Flights to New York: SAS suspends A321-LR flights from Aalborg and Gothenburg

True business class with 22 seats, full premium economy with twelve seats and space for 123 passengers in economy class – this is what SAS offers on its Airbus A321 LR. With the new aircraft model, travelers could be offered more intercontinental routes, fewer stops, and shorter travel times to and from Scandinavia, the airline explained in its presentation in December two years ago.

It introduced two new seasonal routes last April. I flew non-stop from Gothenburg three times a week and from Aalborg to New York-Newark three times a week. “We are seeing demand from secondary cities,” SAS explained. Until then, it will head to New York from its main hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm.

Airbus A321 LR also on other routes

But it is clear that demand last summer was not as much as hoped. Because in the summer of 2024, SAS will no longer serve the two routes, as the Final Call Travel portal first reported. Customers who have already purchased a ticket will be rebooked.

The Airbus A321 LR is a slightly smaller aircraft for long-haul flights […] “Well suited to serving regional markets,” SAS explained at the launch of the routes from Aalborg and Gothenburg. The airline also uses the model on flights from Copenhagen to Boston, New York and Washington. It sees them as an integral part of its long-haul fleet and therefore offers an on-board product similar to larger aircraft.

New opportunities

It is currently unclear which routes SAS will transport the now freed aircraft. The failures in Aalborg and Gothenburg open up opportunities elsewhere for the Star Alliance, which remains a future member of SkyTeam.

In the photo gallery above, you can see images of the cabin of the Airbus A321 LR from SAS. Clicking on the image opens the gallery in large format.