Introduction
Today I’m on my way from Oslo to Paris. I exit the hotel just after six in the morning and make my way across the road to the terminal.
Departures are on the upper floor of the building. The check-in hall is an enormous, cavernous space. At six in the morning the place is not very busy.
I print my own baggage tag at one of the multi-purpose self-service machines and then head over to the Star Alliance Business Class drop-off. Behind check-in is a long corridor that leads to the security checkpoint. Along the way, I stop at the Dr. Dropin test facility to get the mandatory PCR test out of the way.
There is a dedicated fast track for Business Class passengers and the process is swift. OnceI’m airside, I’m still in the domestic part of the terminal. The border crossing to leave the country is to the right.
The SAS Gold Lounge
SAS has a lounge in both the domestic and international part of the terminal. They are both one floor up from the common airside area.
Business is obviously still slow, because the Business Class lounge is closed off and not in service. Instead, all passengers are invited to use the Star Gold lounge.
There are plenty of seating options, and the lounge is nearly empty during my stay. There is a nice selection of cold breakfast dishes available from the buffet. Just a word of warning though. Coffee is generally dreadful in Norway, and the SAS Gold lounge is no exception.
The terminal is very generously laid out, with lots of space and enough place to sit.
Boarding
Our departure is scheduled for 07h55, with boarding supposedly starting at 07h25. Eventually we start boarding at 07h40, which is no big deal, because there are only 32 passengers on the flight.
The Cabin
The flight today is operated by a wetlease from Air Baltic with one of their Airbus A 220s. The aircraft is a stark contrast to the old and tatty looking B 737-700 I flew into Oslo on yesterday. The A 220 really is such such a lovely aircraft from a passenger’s perspective. It’s spacious and so quiet. Of course it helps that the flight is not even half full. Air Baltic only has a row 1 on the starboard side of the aircraft, as the opposite side of the cabin is occupied by storage space. Thus, on the port side, row 2 is the first row of the cabin. In the middle of the row of three there is a large, removable table, which is very convenient.
Leg space on row 1 is good.
Once we move off stand, our first stop is the de-icing station. It’s an interesting operation they have going on here. They are de-icing six aircraft at a time, and the process only takes a few minutes to complete.
Once we’re airborne, we’re treated to some spectacular views of the vibrant sky.
The Crew
The crew have also been leased in from Air Baltic and they’re a lot more engaging than the SAS crew I had yesterday. They take their job seriously and tend to passengers’ needs in a charming and old-fashioned way.
The Meal
Okay, this really is abissmal. Shame on you SAS! The flight attendant enters the cabin and inquires if there’s anything I’d like. I request an orange juice and a coffee. Juice is not available, but instead the flight attendant offers me an orange and mango smoothie. And that’s it. She moves on to the next row.
On her way back to the galley I hail her down and shyly inquire if there’s actually anything to eat. To which she replies that they had been informed by SAS that food for passengers was only on request and not actively offered. She tells me she’s happy to bring me something if I like. Then minutes later she’s back with my hot breakfast…
I think not even the Italians have pizza for breakfast, and they invented the bloody thing. But apparently that’s the only ‘dish’ the crew have on offer.
Well that was surprisingly disappointing… With the meal out of the way, I sit back, read, and enjoy the views outside.
Arrival
We land in Paris with a slight delay, caused by the defrosting before departure. The flight ends at terminal 2D. Terminals 1 and 3 at Charles de Gaulle airport are currently still closed.
The wait for the suitcases to arrive is very short. I guess that’s one of the few advantages of the pandemic and the result of there being less travellers.
From terminal 2D I walk to the railway station between terminals 2E and 2F and grab a Roissyval train to Roissy-Pole, which is the airport’s ground transportation hub and the location of all the airport hotels.
Conclusion
What on earth was that? It’s kind of tragic that the only good thing about this flight was that it was not operated by the carriers that should have been doing the flight. If this is seriously SAS’s idea of a European short-haul Business Class product, then I have to say I think it really sucks. Their only saving grace was that the flight was operated by Air Baltic. I’m definitely not impressed with the two flights I took with SAS on this trip. And I’m certainly going to try to avoid them in the future. Definitely not worth it!
Kind of sad that SAS did not give much to work with. Telling them that they can only serve that pizza for breakfast, on demand, and nothing else? It’s a bit insulting for Air Baltic too, who usually offer decent meals in Business Class.
That’s exactly what I though. Air Baltic is usually quite nice in Business Class. It damages their own brand too, operating these flights for SK. Obviously, inside the cabin they did try to remove all signs of BT branding. But it was still clear who the operator of the aircraft was.