight).
Unfortunately there are no overhead vents on the SAS A330 in Business Class. I’m really not sure why airlines are opting to remove them, maybe someone else knows.
SAS A330 Business Class Dinner Menu
The same flight attendant that came around and offered drinks passed through the business cabin and distributed menus. SAS doesn’t(or at least didn’t have one I could find) offer a pre-selection for meals. I didn’t mind but Val was a little disappointed as they had run out of the option she wanted before getting to her row.
SAS Business Class Wine and Drink Menu
SAS Business Class Dinner Menu
SAS Business Class Menu
SAS A330 Business Class Departure and Takeoff
The pilot greeted us and told us it would be a pretty pleasant flight with very little turbulence expected. It’s 8:20 minutes from Atlanta to Copenhagen. The jetbridge was retracted, looks like we’re going to be a few minutes early so that’s nice.
The safety video was shown as the jet bridge was retracted. The flight attendant came through and had us attach our shoulder strap to our seatbelt. This is required during takeoff and landing.
The cabin lights were dimmed and the flight attendants took their seats.
We headed towards the runway. I deeply enjoy watching all the wild body jets getting ready for their long overnight flights.
We had a very short taxi and soon took off towards the west. Very quickly we made our turn towards the North East as we climbed away from the Atlanta area.
SAS A330 Business Class In Seat Entertainment
The in seat entertainment was very good. Nice big screen and lots of good choices for movies.
I settled into a classic as we climbed away from Atlanta.
There’s a small removable remote that you can use to control the in seat entertainment. Next to that is the port for headphones and USB power.
SAS A330 Business Class Dinner Service
The tray table is released from the side table. The downside of this type of tray table and being near the window is you cannot get out of the seat with it extended so make sure you pee before dinner starts.
The flight attendant came around and took my dinner order and laid out the table cloth.
The flight attendants came through with drinks first, I had a gin and tonic with the Norwegian gin. It was served along side some warm cashews.
Next was appetizer with salad. Honestly, this was excellent. Just a fantastic tuna starter with a nice greens salad. 10/10 no notes.
The spicy oat and pappetes crumble on the salad was fantastic. I paired it with the boardeoux and it was just perfect. Like, I’ve had a couple, but really, this is fantastic plane food.
The appetizer plates were cleared and another round of drinks were offered. I went for the IPA. It’s a branded SAS IPA from Mikkeller and is very good.
For my main dish I had the braised short rib with polenta and corn succotash. This was also very good. Nice and tender. When I select plane meals I always try to keep in mind that it’s pre-made and then baked to heat onboard. Things like pasta and brazed dishes turn out better than others like steak(I need to stop ordering steak on planes.)
For desert I had the chocolate mousse cake and pared it with a High Coast Atmosfär Swedish whiskey. A great end to a very solid meal.
SAS A330 Business Class Lavatory
After dinner I went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. The lavatory was large and clean. I liked that they used a dark color top for the sink surround. SAS A330s also have a toilet with a view and who doesn’t love that?!
I headed back to my seat to get ready for a little sleep. This isn’t a super long flight so my goal is to get comfortable and try to get a few hours before we land.
SAS A330 Business Class Amenity Kit
The SAS Amenity kit is pretty standard, but one thing I really liked was the pouch, it’s a nice little laundry bag that I’ve put to use in my regular travel kit.
The amenity kit had the usual items: Dental Kit, Socks, Ear Plugs, Lip Balm, Eye Mask, and a Pen.
SAS A330 Business Class Bedding and Sleep Comfort
SAS provides a pillow and blanket. Neither are remarkable but neither are bad.
I reclined my seat into the flat position and got settled for bed. I do wish that SAS would provide a seat cover/mattress pad, it makes it a lot more comfortable.
Sadly no northern lights outside tonight. One of these days I’ll get a good show.
I settled into another movie and did end up putting my overshirt onto the coat hook. The cabin is a little warm and there’s no overhead vents.
The cabin lights were dimmed and I was able to get a good 3-4 hours of kinda crappy sleep. I much prefer a later departure than 7pm, but it’s what’s offered. I like to leave closer to 10 pm so that I am super tired and ready to sleep.
SAS A330 Business Class Arrival and Landing
As we crossed over the Scottish Coast I woke up and the cabin lights were on full blast. I guess breakfast service had started a little while ago. I told the flight attendant I didn’t want to be woken up so I skipped breakfast.
I made my way to the lavatory on the other side of the plane and got cleaned up. I liked this bathroom better for the view if you’re on the throne.
Kinda fun to look out side while in the bathroom.
I headed back to my seat and got a little bit of a view outside. Another good reason to sit on the left is the view in the morning isn’t blindingly bright from the sun(in the northern hemisphere).
Soon the fasten seat-belt sign was turned on and I put the seat up to get ready for landing.
Outside it’s a beautiful day, very few clouds and that’s a little unusual for this part of the world in November.
The cabin was prepped for landing and the flight attendants gave their closing announcements along side the pilots.
A few minutes later we got a great view of the coastline. Little bit of snow sitting on the ground but looks like it should be a nice day once we’re on the ground in Copenhagen.
We landed just a few minutes ahead of schedule so that’s always nice. But with such a short flight, I sometimes wish we could add a few more miles so I could get a little more sleep.
SAS A330 Business Class Final Thoughts
This is the second time we’ve ridden with SAS for a long haul flight but the first time we’ve ridden in Business Class. I have to say, I was impressed. SAS is a solid little airline. They don’t have a huge footprint, but I think they’re a welcome addition to Skyteam. I love visiting Scandinavia and SAS makes that easy from my part of the world.
SAS does a great job with the catering and drinks. The meal I had in Business Class was one of the better plane meals I’ve eaten. Plane food is never as good as a restaurant, but this was a solid dinner. I liked the business class cabin and the service was on point. SAS provides plenty of options on the in seat entertainment. The bedding wasn’t amazing, but was good enough. I just wish SAS had individual air vents overhead.
End of the day, I’d gladly fly with SAS again. This was a great flight.
Follow This Trip
Hotel Review: NH Collection Copenhagen
Flight Review: AirBaltic A220-300 Economy. CPH-RIX
Hotel Review: Hilton Garden Inn Riga Old Town
Lounge Review: Primeclass Business Lounge Riga RIX