Flight Review: Jettime B737-800 operating for SAS (w/SAS Go & SAS Plus fares)
Flight#: SK1586 / SK1585
From: Barcelona (BCN)
To: Copenhagen (CPH)
and back
Flight time: 2h 45min
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
When SAS invited me to attend its fleet renewal announcement in Copenhagen, I was hoping I would be able to try the European A320neo they deploy on many European routes (for the older B737-700, now retired, check out this earlier flight review).
However, the Barcelona route at the time of writing these lines seems to have been outsourced to Danish charter and ACMI operator Jettime, which deploys a Boeing 737-800 aircraft on this route. So, a good opportunity to try out an airline that unless you are a Danish holidaymaker you are unlikely to fly.
In any case, SAS is about to revamp its European short and medium haul service soon, with the introduction of a proper business class cabin and some service improvements, so I guess my flight review would have been outdated pretty soon anyway!
Note: The flights were courtesy of SAS
SAS and Jettime experience
This flight review is a bit of an hybrid: the “soft” elements of the experience, such as pre-boarding and service class were those of a regular SAS flight, since this flight was sold as a SAS flight, however, the “metal” was Jettime’s. So I try to provide a bit of an overview of both.
By the way, Jettime is also a Scandinavian carrier, so I guess the cultural element is not too different. Even the symbols on the plane are quite similar to those used by SAS.
The online checkin process was pretty straightforward. I did on the app and it was quick and smooth. This part of the experience was 100% SAS, and in fact, you wouldn’t even notice it is operated by a different airline until you get to the boarding gate.
I flew one leg as “SAS Go”, the basic fare, equivalent to a no frills European economy class and the return leg on “SAS Plus”, which is the highest fare tier the Scandinavian airline currently offers on short-haul and has elements that are “businessy”, but it is not really a business class (this will have to wait until Autumn 2025, when a proper Euro business class product will be launched).
As you can see, the main differentiating elements are not in the cabin, but in the services associated to the flight, such as baggage allowance, fast track (SAS uses already SkyTeam’s SkyPriority), the inflight meal and the lounge (although won’t cover this here, because I simply had not time to enjoy the lounge at CPH!).
The cabin was typical of a European low-cost carrier, all correct, but nothing special. Perhaps not the shiniest or smartest cabin I have seen lately, but ok-ish. Slim seats with leather-like covers. Interestingly, they reclined! (although in my case, I had a really big young passenger right behind me that after falling sleep started kicking my reclined seat regularly while in his dreams, so had to readjust the position a bit!)
Things it didn’t have: a hook point to hand the coat or suit and charger or USB.
Below you can get a general view of the cabin.
Inflight entertainment
There was no inflight entertainment as such onboard the aircraft BUT if you have the SAS app, you can use it to download some entertainment content before the flight.
The selection while not huge is pretty good in quality and I did download the FT and a travel magazine, which I think was Condé Nast Traveller, and I did actually read them during the flight. If you are on a mobile phone is not the most reader-friendly format, but you can zoom in and out and, actually, is pretty good.
Food and Drink
This is one of the parts of the experience that is different depending on which service tier you are in. Also, interesting to think how SAS and Jettime arrange this between themselves, since the aircraft is fitted with Jettime’s on-demand food ordering system, but, technically, if you are on SAS Plus, you have pre-ordered (by default) through SAS.
In any case, you may have noticed in the pictures above that there is a sticker with a QR code on the back of each seat. This is to access the food ordering system. You must do so, however, before taking off, when you still have internet connectivity on your phone. You won’t be able to order this way after taking off.
If you are on the basic fare and don’t wish to pay for food or drinks onboard, you will still get coffee or tea and water complimentary (they actually offered two rounds!).
Now, on my return leg, I was on SAS Plus, so I was entitled to get an inflight meal. It got delivered in this cardboard box you can see here. So, let’s see what was inside…
So, here is the chili glazed chiken with a side of salad and a couple of pieces of Nordic crunchy bread. Also included were the drinks, which in addition to coffee, tea and water, included also a selection of soft drinks plus wine as well.
Last, but not least, the dessert was this nicely presented set of Swedish chocolate truffles, which was truly tasty.
Our Take
Jettime is a charter airline, so I think expectations should be calibrated accordingly. The experience, in this regard, was pretty correct. When it comes to the SAS side of the equation, soft elements like the app were pretty good. As an economy class experience was also quite ok. Now, if I had paid the full Plus fare, maybe I would have found it a bit lacking. I think SAS is aware of this and this is the reason it is revamping its premium offering. Something to keep an eye on!