SAS and Apollo have been in partnership for about 15 years and once again Apollo has chosen SAS as its partner for a large proportion of its charter flights from Scandinavia during the 2016 summer season.
SAS and Apollo are extending their cooperation on charter flights and have signed an agreement for the 2016 summer season worth around MSEK 900. As a result, SAS will be flying Apollo’s customers from 18 locations in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark to 28 destinations across Europe.
SAS and Apollo have been in partnership for about 15 years and once again Apollo has chosen SAS as its partner for a large proportion of its charter flights from Scandinavia during the 2016 summer season.
“We are very pleased that Apollo has once again chosen SAS as its flight partner. With our large fleet, we offer a good, reliable product that our nearly 30 million customers benefit from each year. We look forward to continuing to welcome Apollo’s customers on board our aircraft next year,” says Annelie Nassen, Vice President Global Sales, SAS.
Apollo has chosen SAS as their main external flight partner to complement their own airline, Novair. Thanks to SAS’s flexible fleet, Apollo is able to offer direct flights both from major cities and from regional airports in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
“We have enjoyed a long and successful cooperation with SAS and we know that they deliver a high-quality product with good punctuality, which is important in our offer to Apollo’s customers. Our partnership with SAS also gives us a great deal of flexibility, which is something we value highly,” says Leif Vase Larsen, CEO of Apollo Travel Group.
The agreement between SAS and Apollo covers flights from 18 cities in Scandinavia to 28 destinations in Europe.
SAS first in Europe to fly the new Airbus A330-300 Enhanced
SAS is also the first European airline to fly the new long-haul Airbus A330-300 Enhanced. The first commercial flight leaves today from Copenhagen to Chicago. SAS continues to strengthen its intercontinental offering with new aircraft and the launch of new routes to destinations with high demand.
SAS’s thirteenth and newest long-haul aircraft, Tore Viking, is flying from Copenhagen to Chicago on Monday, September 21, with a departure time of 3.40pm. This is the first of four new A330-300 Enhanced that will be added to the SAS fleet over the next six months. Another aircraft will be delivered in September and the remaining two in 2016. From 2018, deliveries will also commence of SAS’s new Airbus A350-900. The new aircraft enable SAS to improve its offering to customers and to fly longer distances with lower fuel consumption.
“We are pleased to welcome our passengers on board our new A330-300 Enhanced. 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 materials and color scheme in the cabin of the new aircraft have been carefully chosen to create a calm and welcoming atmosphere. All through the cabin, mood lighting provides a pleasant environment throughout the journey. The seats in SAS Go and SAS Plus are designed to provide good storage and create extra space. SAS Business has direct access to the aisle and seats that can be fully reclined into a bed position. The beds feature linen from Hastens, ensuring passengers sleep well. There is also a new in-flight entertainment system throughout the cabin, offering HD screens and wireless Internet access. SAS is also updating its existing long-haul aircraft with the same new cabin interior in 2015 and 2016.
“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 travelers 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.
The first new A330-300 Enhanced will the first month operate the route between Copenhagen and Chicago and will then fly from Stockholm to Hong Kong and Chicago.
On September 10, SAS launched a new route between Stockholm and Hong Kong, and in March 2016 SAS will be launching a new route between Stockholm and Los Angeles. In the fall of 2016, the new route to Miami from Oslo and Copenhagen will begin operating.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
