SAS returns to Seattle, strengthens relationship with Delta after move to SkyTeam

SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) will add Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to its map next summer as it builds connections with new SkyTeam Alliance partner Delta Air Lines.

Airlines, which only joined SkyTeam on September 1, plans to operate five weekly flights between its Copenhagen Airport (CPH) hub and SEA from May 21, 2025, SAS said on Tuesday. The airline has not said whether the route will be operated by the Airbus A330 or A350, its two wide-body aircraft.

SAS also revealed that it will soon announce more new routes next summer.

“The Copenhagen route will provide more travel options for our customers and enhance connectivity between Scandinavia and the Pacific Northwest,” SAS CEO Anko van der Werff said in a statement.

SAS’s most recent service to Seattle was in 2009 with a direct flight from Copenhagen, scheduled by Cirium Diio.

“Seattle is a highly requested destination for our customers and we are delighted to meet their needs by launching this route. In addition, Seattle’s growing cargo business makes this expansion even more strategically valuable,” added van der Werff.

Not to mention the fact that Seattle is a hub for SkyTeam and codeshare partner Delta. This gives SAS flyers easy access to cities like Anchorage; Portland, Oregon; and Spokane, Washington.

The U.S. Department of Transportation signed a codeshare agreement between the airlines on September 11. The pact allows Delta to place the “DL” code on flights operated by SAS and vice versa.

SAS is in the middle of a strategic realignment since Air France-KLM acquired a 19.9% ​​stake in the airline in August through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring. Since then, the airline has leaving Star Alliancewhere the airline is a founding member and joins SkyTeam. Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith has said he wants to incorporate SAS into the group’s transatlantic joint venture with Delta and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

If approved by regulators, the joint venture membership would allow SAS to coordinate flights and fares between the United States and Europe with Air France, Delta, KLM and Virgin Atlantic.

As part of the change, SAS Flight added between CPH and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Delta’s primary hub, in June.

Under Cirium Diio’s schedule, SAS will serve 11 North American cities in addition to Seattle, including Delta’s hubs at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

Tickets for the new flights to Seattle will go on sale soon, an SAS spokesperson told TPG.

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