SAS Lounge Copenhagen (CPH) Review: Terminal 3

Updated on June 11th, 2026 at 03:09 pm

SAS is a distinctive multi-national carrier connecting Scandinavia and beyond. In 2024 it completed one of European aviation’s more significant recent shifts, leaving Star Alliance after decades and joining SkyTeam. I visited the SAS Lounge at Copenhagen during that transition period, when the airline was still mid-way through rebranding its lounge estate and had not yet fully enforced its new access rules.

One thing worth flagging upfront: the old two-lounge separation is gone. That structure no longer exists. Since October 2025 SAS merged the Business Lounge and Gold Lounge into a single unified space, with all eligible passengers now able to use both floors freely.

The design, furniture and layout are largely unchanged from my visit – the Star Alliance logos are gone and the floor separation has been removed, but nothing else has fundamentally shifted. So while my photos are from 2024, they remain an accurate representation of what you will find today.

Location and How to Get There

The SAS Lounge at Copenhagen Airport is located in Terminal 3, Pier C, in the Schengen zone. After clearing security, follow signs for Pier C. The lounge entrance is near gate C10. You can reach the upper floor via elevator or stairs from the entrance level.

Opening hours: 5am daily until 30 minutes before the last flight of the day.

Important: The Schengen Zone Limitation

This is the most practically important thing to know about this lounge, and it is frequently underplayed in other reviews.

The SAS Lounge sits entirely within the Schengen zone. This means that if you are departing Copenhagen on a non-Schengen flight — including any flight to the UK, the US, or most long-haul destinations — you will need to clear passport control after the lounge before reaching your gate. At Copenhagen this process is usually quick, typically around five to ten minutes, but it is not instantaneous. Leave yourself at least 15 to 20 minutes between leaving the lounge and your boarding time to account for this, particularly during busy morning and afternoon banks.

If you are arriving from a non-Schengen destination, you will need to clear passport control before you can access the lounge at all.

For purely intra-Schengen European flights, this is not a concern and the lounge sits conveniently between the C and D gates.

Who Can Access the Lounge

Following the October 2025 merger of the Business and Gold lounges into a single unified space, access is now as follows:

Passenger type	Access
SAS Business Class passengers	Yes
SAS Plus passengers (intra-Europe premium)	Yes
SkyTeam Business Class passengers	Yes
SAS EuroBonus Gold and Diamond members	Yes (on eligible SAS or SkyTeam flight)
SkyTeam Elite Plus members	Yes (on SAS or SkyTeam partner flight)
Star Alliance Gold status	No — SAS is now SkyTeam only

Now that SAS has left Star Alliance, United MileagePlus Premier Gold and other Star Alliance Gold members have lost access. If you previously accessed the SAS Lounge on Star Alliance status, check your eligibility before assuming entry. If you have Virgin Gold status – you can now use this lounge !

Layout: The Merged Lounge (Post October 2025)

During my visit in mid-2024, SAS was operating the two-lounge structure in a transitional state — the formal separation between the Business Lounge below and the Gold Lounge above was not being enforced, and I spent most of my time on the upper level which was the larger and better-equipped of the two spaces.

That separation has since been removed entirely, with both floors now operating as one connected lounge open to all eligible passengers.

The good news is that the design and furniture are essentially unchanged. What I photographed remains an accurate representation of what you will find today.

Once up the stairs or elevator, you arrive in a large central room that connects onto several other spaces via wide interconnected corridors.

The design is unmistakably Scandinavian — wooden floors, clean lines, low furniture and a general aesthetic that sits somewhere between a well-designed hotel lobby and a Nordic home interiors catalogue. The IKEA comparison is unavoidable and not necessarily unkind.

The central cafe bar – which SAS brands as a bar but operates as a barista-style coffee station — was temporarily closed on my visit.

It is now open and operating with a barista on duty, which is a meaningful improvement for the ground experience. I cannot personally comment on the coffee quality but it is a facility that brings the lounge closer to what you would expect from a European carrier of this tier.

Seating is varied across the two floors. On the upper level there are low leather sofas arranged in small living-room clusters, higher cafe-style tables and chairs, and private work pods at the back.

The low furniture is paired with pendant lighting hanging at a matching level, which creates a warmth that the otherwise bare ceiling above would not suggest.

The spaces beyond the central room are less clearly defined. Turning back toward the area above the reception, there is a dedicated work zone with the self-serve soft drinks and hot drinks station.

Behind this, a series of curtained pod-like workspaces with desks and chairs. Some look back into the main lounge, some face out toward the terminal. They serve their purpose for anyone needing a degree of privacy to work or take a call, even if the curtain-based privacy system feels slightly improvised rather than designed.

A further corridor leads to the restrooms — functional and clean but with no branded amenities, no Scandinavian hand cream, no design touches. Standard utility.

Then a smaller room with more curtained semi-private seating, which on my visit felt haphazard rather than intentional.

And finally, at the far end, a room that genuinely resembled a gate waiting area rather than a premium lounge — rows of standard chairs facing in the same direction, none of the design coherence of the main space.

The honest summary of the layout: the main central room on the upper floor is the best part of this lounge and where you should base yourself. The further you go from there, the less considered the spaces become. Stick to the central area and the dedicated work pods if you need to be productive.

Food and Drink

Catering here can be described in one word: simple. That is not entirely a criticism — simple done well is respectable — but it is an honest representation of the offering.

On my lunchtime visit the hot food options were:

• Tartlets with Chicken and Asparagus
• Classic Beef Bolognese

I sampled both. Both were okay — nothing more, nothing less. The tartlets were the better of the two; a classic Danish format that at least felt in keeping with the location. The bolognese was a lounge bolognese, which tells you everything you need to know.

Alongside the hot dishes there are snacks, nibbles and a reasonable salad bar with condiments.

The drinks offering had an odd imbalance. Soft drinks were bizarrely limited — just one lemonade on offer during my visit, which for a lounge of this size felt like a stocking oversight rather than a deliberate choice. The wine selection was more generous.

I did not try the wine on this occasion so cannot comment on quality. The barista cafe bar, which was closed during my visit, is now operating and would meaningfully improve the drinks experience for non-drinkers. A proper coffee offering in a Scandinavian lounge should be a given, and it is good to see it now in place.

For context, the catering here sits a notch below what you would find at the Air France Business Lounge at CDG, which has a more elaborate hot food selection and a generally more considered food presentation. Against that benchmark, the SAS Lounge feels like a contract lounge that happens to be run by an airline rather than the other way around.

Facilities

Conference rooms: SAS provides dedicated conference rooms for up to 12 people within the lounge. These are equipped with AV and presentation facilities and are available at 300 DKK for 30 minutes. All guests using the conference rooms must be independently eligible for lounge access.

Showers: The lounge is listed as having showers. During my two-plus hour visit I found no obvious sign of them and was not directed to any shower facility. They may exist in the lower floor area that was operating separately during my visit, but their location is not clearly signposted and I cannot confirm their current quality or availability.

Rest areas: SAS mentions dedicated rest areas in its lounge description. In practice this appears to refer to the curtained seating pods, which function as semi-private spots to close your eyes but are not in any meaningful sense a dedicated sleep facility. There apparently is two private rooms with actual beds – these are not advertised hence I was not aware. Ask reception if you want to use one.

Work facilities: The dedicated work pods at the back of the upper level are the strongest functional feature of this lounge. Curtained for a degree of privacy, with desk space and views toward the terminal, they are a genuinely useful facility for a transit passenger who needs to get some work done. WiFi is available throughout the lounge and is reliably fast enough for video calls and general use.

Kids area: A children’s play area is available near the entrance level, which is useful to know for families transiting through CPH.

Overall Thoughts

The SAS Lounge at Copenhagen is a decent, honest lounge that reflects the airline’s broader identity: clean, functional, Scandinavian in spirit, and without any aspiration to be more than it needs to be.

It is a comfortable enough place to spend two hours between flights. The central seating area is genuinely pleasant, the design is coherent where it matters most, and the lounge rarely feels overwhelmed even when busy. The barista cafe now operating adds a welcome dimension to what was a limited drinks experience on my visit.

Where it falls short is in any sense of premium ambition. The food is adequate but not memorable, the shower and rest facilities are unclear to locate, and the outer rooms beyond the central area feel like they were added as an afterthought. It is closer in feel to a well-designed contract lounge than a flagship airline lounge.

Do not adjust your airport arrival time specifically to spend more time here. But if you are already there and have a wait ahead of you, it will pass comfortably enough.

For other SAS lounge locations see the full SAS Lounge network here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the SAS Lounge at Copenhagen Airport?

The SAS Lounge is in Terminal 3, Pier C, in the Schengen zone of Copenhagen Kastrup Airport. It is located near gate C10. After security, follow signs for Pier C and take the elevator or stairs up to the lounge level. If you are flying to a non-Schengen destination including the UK or the US, you will need to clear passport control after leaving the lounge before reaching your gate.

What time does the SAS Lounge Copenhagen open?

The lounge opens at 5am daily and closes approximately 30 minutes before the last flight of the day. Hours can vary seasonally so confirm in advance for early morning or late evening departures.

Who can access the SAS Lounge Copenhagen in 2025?

Access is available to SAS Business Class and SAS Plus passengers, SkyTeam Business Class passengers, SAS EuroBonus Gold and Diamond members, and SkyTeam Elite Plus members on eligible itineraries. Following SAS’s move from Star Alliance to SkyTeam, Star Alliance Gold and oneworld status holders no longer have access.

Has the SAS Lounge Copenhagen changed since the SkyTeam move?

The main structural change since October 2025 is that the previously separate Business Lounge and Gold Lounge have been merged into one unified space, with all eligible passengers now free to use both floors. The Star Alliance signage has been removed and replaced with SkyTeam branding. The design, furniture and food offering are largely unchanged from before the transition.

Is the SAS Lounge Copenhagen good?

It is a solid rather than exceptional lounge. The Scandinavian design is pleasant, the central seating area is comfortable, and it handles moderate passenger volumes well. Food is simple and adequate rather than impressive. It is a good place to pass a two-hour layover but not a reason to arrive at the airport early.

Does the SAS Lounge Copenhagen have showers?

Showers are listed as available but were not clearly visible or signposted during my visit. Ask at reception on arrival if you specifically need shower access to confirm current availability and location.