Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) To Add Intra-Europe Business Class

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced plans to reintroduce business class on intra-Europe flights, replacing the carrier’s current quirky SAS Plus product.

SAS will offer business class on regional flights

As of the summer of 2025, SAS plans to once again offer business class on intra-Europe flights operated by regional aircraft. Now, intra-Europe business class isn’t much to get excited about, and typically consists of economy seats with blocked middles, a curtain between cabins, a dedicated lavatory, and enhanced service, food, and drinks. On top of that, business class offers priority services on the ground.

For context, currently SAS has what it refers to as SAS Plus on short haul flights. That branding is aligned with the name of the carrier’s long haul premium economy product. SAS Plus consists of seats at the front of the cabin with complimentary drinks and snacks. There are also premium ground services, like fast track security and lounge access.

However, SAS Plus doesn’t have blocked middle seats, there’s no dedicated bathroom, and you’re primarily just getting economy food and drinks for free in business class. So these changes will more closely align SAS with what you find in the rest of the industry.

We don’t yet know exactly as of which date this product switchover will be made. This should be a pretty easy change to implement, since it’s not like cabins will have to be reconfigured. The airline will just have to switch up its soft product, and add a curtain between cabins.

Why SAS is changing its premium short haul product

The timing of this announcement is no coincidence. SAS has just received an investment from Air France-KLM, and the airline has also joined the SkyTeam alliance. The goal is even to get SAS into the SkyTeam transatlantic joint venture, which consists of Air France-KLM, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic.

It makes perfect sense for SAS to also more closely align its short haul product with that of partner airlines, so that there’s more consistency between airlines. For example, if someone is on a transatlantic business class ticket, they at least want a blocked middle seat on their connection, and SAS doesn’t want people booking away from the airline because of this.

Bottom line

SAS is making updates to its short haul premium product. As of the summer of 2025, the airline will introduce business class on flights within Europe, replacing the current SAS Plus product. This should mean blocked middle seats, a more substantial food and drink selection, more personalized service, and more.

This seems like a sensible move, given that SAS is trying to align more closely with its SkyTeam partners. I’ll be sure to provide an update when we have more details about what service will be like, and the exact implementation date.

What do you make of SAS introducing business class on short haul flights?