SAS returns to Seattle, bolsters ties to Delta after switch to SkyTeam
SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) will add Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to its map next summer as it builds connections with its new SkyTeam Alliance partner, Delta Air Lines.
The airline, which only joined SkyTeam on Sept. 1, plans five weekly flights between its Copenhagen Airport (CPH) hub and SEA from May 21, 2025, SAS said Tuesday. It has not said whether the route will be flown with an Airbus A330 or A350, the carrier's two wide-body aircraft types.
SAS also teased that it will announce more new routes for next summer soon.
"The route from Copenhagen will provide more travel options for our customers and strengthen the connection between Scandinavia and the Pacific Northwest," Anko van der Werff, CEO of SAS, said in a statement.
SAS last served Seattle in 2009 with a nonstop from Copenhagen, according to Cirium Diio schedules.
"Seattle has been a highly requested destination by our customers, and we are excited to respond to their needs by launching this route. Additionally, Seattle's growing cargo operations make this expansion even more strategically valuable," van der Werff added.
Unmentioned is the fact that Seattle is a hub for SkyTeam and codeshare partner Delta. This provides SAS flyers with easy onward connections to cities like Anchorage; Portland, Oregon; and Spokane, Washington.
The U.S. Department of Transportation signed off on the airlines' codeshare agreement on Sept. 11. The pact allows Delta to put its "DL" code on SAS-operated flights and vice versa.
SAS is in the midst of a strategic realignment since Air France-KLM bought a 19.9% stake in the airline in August through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring. The carrier has since left the Star Alliance, where it was a founding member, and joined SkyTeam. Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith has said that he wants to incorporate SAS into the group's transatlantic joint venture with Delta and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
Joint venture membership, if approved by regulators, would allow SAS to coordinate its flights and fares between the U.S. and Europe jointly with Air France, Delta, KLM and Virgin Atlantic.
As part of the shift, SAS added flights between CPH and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Delta's main hub, in June.
With Seattle, SAS will serve 11 North American cities, including Delta hubs Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Cirium Diio schedules show.
A spokesperson for SAS told TPG that tickets for the new Seattle flights will begin "shortly."
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