Review: SAS Business Class (A330-300)

Flying Scandinavian Airlines business class, or SAS Business class, for the first time was a cool moment for me after completing the SAS Million Mile challenge in 2024. 

It’s a much better product than most of its transatlantic competitors, and I’m glad that I have a bunch of their miles left to burn for future flights! You can also book SAS business class with Flying Blue miles or miles from any other SkyTeam frequent flyer program.

Read on for my first experience on SAS Business Class on the A330-300.

Booking SAS Business Class

I booked this flight for my wife and me with my stash of SAS miles during a 25% award sale. The price in 2025 for a business class saver award was 50,000 miles (it’s since increased to 60K miles), so I only paid 37,500 miles per person and a super cheap $7.80 CAD per person in taxes and fees. It’s definitely the least expensive business class award I’ve ever booked!

As my acquisition cost of the SAS miles was about $0.004 CAD per point, my total effective out-of-pocket cost for this flight was an astonishing $157.80 CAD per person.

However, my joy was short-lived as during the booking process I was surprised to see that SAS charges for seat selection, and it’s not cheap.

I opted not to pay for seat selection in advance, and we still had the option to choose window seats at check-in.

Ground Experience

At JFK, there’s a proper check-in area with a SkyPriority line for business-class passengers. I was surprised that, arriving 2 hours before the flight, no one else was in line!

Since there is no SAS lounge, we were given access to the Air France lounge located next to Gate 1, which was lovely. Air France business class is probably my favorite product to fly across the Atlantic, but after this flight, SAS takes top honors!

The technology in SAS’s app is also quite impressive, as it offers more than just a place to access your boarding pass. Not only did I receive prompt baggage tracking, but I loved the widget on the lock screen. 

In particular, the seat assignment reminder and boarding process status were great pieces of intel! At the end of the flight, the widget turned into a survey asking me to rank my flight. It’s the most comprehensive app integration I’ve seen to date.

Cabin Arrangement

SAS has one of the most consistent products for the long-haul business class, as every seat is the same in their business class cabins on the A330s and A350s, arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration.

I chose 8H as my seat because it’s set closer to the windows than the odd rows. My wife originally was seated in 6H for the same reason, but when there was no one in 7H, she moved back a row.

Seat

Upon arriving at the seat, I was impressed by the design and layout. While it won’t wow you with luxury, the clean, modern lines with a touch of warmth from the brown accents are inviting.

One odd thing I noticed about the seat right away was how shiny the infotainment screen is. It’s a good way to take selfies, though!

Next to the entertainment screen is some basic storage, but the highlight of the seat is the storage area next to the aisle. Here you’ll find plenty of connectivity, a proper headphone hook, clever water bottle storage, and an additional cupholder. The flight attendant call button is on the lower level next to the audio jack.

There are also some preset seat shortcuts along the edge of the tray table, which are a favorite of mine.

The outside armrest can be raised and lowered at will, which is something I always appreciate for extra customization.

The tray table pops open using this button on the larger side of the seat. The table is ergonomic and offers decent adjustability.

Bed

I found the bed to be perfectly comfortable, however, the mechanism for converting the seat from bed to seating position was really weak. You had to practically stand up in order for the seat to move while pressing the button.

The footwell is a bit cramped, as most 1-2-1 seats are, but it is better than the standard reverse-herringbone seats many airlines use. The bedding provided by DUX was really plush and comfortable. It made for a lovely space to get some rest!

Overall, the bed was above average, but the weak folding flat mechanism was a bit of a downer.

Amenity Kit

The amenity kit was nicely packaged and contained socks, an eye mask, a dental kit, face cream, lip balm, and earplugs.

The package the kit came in is perhaps one of the most useful, as my wife and I repurposed it as shoe bags now!

Bathroom

The bathroom in this A330 seemed slightly larger than an economy bathroom, but wasn’t anything particularly special.

Dining

Service in the business class cabin started with a branded tablecloth laid onto the tray table. However, it needed to be a bit larger to cover the entire tray.

Next on the service was warm nuts and a beverage offering. I opted for the signature “Polar Pioneer” cocktail and a glass of water. All of the glassware is branded Orrefors Sweden, which adds a level of class to the experience.

Service took a while to get started, but all the amenities handed out had high levels of branding and customization. Even the napkins and silverware were branded with the airline’s logo.

When the food finally started, it came rather quickly, with bread and a pastrami appetizer handed out first by an attendant in a chef’s coat via trolley service. It was a nice touch!

The mixed salad was prepared fresh on the appetizer tray.

The menu was quite extensive for this 7-hour flight, with an excess of drink choices and three main courses. I opted for the prosciutto, braised short rib, and cheesecake.

During dinner, I was offered a top-up of champagne, which was a welcome addition and a nice touch of warm hospitality! The beef short rib was quite good, especially considering beef is hard to do at 30,000ft! My wife opted for the chicken and thought it was great as well.

I paired my cheesecake with some port and then prepared for a short nap before I was awoken for breakfast service.

For breakfast, I was happy to see espresso beverages on the menu, and the cappuccino was fantastic.

Entertainment

Entertainment Console

While the screen was shiny in the daylight, it was quite nice once the lights were turned down. The interface is modern and easy to use, with options to view the menu, classic movies, recent Hollywood releases, or a wide selection of TV shows.

The in-flight map was not particularly modern, but it was better than most legacy business-class products, like Lufthansa’s business class on the A340.

WiFi

Business class passengers on Scandinavian Airlines receive free WiFi for the entire flight, and it was quick and easy to connect!

Conclusion

Scandinavian Airlines Business Class is one of the most consistent products across the Atlantic, as all of its widebody planes use the same seat configuration. Between a character-filled drink menu, an excellent amenity kit, and a modern seat, I can’t wait to fly SAS business class again!