New Beginnings: SAS Lounge Copenhagen (CPH) Review

SAS, a distinctive multi-national airline, connects travelers across Scandinavia and beyond. While relatively small, it offers a no-frills experience on European routes, with key long-haul destinations in Asia and North America.

In a recent shift, SAS transitioned from being a member of Star Alliance to joining SkyTeam, marking a new chapter for the airline.

One unique aspect of SAS is its lack of “Business Class” within Europe. Instead, it offers SAS Plus—a premium economy esc service that includes a few Business perks, like lounge access.

With most European airlines similarly downplaying seat differentiation in short-haul Business Class, does SAS’s lounge experience make up for the absence of a full Business Class product? Let’s explore!

Access & Location

All SAS European lounges appear to be with the Schengen area. This lounge is located in Terminal 3 of Copenhagen Kastrup, after security in Pier C.

You can take an elevator up.

Access

SAS Lounge is available to all SAS or Skyteam ticketed Business Class fliers.

The SAS Gold Lounge is only available to EuroBonus Diamond and Gold members as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus travellers on an SAS-operated flight or a SkyTeam partner flight.

The lounge is currently open from 5am daily till 30 minutes before last flight of the day.

This complex is supposed to house two separate with the main Business Class lounge on the lower level, and the Gold members lounge upstairs. During the time of my visit, SAS was in the transition phase to SkyTeam and did not appear to be enforcing any real separation that I could see.

It would be interesting to see how that settles over the next few months.

SAS Lounge Copenhagen

For this review, I will focus on the Upper level Gold lounge, which from my understanding is a bigger space with more facilities..

Once up the stairs, you land into a big central room which connects onto several other spaces via a few wide interconnected corridors..

There is a distinct Scandinavian vibe with the design choices here from the wooded floors to the IKEA like furnishings adding dimension to the different spaces.

The central bar was temporarily closed at the time of my visit. But there was plenty else for my to discover and keep myself occupied with for a few hours..

There are many tables and chairs where you can sit or some very low level leather sofas arranged in little living spaces..

the low level seating is matched well by low level lighting hanging from the ceiling, altogether creating a somewhat homely feel to the otherwise bear ceiling above..

The other spaces are neither very particularly well designated or defined. That said, the room when you turn back to what would be above the reception area seems to be more of a dedicated work space…

Here you will find what looks like a second bar, though this time designed to be self service soft drinks and hot beverages..

Then at the back of that, you have a series of pod like room, curtained off with desks and chairs where you can work. Some look back into the main business lounge, whilst others look out back at the terminal..

Back to the main centre room, you will find another corridor that leads you onto first the restrooms ( more standard utility than any brand focus here )

Onto another room which again has some semi-private seating, where you can draw curtains around you, it all felt rather odd and haphazard ..

This lead onto what I could describe as a airport gate waiting area !

SAS Lounge Copenhagen Food + Drinks

Catering in the lounge can most aptly be described in one word: Simple.

Depending on time of day you will have a couple of hot dishes and for my day of visit, it was just past midday so lunch options were either

Tartlets with Chicken & Asparagus or

Classic Beef Bolognese

I sampled both dishes and thought it was okay.

Elsewhere, there are some snacks and nibbles available..

there is also a good range of salads and condiments available …

To wash this all down, the choice of soft drinks seemed, bizarrely rather limited. With just one lemonade on offer.

For the harder stuff, there were more choice…

On this occasion, I cannot comment on these wine as I have not tried them.

SAS Lounge Copenhagen Facilities

SAS provides dedicated conference rooms for up to 12 people within the lounge compounds.  The conference room offers all the state-of-the-art equipment you need. The price is 300 DKK for 30 minutes. All guests must also be eligible for lounge access on their own right.

The lounge is also supposed to provide showers, but in my over 2 hour visit, I saw no sign of one!

SAS also specifically mentions specifically “Rest” areas – however, these again were not clear unless they were those lounger chairs with privacy curtains? This seems more of a non-feature?

Overall Thoughts

This is an ok lounge just to pass a couple of hours max in-between flights. It is certainly not something you should come to airport early for. It is certainly no Air France Business Lounge

I found the spaces were generally pleasant even when they got busy but it is more on the scale of a nice contract lounge than a good airline lounge.

You can see what other SAS Lounges are available here