SAS Officially Joins SkyTeam

SAS has been busy the last few weeks, and its workload has increased tenfold since the airline officially joined the SkyTeam global airline alliance on September 1.

Such a move comes after much deliberation, and now, thanks to global partners, significant benefits are set to be felt for customers with greater connectivity.

For SkyTeam, however, they’ll have access to the world’s southernmost and northernmost commercial airports, resulting in no stone being left unturned.

Thanks to SAS being added to the SkyTeam network, the alliance will have increased access to Oslo, Stockholm, and Copenhagen. These cities are all important and the enhanced access will benefit many.

With over 1,060 destinations across the SkyTeam alliance, SAS will monitor codeshare agreements with airlines.

An existing collaboration with Air France-KLM, which essentially made this alliance move possible, is just one of the many examples that can increase SAS’ opportunities in the future.

SAS labels the move to join SkyTeam and restructuring exit as pillars of a new era after a tiresome few years. These years saw it prioritise reorganising debt, reducing its network/fleet, and ensuring it became more stable as a business.

The Scandinavian carrier has a storied history, and to ensure that history remains intact with a massive future, a few years of hardship were required to turn the tables back around in the airline’s favour.

SAS targets collaboration with like-minded airlines with possibilities from markers such as South America, North America, Asia, and the Caribbean, among others, all now within reach.

The airline says EuroBonus Silver members will be recognised as SkyTeam Elite. Meanwhile, Gold and Diamond members will be elevated to Elite Plus.

SAS’ joining SkyTeam has been long documented. It marks a shift away from Star Alliance, which has been a part of it for a considerable period since its conception and is a core founder.

However, when Air France-KLM joined several other consortiums to take greater control of SAS, an alliance switch was one of the biggest moves that needed to occur.

Air France-KLM has a 19.9% stake in SAS. While the amount is significant, it is comparable to what the airline group hopes it’ll be in the future. It has made its intentions clear of growing this if deemed appropriate.

The European side of the industry is continuing to heat up as collaboration and consolidation become more common themes for airlines seeking to solidify themselves for the future amid a turbulent economic climate.