Marisa Garcia SAS becomes the first European airline to fly the new long-haul A330-300 Enhanced today on a flight from Copenhagen to Chicago, featuring the airline’s new cabin design.
This is the first of four A330-300 Enhanced the airline will receive, with a second to be delivered in September and two additional aircraft scheduled for 2016 one in February and the second in May.
“We are making significant investments in our fleet and at the same time launching new routes, giving us the strongest range of services to United States and Asia from Scandinavia. We are also lowering our fuel consumption as the new aircraft are delivered, which will help to reduce our fuel emissions,” says Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO of SAS.
The aircraft offers improved range compared with the A330 (10,400 km compared with 9,600 km), and 2% lower fuel consumption than the A330. It is configured to seat 262 passengers: 32 in SAS Business, 56 in SAS Plus and 174 in SAS Go.
The cabin interiors are designed to match the airline’s new image introduced into service this past February on the first refurbished Erik Viking with an inaugural flight from Copenhagen to Newark. The materials and colour scheme chosen to create a calm and welcoming atmosphere, with a distinctive nordic design aesthetic, and mood lighting to reflect on the muted neutral tone of the interiors, enhancing the cabin environment throughout the journey.
The seats in SAS Go and SAS Plus are designed to create a sense of extra space and provide storage for personal items.
SAS Business seats have direct aisle access and can be fully reclined into a lay-flat bed. The beds will include linen from Hästens, for extra comfort and warmth. SAS has also introduced a new in-flight entertainment (IFE) system throughout the aircraft, offering HD screens and onboard Wi-Fi.
SAS will update its existing long-haul aircraft with the same new cabin interior in 2015 and 2016. The airline also developed a creative Google Street View of the new interiors designs earlier this year which lets passengers take a virtual tour through the cabin.
“We have received very good feedback on the new cabin from our passengers, who have praised the new seats and in-flight entertainment system. Frequent travellers in Scandinavia have high expectations when they travel, which is why we are constantly developing our offering to best meet their needs,” says Rickard Gustafson.
Featured Image: SAS A330-300 Enhanced/Image © by Airbus photograph by masterfilms F. LANCELOT, supplied by SAS
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