The Scandinavian Airlines System, or SAS, is a holding company for four airlines that operate to the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The airline operates three hubs to over 170 destinations on four continents. Scandinavian Airlines operates a mix of narrow-bodied and wide-bodied aircraft. The company was a pioneer of the Star Alliance and has had a relitavely safe track record. However, the airline faced a major crisis in 2007 after three Dash-8s suffered landing gear failures.
The Scandinavian Airlines System was formed in 1946 when three airlines based in Scandinavian countries, Det Danske Luftfartselskab of Denmark, Svensk Interkontinental Lufttrafik of Sweden and Det Norske Luftfartselskap of Norway agreed to coordinate intercontinental service. The agreement was expanded in 1948 to include the European continent. The airlines merged in 1951 to form SAS. In 1954, the airline pioneered the first trans-polar route to North America. The airline expanded that service to the first "round the world service over the North Pole" in 1957. The airline entered the jet age in 1959, with the introduction of the Sud Caravelle. Over time, the airline acquired local airlines in its home markets to grow and secure its market share. In 1997, the Scandinavian Airlines System was a founding member of the Star Alliance, alongside Lufthansa and United Airlines.
The Scandinavian Airlines System is made up of four airlines. Scandinavian Airlines International, which is abbreviated to SAS, is the long-haul international airline of the group. It operates flights to North America and Asia into Copenhagen and Stockholm. Scandinavian Airlines Denmark is responsible for all European and Danish domestic flights. It acquired one of its major competitors, Cimber Air, in 1998. Scandinavian Airlines Sverige operates all European and domestic flights out of Stockholm, Sweden. The airline bought two of its competitors, Linjeflyg and Skyways Express. Finally, Scandinavian Airlines Norge operates all European and domestic flights out of Oslo, Norway, and acquired Norse competitors Braathens and WiderÃ.
The Scandinavian Airlines System operates three hubs out of its three home base countries. The airline operates two major hubs out of Copenhagen Airport in Denmark and Stockholm-Arlanda Airport in Sweden, as well as a smaller hub out of Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, in Norway. The airline was a pioneer in developing new routes to serve far away destinations. The north pole route allowed SAS to serve Copenhagen to Tokyo with only one fuel stop in Anchorage, Alaska by using the North Pole as a shortcut.
As of March, 2009, the Scandinavian Airlines system operates 181 aircraft. The airline operates a mixed fleet of wide-bodied and narrow bodied aircraft manufactured by both Airbus and Boeing. Its wide-bodied aircraft consist of Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft. Its narrow bodied fleet consists primarily of Boeing 737 series with some Airbus A320 series. The airlines operates the largest fleet of Boeing 737-600 aircraft. Scandinavian Airlines also operates a fleet of Boeing MD-80 aircraft, which it is retiring as of 2009. Historically, the airline primarily used Douglas aircraft. It was a major operator of the Douglas DC-8 and Douglas DC-9 in the 1970s. The airline also operated a small fleet of 747s, starting in 1971. The DC-8s were retired in favor of the larger and more fuel efficient DC-10 Tri-jet for long haul flights and the Airbus A300 twin-jet for high-density short flights. The DC-9s were replaced by the MD-80s in during the 1980s. The remainder of the DC-8s were retired by 1985 and replaced by the Boeing 767 four years later.
The Scandinavian Airlines System has had a good safety record since its founding in 1948. One notable chain of incidents involved the Bombardier Dash 8-400 in 2007. Over a one month period, starting in September, 2007, three Scandinavian Airlines planes identified problems with their main landing gear as they were preparing to touch down. There were no injuries, but the airline's reputation was negatively affected. The airline was forced to ground its entire fleet while the planes were inspected. Because of the Dash-8's incredibly poor reputation after the series of incidents, Scandinavian Airlines opted to retire the plane from service.
