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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZSAS - SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES SYSTEMS
The SAS Group's key task is to offer air travel with a base in its home market in Northern Europe. SAS is a multinational airline for Norway, Denmark and Sweden, serving destinations in more than 35 countries.The airline has always been an innovator and keeps introducing services making air travel less stressful. Scandinavian Direct is a new easier, faster and smarter way of traveling within Scandinavia. The airline now offers Web Check-in, this service is currently offered to passengers traveling on a majority of SAS routes within Scandinavia and on domestic routes in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Selected short-haul Boeing 737 and Airbus A321, as well as Boeing 767, Airbus A330 and A340 long-haul aircraft, are now equipped with electrical power in each Business Class and Economy Extra seat. Business Class has seats specially designed for greater comfort and extra legroom on all SAS aircraft serving international routes. Footrests and/or leg rests are fitted on all MD-80, MD-90, Boeing 737, 767 and Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft.
Seating in Business Class on the SAS intercontinental fleet provides ample legroom with 47-50in/119-127cm pitch and is widened for extra comfort. The seats feature a softer, adjustable lumber support and a horizontally and vertically adjustable headrest. Swiveling tables ease access to and from your seat. On intercontinental flights in Business Class, SAS provides personal comfort kits and seats fully reclining to the sleeping position are available at a surcharge in Business Class on SAS intercontinental flights. The number of Business Sleeper seats is limited, so they should be booked in advance.
Upgraded meal service in Business Class is available onboard. SAS calls its in-flight menu concept, "Scandinavian World Cooking". It comprises Scandinavian ingredients blended with influences from other cuisines. The result is tastier, healthier, more varied and exciting dishes. Meals are complemented by a choice of carefully selected wines. SAS has a close cooperation with selected Scandinavian chefs and wine experts, Oz Clarke and Richard Juhlin. A personalized a la carte meal service is offered in Business Class on intercontinental flights. Fruit, snacks and beverages are always available between meals. A buffet area is available in Business Class on SAS Airbus A340 and A330 aircraft. Business Class seats on SAS intercontinental flights are fitted with an individual video display screen and electronic noise-reducing earphones, delivering excellent sound on eight-channel audio system. Movies and daily news programs are shown in all classes on intercontinental flights. The best entertainment system is available on A340 flights.
The airline offers a very good Economy Class Extra with more pitched seating. Both Economy Extra and Economy get the same entertainment program found in Business Class. Alcoholic drinks are free of charge (with the exception of champagne) in Economy Class.
With good and friendly ambiance, excellent service and food, and comfortable aircraft, most passengers found little to complain about. SAS is a member of the Star Alliance group of airlines, the best global alliance in the world.
SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES
Saudi Arabian Airlines started out in 1945 with a single twin-engine DC-3 Dakota. Today, Saudi Arabian is the largest airline in the Middle East and Africa and is the national airline of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia, operating domestic and international scheduled flights to destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and the USA. The airline also operates domestic and international charter flights.First Class and Business Class welcome travelers with cardamom flavored Arabic coffee, and succulent dates are offered to all passengers shortly after takeoff, and there is also a selection of refreshing fruit juices. First Class cuisine is served on fine china with a choice of multinational dishes including Arabic, Western, a dish from the destination country and a vegetarian option. There are six hors d'oeuvres including two hot choices and caviar. A traditional soup is also offered with multiple choices of entrees with accompaniments to suit. There is a choice of hot dessert or ice cream, and of course tea and coffee, including espresso and cappuccino. The Al-Faris Executive Meal allows First Class passengers to have their dinner whenever they want to. Saudi Arabian is a member of the prestigious Chaine des Rotisseurs, a symbol of excellence in international cuisine.
First Class Seats in the wide body aircraft recline to 72 degrees and seat width is 20in/52.5cm with the distance seat pitch is 63in/160cm. Each seat is fitted with its own video screen and offers video-on-demand with 24 channels, audio-on-demand with 12 channels and includes games, "Airshow", which tracks the progress of the flight and gives real-time views of the scenery outside the aircraft during takeoffs and landings. The best seats are available on its Boeing 747-400 and 777 aircraft.
Horizon Class is the airline's Business Class service is efficient, friendly and caring but unobtrusive, mindful of passengers need for personal space. Cuisine is diverse and features Arabic, Western, a dish from the destination country and vegetarian choices. Three choices of hors d'oeuvres and traditional soup are also offered. Likewise, hot dessert or ice cream and tea and coffee, including espresso and cappuccino are available. Personal interactive entertainment systems feature 24 video-on-demand channels and 12 audio-on-demand channels. Each seat has individual telephone and fax systems, individual computer ports as well as telex capability.
Guest Class, the airline's Economy Class provides multinational cuisine: Arabic, Western, a dish from the destination country and vegetarian choices. A set of hors d'oeuvres and salad with dressing, with a choice of three entrees are provided with suitable accompaniments. And finally, a selection of dessert, either ice cream or more traditional desserts plus tea or coffee, including espresso and cappuccino. Guest Class seats are among the most comfortable and spacious with seat pitches of 34in / 86cm, more than most other airlines allow in their Economy Classes. Headrests have padded wings that can be adjusted for maximum comfort, a simple touch of a button produces the ideal seating position, with manually operated footrests and lumbar support recline. Guest Class seats offer "Articulated Movement" features, unique to Saudi Arabian Airlines, which enable automatic seat adaptation to body movement. Each Guest Class seat is fitted with personal telephones.
Saudi Airlines recently introduced a new service called Golden Service for its passengers in First, Business and Guest Classes on the following routes: Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam in Kingdom, London, Paris, Rome, Geneva, and Frankfurt in Europe; New York and Washington in the U.S.; and Dubai in the Arabian Gulf. The full range of Golden Service arrangements and facilities will be available starting in March 2002 and will be offered to all its passengers traveling on services between these points. These services are operated exclusively by our state-of-the-art new Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
Saudi is a great airline to fly with -- even if alcohol is not served. Very high standards of comfort and excellent food. Cabin crews are efficient and attentive. The airline's timekeeping is sometimes erratic.
SINGAPORE AIRLINES
Singapore's flag-carrier. Together with its wholly owned subsidiary, SilkAir, SIA is internationally recognized as one of the world's leading carriers, with a route network that spans 90 cities in 40 countries with destinations in North America, Europe, Asia and South West Pacific. Singapore Airlines was the pioneer of in-flight services such as free drinks and complimentary headsets.Singapore Airlines has specially created the world's most exclusive First Class cabin offering superior levels of privacy and comfort by reducing the number of SkySuites from 16 to 12. SkySuites are available on MEGATOP 747-400 services between Singapore and Europe, Australia, USA and Mumbai and on most flights into Hong Kong, Tokyo and Taipei. Upholstered in Connolly leather and trimmed with Burrwood, the SkySuite evokes a spirit associated with the golden age of travel. Every aspect of the seat has been designed with space and sumptuous comfort in mind. For optimum comfort during the flight, the SkySuite can be adjusted in a variety of ways. It can recline to any angle, including a completely flat bed. Fresh bed linen and a down-filled duvet are laid out by cabin crew, along with a Givenchy-designed pajama suit, soft eyeshades and sockettes. Aboard our MEGATOP 747s in First Class, the personal in-flight entertainment screen is 14in/36cm. The state-of-the-art Audio and Video "On Demand" System offers a wide selection of digital entertainment, with a choice of 25 movies, 50 short features and 50 audio CDs. Nintendo games, cinema-quality surround sound movies and active noise cancellation headphones are also available.
Raffles Class provides passengers with the biggest bed in Business Class, measuring an impressive 27in / 69 cm wide and 6ft6in/198 cm long. The Italian-Swiss designed SpaceBed offers unparalleled comfort, from the multiple seating positions, to the lie-flat sleeping mode. And because all SpaceBeds are forward facing and fitted with adjustable screen dividers, passengers enjoy improved privacy and personal space when working, relaxing or sleeping. The Raffles Class SpaceBed will be available on all Boeing 747 and 777ER intercontinental services. The retrofit program for the entire fleet is expected to be completed by mid-2003. The new seats are replacing the Ultimo seats found on most 747-400 flights. Another nice touch is the extra storage space for shoes and other personal belongings, and if passengers wish to work onboard, every seat has its own 110-volt AC laptop power supply.
For its Economy Class, Singapore has incorporated a number of distinctive features in their seats on the MEGATOP 747s, JUBILEE 777s and CELESTAR 340s to ensure optimum comfort. There are adjustable headrests, and seat back is also specially contoured to provide more legroom and each seat is equipped with a footrest for added comfort.
With Singapore's unique World Gourmet Cuisine, the pleasures of wining and dining as experienced in fine restaurants are now offered in all three classes of travel. As part of their philosophy of providing only the best, Singapore Airlines has specially commissioned an international panel of chefs and wine consultants to design great dishes and hand-pick good wines from around the world. Travelers enjoy a high standard of cuisine, and as part of their World Gourmet Cuisine selection, passengers in First and Business can order main course in advance with SIA's exclusive Book The Cook by selecting from the list of Book the Cook dishes and making requests through Singapore's Reservations Offices or a travel agent at least 24 hours before flight departure. Book The Cook is selection available from Singapore, Amsterdam, Dubai , Frankfurt, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Taipei and Tokyo.
Most passengers see the airline as the Rolls Royce of the air, and the numerous awards for excellence that SIA has won demonstrate that they are not alone in their thinking. Renowned for unequaled service from solicitous attendants, the top-rated airline is a true pleasure to fly, even in Economy. The airline always ensures that it has a young fleet and is usually the first with innovations to make life more agreeable for the passenger. The airline's reputation does mean, however, that its aircraft are crowded. Nevertheless, passengers feel that other airlines have a great deal to learn from SIA.
SN BRUSSELS AIRLINES
When the long-established Belgian flag-carrier, Sabena, went bankrupt, SN Brussels Airlines was created and is dedicated to the needs of business travelers. This means ensuring comfort, reliability, punctuality, time slots convenient to business requirements.SN Brussels Airlines has Airbus A 330-300 aircraft. The plane offers Business Class with a 62in/157.5cm pitch and Economy Class seats with 33in/84cm pitch. Its flights to Europe are operated with smaller aircraft in an all economy layout with 31in/79cm seat pitch.
For many years, before its collapse, Sabena had an unenviable reputation regarding its service, food and punctuality. To make things worse, strikes were very frequent.
SN Brussels Airlines is new airline, with a new "lean and mean" management providing a good service at competitive prices. Service is now reliable, and friendly crews serve excellent food. Comfort standards are much better, and the fleet is being modernized. On the negative side, some passengers have encountered rude, patronizing staff, and criticize the uncomfortable seating on European flights still using older aircraft. Overall, however, it is a much better airline and does not deserve Sabena's nickname: Such A Bad Experience Never Again.
SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS
SAA is the national flag-carrier of South Africa and is the best airline in Africa, serving 29 countries on over 900 scheduled flights per week flying out of Johannesburg, its intercontinental destinations include New York, Miami , London Heathrow, Frankfurt , Paris, Zurich, Tel Aviv, Bombay, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Sydney, and Perth.First Class on board the Boeing 747-400, the seat is modeled on the Swissair First Class seat, which was voted number 1 among 36 airlines on the In-flight Research Surveys 2000 study. The seats offer a 180 degree flat, in full recline, it offers a 83in/210cm pitch and 29in/74cm width, each suite has its own ottoman which is electrically controlled, an extra large dining table offers the opportunity for dual dining, in-seat power supply for laptops, in-seat telephone on selected aircraft, individual, adjustable reading lights at each seat with 3 different light settings, private television with 8.6in/22cm screens, Sony Passport audio-and-video-on-demand, and audio listings that can be selected from a variety of soundtrack. This system allows each passenger to play, pause, rewind or fast-forward any movie at any time without it affecting other passengers' viewing, and it features a variety of video games.
The airline's Business Class on international flights has new seats with a pitch of 55in/140cm, increased recline, fully adjustable headrest to six positions for customized comfort, pneumatic lumbar support which molds to an individuals' body shape, has its own in-seat power supply for laptops, an in-seat telephone on selected aircraft, individual, adjustable reading lights at each seat with 3 different light settings. Business Class passengers are provided with the same entertainment system found in First Class.
Economy Class on international provides passengers with a seat pitch on the main deck of 31in/79cm and on the upper-deck a generous 34in/86cm pitch and an in-seat telephone on selected aircraft are offered. Each seat has private television 6.8in/17cm screens with Sony Passport audio-and-video-on-demand, and own audio listings by selecting from a variety of soundtrack.
In all cabin classes South African Airways is improving its food and wine service and innovate continually, rotating menus weekly on domestic routes and approximately every three months on international routes. South African Airways is the first company to be granted honorary membership of the South African Chefs' Association.
SAA is a good, reliable airline, with a good safety record. Nothing glamorous about it, but service is efficient, and the food is quite good, and the local wines are excellent. Comfort, an important point for its long flights, is good and getting better.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
Southwest started back in 1971 with three planes serving three Texas cities. In the short-haul markets, most people would drive those distances instead of fly, so Southwest encouraged them to fly with its low prices. Rollin King and Herb Kelleher got together and decided to start a different kind of airline: get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time getting there.Southwest invented the concept of the low fare no-frills airline, giving passengers basic transportation at competitive prices with rapid check-in and check-out. It is now the business model copied by most of the world's successful and profitable airlines flying short- or medium-haul service.
Today Southwest Airlines has become the fourth largest major airline in America, flying more than 64 million passengers a year to 58 great cities (59 airports) all over the Southwest and beyond. They've got more than 355 of the newest jets in the nation, operating an all Boeing 737 fleet with an average age of 8.75 years.
The airline provides an all Economy Class seating with a 32in/81cm to 34in/86cm pitch with most legroom provided on its 737-700 aircraft. If total flight itinerary includes a series of flights that each are less than two hours in duration, peanuts/pretzels will be served on each flight segment. If the flight itinerary includes any nonstop flight longer than two hours, a packaged snack will be served on that flight segment.
Southwest Airlines does not serve sandwiches or meals, however, you may bring something to eat on board. Southwest Airlines serves complimentary coffee, juices, and cold drinks on all flights. Please note the nominal charge for beer, wine, and cocktails that will be collected by the flight attendants. Southwest Airlines' frequent flyers are encouraged to use their drink coupons. Southwest Airlines started removing phones from its planes last year. They noticed with the prevalence of cell phones, that passengers just weren't using the in-flight service.
Flying with Southwest is simple and hassle-free, and as the airline operates a free seating policy on board, travelers can choose where they sit.
SRILANKAN AIRLINES
SriLankan Airlines, formerly known as Air Lanka, was formed in 1979 with initial management assistance provided by Singapore Airlines. Emirates acquired a stake in the carrier in 1999 and also took over its daily management. Today SriLankan boasts a route network spanning 29 cities in 20 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Far East carrying over 1.5 million passengers a year to various parts of the globe. SriLankan's long haul planes are Airbus A330s and A340s, and it has A320s for regional routes.Business Class on SriLankan each seat is 25in/63.5cm wide, and they are placed two abreast similar to First Class in other airlines. Every seat is an aisle or window seat and each is electronically operated with an adjustable footrest, headrest, and lumbar-support. For those planning on working during your flight, the airline provides a veritable office in the sky, complete with facilities to send facsimiles from air to ground. Seats are equipped with a telephone, and laptops can be recharged by the cabin attendants. SriLankan has excellent meals, both Western and Eastern dishes, plus carefully selected aperitifs, champagnes, wines and liqueurs. There's also a wonderful tea menu with 12 different varieties.
The entertainment system has 18 movie and TV channels, and 22 radio channels offer a wide selection of music including pop, rock, classical and country music. Each seat is also equipped with an individual video player allowing passengers to choose from a range of over 30 movie titles in different languages.
SriLankan Airlines Economy Class seats have personal seat back TV, a choice of international cuisine, adjustable seats. The cabin is spacious with elegantly designed interiors and attentive in-flight service. The comfortable seats come equipped with adjustable footrests and lumbar-supports. On the Airbus A330 or A340 aircraft, every seat will be equipped with not just a TV but a telephone as well, and fax services and chargers for laptops are available. The same entertainment system featured in Business Class is available to all Economy Class passengers on their personal seat back TV screens.
The airline caters mainly to tourists, and this is sometimes reflected in the mediocre quality of food in the Economy section. Generally, though, the flights are reasonably comfortable and the service is friendly. However, the airline is in the process of improving its passenger and catering services.
SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES
Swiss International is the amalgam of Crossair and the remnants of Swissair and began flying under its new identity March 3,1 2002. The management is in the hands of the former Crossair bosses and flight team. Crossair was a subsidiary of Swissair, but with a high degree of independence.Swiss First Class the accent is firmly on providing the maximum comfort and privacy, in a calm, pleasant setting. First Class features include a flexible, spacious table that allows passengers to dine alone or invite another First Class passenger to be your guest. Meals blend Swiss and international cuisine, created by some of Switzerland's most highly regarded chefs. There's a la carte service and beautiful chinaware, a seat that converts into a bed 80in/203cm long and 24in/60cm wide, with large pillows for additional restful comfort. When it comes to beverages, travelers can choose from premium Pol Roger champagne and superb exclusive wines from vineyards in Switzerland, Europe and other continents.
Business Class combines quality, innovation, efficiency and care. The seats are 48in/128cm and 50 degree recline. The food is generous though unimaginative.
Economy Class in Swiss is stylish simplicity. Children's toys are available, and the hot towel service is a pleasant way to arrive. Swissair had established an enviable reputation for excellence, and Swiss has the difficult job of reestablishing the same standards.
The top-rated European carrier used to be many people's first choice for transatlantic travel, but since the demise of Swissair many people have switched to other top carriers. It is as efficient as the best Swiss watch, brisk, comfortable and correct, even though it often lacks something in warmth. Nevertheless, it is very competent, with attendants who care about passenger comfort (especially the more senior crew) and provide great service in First Class along with outstanding food. Sometimes crowded, but most travelers find it, like its homeland's geography, a step above the competition.
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