SAS Link currently operates a fleet of fifteen Embraer E 195s on behalf of SAS. Recently, the airline announced an order for 45 Embraer E 195 E2 aircraft. However, so far they have not given any details on how and where they expect to deploy the newly ordered aircraft.

Getting to Haugesund Airport

Haugesund airport is just under twenty minutes away from where the meeting took place that I came here for in the first place. The driver drops me off in front of the dinky terminal building at 15h00. Boarding for my flight should start at 15h30 for our scheduled 16h00 departure.

SAS Check-In

Haugesund airport is quite small. It’s a flat, squat building with two floors, of which only the ground floor is for passengers. There are five check-in counters – two for SAS and two for Norwegian and Widerøe combined. I’ve already checked in online, so I can head straight through to security.

I think it probably goes without saying that there is no lounge at Haugesund airport. The airside area consists of four boarding gates, a kiosk and snack bar, and two toilets. I set up camp by the windows to make sure I get to see the arrival of the inbound from Oslo. The aircraft touches down on time, turns at the end of the runway and then backtracks toward the apron.

SAS Boarding

Ground handling at Haugesund airport is provided by Avinor, the company that also operates the airport. The young man attending the gate for the flight back to Oslo is an interesting study. It’s patently obvious that he must work out a lot. And to be fair, he has an impressive physique. However, in his eagerness to show off his athletic achievements, he’s wearing a white dress shirt that could easily be two sizes bigger and still be considered a snug fit. Perhaps I just don’t get it because I’m old, but I really think you’re not supposed to see the imprint of a six pack on a dress shirt… In any case, boarding is through both passenger doors, with a wheelchair accessible ramp at the L1 door, and a regular set of stairs to the L2 door.

The SAS Cabin & Seat

The aircraft has an attractive cabin. For some reason that has to do with my iPhone, the fabric of the seats seems much lighter in the photo than it really is.

I’m seated on the emergency exit on row 15. The Economy Class cabin starts on row fourteen. Seat pitch on the emergency exit is great. And kudos to SAS for the spotlessly clean window that gives me an unobstructed view outside.

The flight is sold out today. Actually, if I understood correctly at the gate, the flight is overbooked and they were asking for volunteers to take another flight. However, I can’t be sure as the announcement was only made in Norwegian. The guy sitting next to me boards as one of the last passengers. Eventually, after trying to move the bags in the overhead bins around to make space, the crew inform him that his suitcase is simply going to have to go in the hold and will be delivered on the belt at his destination. His is one of nine suitcases that end up being removed from the cabin. The bags are quickly removed and loaded into the forward cargo hold. The doors are closed and we push back ten minutes behind schedule. The flight time to Oslo is 45 minutes.

The SAS Staff & Service

There are three cabin crew on this flight. They’re not exactly unfriendly, but they look as though it might physically hurt them to even just consider a smile. Once we’re airborne, the service in the Premium Economy cabin starts straight away with two trolleys starting at opposite ends – on rows 1 and 12. Only once that’s out of the way, does the crew pass through the Economy Class cabin with complimentary still water, tea, and coffee. The crew serve 15A and 15C. Then they take one look at Mr 15D and me and just keep on walking. We stare at each other for a moment in surprise and just start laughing. I have no idea what that is all about, but the flight time is simply too short to bother to find out.

Arrival in Oslo

We land in Oslo on time. It’s only a short taxi to our parking stand. Passengers ending their journey in Oslo take the escalators one floor up and follow the signs for arrivals, whereas passengers connecting domestically and internationally remain on the same level, which ejects them straight onto the departures concourse.

Getting into Oslo

From Oslo Airport I catch a train heading into Oslo. The journey from the airport to Oslo Central Station take about twenty minutes, depending on whether it’s a nonstop service or not. A one way ticket costs NOK268, roughly CHF24. Before I catch the train, I make a quick stop to pick up a kardamom bolle to tie me over during the train ride into Oslo.

Conclusion

Domestic flying in Scandinavia feels a lot like taking a bus. And in a way, I guess that’s exactly what it is, if you ignore the fact that you’re up in the air. The service on domestic routes with SAS is not polished in any way, and serves a purely perfunctory purpose. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you need to remind yourself of that fact to level expectations.