Is SAS Business Class Worth It? An Honest Review

When you book a business class ticket, you expect a premium experience that feels consistently better than economy or premium economy. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) offers an upgrade bidding process that can make business class super affordable. But does it deliver enough to justify the extra cost? We recently flew SAS business class between the US and Copenhagen to find out. We’ll tell you all about the experience and break it down into key categories so you can decide if it’s worth it for your next trip.

Updated: We’ve now flown SAS Business Class even more times between the US and Copenhagen, including flights on both the Airbus A350 and A330-300. Our latest round trip gave us a chance to see what’s changed and whether our original verdict still holds. We’ve added key updates throughout. You can also read our complete guide to all SAS Airlines cabins here: Should You Fly SAS to Europe? What to Know First

We break down all the details below on the lounges, perks, seat, meals, and how much we paid for an upgrade bid from IAD to CPH and CPH to EWR.

SAS Business Class Lounge Access

Lounge access comes with SAS business class fares, even if you upgrade, but the experience varies dramatically depending on where you fly from.

SAS Business Class Lounge Access at Washington Dulles (IAD)

SAS assigns you to a specific lounge rather than letting you choose from the Sky Team network. We were directed to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, which was clean, well-organized, and staffed by friendly employees, but the food and beverage selection was limited. Most offerings came with an extra fee. The complimentary options were minimal: Pabst Blue Ribbon, a decent Chardonnay, and fresh sandwiches. We got what we needed, but compared to other business-class lounges, it felt underwhelming. We tried some Priority Pass lounges as alternatives, but they were at capacity with waitlists, so options were tight on this particular travel day. If you’re looking for better lounge options at Dulles, read our full guide here: Best Lounges at Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) + How to Get In

SAS Business Class Lounge Access at Copenhagen (CPH)

The SAS lounge was a noticeable upgrade. It’s spacious and nicely designed with excellent food options like cheese plates, fresh bread, and plenty of snacks. They even have wine and beer on self-service tap. Showers are available, which is perfect if you’re boarding a long-haul flight and want to freshen up. The experience feels premium. But you’ll need to pass through immigration after visiting the lounge, which was quick before the new EU face scanning but took substantially longer on our most recent trip. Fortunately, a Priority Pass lounge is available on the other side of immigration, but it’s not as nice. Do you have a long layover in Copenhagen? Read our full guide here: Copenhagen Layover Guide: What to Do in 5 to 8 Hours

Takeaway: Lounge quality depends on your departure airport. If you’re flying from Copenhagen, the SAS lounge is a nice perk. From US airports, the experience can vary, but either way you’ll have a place to sit and some complimentary food and beverages.

👉 You can read about our better SAS business class experience from Copenhagen to Washington Dulles here including the lounge details.

SAS Business Class Boarding

Business class passengers board first. There’s no designated premium boarding section, but you do get a dedicated SkyTeam Priority lane. Everyone lines up at the same entrance, and business class simply boards ahead and turns left into the main cabin. If you’re in the aft cabin, you turn right with everyone else but get a cozy little 2-row cabin for the trip.

SAS Business Class Seats and Cabin Layout

We were in bulkhead business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration on 3 of 4 flights, and this is our favorite spot. Every seat in business class has direct aisle access, but bulkhead rows have noticeably more legroom in the footwell, which is a comfort advantage on long-haul flights. The seats were comfortable and well maintained, though not the most private compared to other long-haul carriers to Europe.

A350 SAS Business Class

This aircraft is slightly larger, with eight rows in front of the galley and lavatories. The aft cabin is a private two-row block that’s nicely isolated from the rest of business class and the other cabins. Our crew enforced the rules to use your cabin’s designated lavatories, so it truly was private with no bathroom traffic.

A330-300 SAS Business Class

This smaller aircraft has eight rows in one business class cabin with no aft cabin, and the two lavatories and galley were at the rear. The crew also enforced lavatory rules on this flight, so there was minimal bathroom traffic and only from business class. The cabin did feel a little smaller, so you’ll want to think about your seat strategy. More on that below.

Seat Strategy

Both aircraft have 78-inch pitch and 180-degree recline. The A330 seats are 21 inches wide, whereas the A350 seats are 22 inches. The difference didn’t matter much. The A330 does feel a little smaller and less private, but still lovely.

Solo travelers: Book A or H seats in even rows with the storage divider on your aisle side. This gives you a window and some privacy from aisle traffic.

Couples: D and F seats put you together in the middle, each with direct aisle access. There are no true honeymoon seats without dividers, but they were designed so you could have privacy from the other seat or talk easily to your travel partner. The side that’s more private from the aisle alternates by row, so check SeatMaps.

Comfort and Sleep Quality

You don’t get a private pod like some airlines offer, but the lie-flat seat worked well for sleeping. Each seat comes with a mattress pad, pillow, and comforter that you set up yourself when you’re ready to sleep. I slept three to four hours solidly on every flight, and would have slept longer on our first night flight if not for early cabin lighting before landing. The mattress pad, blanket, and pillow were all adequate and added comfort to the experience. The seat width and length were generous enough to rest well, though you do feel exposed to the aisle if you don’t have a seat with the storage table on the aisle side.

Temperature control was a downside. The cabin felt very warm on all flights, and there are no individual air vents to adjust airflow. If you’re heat-sensitive, like I am, bring a portable travel fan.

SAS Business Class Meals

Our First Experience (late night flight)

We received a pre-departure beverage and had a printed menu with good options for the main meal after takeoff. The food was fine, but the execution felt rushed, which is understandable on a 10 pm flight. Everything came on one plate to speed up service. But breakfast service started three hours before landing with cabin lights interrupting sleep whether you wanted it or not. We wish they would’ve waited a little longer so we could get some much needed sleep before our seven hour layover in Copenhagen, especially since we didn’t want the pre-landing meal service. The flight attendant was very kind, though, and brought me a coffee and croissant after meal service when I eventually sat up.

Our Most Recent Flights (8 PM and day departures)

This was a huge step up from our experience last year. The menus looked similar in scope, but the service felt completely different. Pre-departure bubbly was followed by a relaxed multi-course dinner service after departure. The crew also asked this time if we wanted to be woken for breakfast and we declined. The overall pace was much nicer, and the food quality was fantastic.

On the A350 night flight, we skipped the main course since it was after 8 pm and focused on the appetizer with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes (my favorite), a lovely little cheese plate (yes, more cheese), and a lemon meringue tart served in a graham cracker cup. On the A330 day flight home, we sampled all courses, which also came one at a time like a fine-dining experience: tuna tartare, grilled chicken, a curated cheese selection, and dessert. The wine list was also extensive. I had a Nebbiolo with dinner and a port with my cheese course.

Flight Times Make a Difference

On our late-night departure, the crew was a little grouchy and the service was on a compressed schedule. Our afternoon and earlier-evening departures had fantastic crews, and they were able to pace the service, present dishes properly, and give us more options. Pro Tip: You can order a light express meal of starter, salad, and cheese served right away if you don’t want the full multi-course experience.

SAS Business Class Service: What to Expect

Our First Experience (late night flight)

Service felt inconsistent on this flight. During boarding, one crew member was abrupt when I asked to use the front lavatory. It turned out the front lavatory was crew-only, but the curtains were open and there was no signage explaining this. On other airlines, the front lavatory is usually available to business class passengers, so the setup was confusing. Instead of calmly explaining, the crew member was dismissive and somewhat rude.

The service improved once we were in the air. Another flight attendant, originally from Copenhagen, was friendly and engaging. We talked about Washington, D.C., and Copenhagen, and he made a real effort to make the experience pleasant. He was attentive throughout the flight, offering drinks and snacks, and even bringing coffee and a croissant outside the regular breakfast service window when I woke up later.

Our Day Flight Last Year

Boarding in Copenhagen was smooth and stress-free. A designated Sky Priority boarding lane set the tone for a relaxed and premium experience. The crew was professional and the service felt genuinely premium throughout. Is SAS Business Class Better on a Day Flight? Here’s Our Take

Our Recent Flights (8 PM and day departures)

Service was excellent on both flights. The crew was attentive and friendly throughout. Meal timing felt perfectly paced, creating that fine-dining experience we mentioned in the catering section. The crew also enforced the cabin lavatories strictly, so there was no through traffic from other cabins. Everything felt premium from start to finish.

SAS Business Class Amenity Kit and Onboard Extras

SAS provides an amenity kit with a good-quality eye mask, lotion, and other travel essentials. The kit was a collaboration with Dux, a Scandinavian brand, and included Swedish stockings, a bamboo toothbrush, and quality skincare items in addition to the essentials. The kit wasn’t luxury-level but was practical and nicely packaged in a bag we can use to pack shoes or for laundry.

One thing worth noting: SAS kept bottled water available throughout the flight. On some long-haul flights with other airlines, I’ve run into situations where bottled water runs out. I always drink about 50 oz on a long-haul, so this is essential even when I bring my own refillable bottle. The availability of water made a big difference in comfort here. The lavatories were also spacious and remained clean throughout the flight.

Takeaway: SAS business class offered thoughtful amenities, with access to water and clean lavatories. These may seem like little things but they make a big difference on a long flight.

How SAS Business Class Upgrade Bidding Works

SAS offers an upgrade auction system. We placed bids from premium economy to business class on all four flights and paid between $350 and $425 each time to secure the upgrade. All four bids were accepted, even when they dropped below the minimum bid (which fluctuated over time) or were categorized as “weak.” You can read our full guide to the SAS business class upgrade bidding process here: How to Bid for an SAS Business Class Upgrade: A Step-by-Step Guide

The catch is seat selection. When your upgrade is accepted, you’re automatically assigned a seat along with everyone else who upgraded on that flight. On our first flight, all available seats filled immediately, and we were separated into two solo window seats on opposite sides of the plane. We missed being able to chat during the flight, but it was a night flight, and they were great seats for sleeping.

On the subsequent three flights, there were still empty seats after upgrades cleared. So, we logged in to our SAS account immediately after the upgrade was accepted and selected our seats while they were still available. We secured middle D/F seating together on two flights and single window seats together (one in front of the other) on the third flight. If you’re traveling with a companion and bid for an upgrade, plan to act fast on seat selection the moment your upgrade is confirmed. They didn’t automatically seat us together even when seats were available.

Takeaway: Upgrade bidding can make business class affordable, but immediately select your seats after acceptance to avoid being split up. For daytime flights where you want to relax together rather than sleep, premium economy might be sufficient, save you money, and (somewhat) guarantee sitting together if you pay for seats in advance. Read our full SAS Premium Economy review here: SAS Plus Review: Worth It to Europe in Premium Economy?

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SAS Business Class Pros and Cons

✅ Pros:

Lie-flat seats with direct aisle access for all passengers.
Spacious bulkhead seating with extra comfort and legroom.
Excellent and attentive service on recent flights, with crews that enforced cabin rules and paced service properly.
Fantastic meal service, especially on afternoon and evening departures, with multi-course dining and extensive wine options.
Clean, organized cabin with reliable amenities and quality bedding (mattress pad, pillow, comforter).
Water and snacks available throughout the flight. Designated SkyTeam Priority boarding lane.

❌ Cons:

Upgrade bidding means automatic seat assignment. You must act fast to select seats after upgrade acceptance or risk being separated.
Lounge access at Dulles was limited with few complimentary offerings at the Virgin lounge.
Cabins are very warm with no individual air vents for temperature control (bring a fan).
Early cabin lighting before landing on overnight flights disrupts sleep, but the smaller aft cabin was much quieter than the main SAS business class cabin.
Flight timing matters significantly: late-night departures feel rushed, earlier evening and daytime flights have superior service pacing.

Quick Verdict: Is SAS Business Class Worth It?

SAS business class is worth it if:

You get a reasonably priced upgrade.
You’re on a long overnight flight where lie-flat seats will make a difference.
You value direct aisle access and a modern, comfortable seat.

It’s not worth it if:

You’re bidding for an upgrade and want a guaranteed seat next to your partner.
You’re paying full price (other airlines offer more private pods for about the same price, but the upgrade bid on SAS can be super affordable, though not guaranteed).

In short, SAS business class is comfortable and practical but not as luxurious as some other carriers. We love it for the upgrade bidding process and reasonable premium economy alternative if we don’t get our bid. If you can secure an upgrade at a good price or a fare sale, it’s absolutely worthwhile.