Review: SAS Business Class, Copenhagen to Madrid

 

SAS business class, Copenhagen to Madrid

Flying the new SAS Business Class Intra-Europe

Flight: SK581
Departure time in Copenhagen (CPH): 8:50
Arrival time in Madrid (MAD): 12:10
Aircraft: Airbus A320neo (EI-SIO) Gudrun Viking
Seat: 3A
Duration: 3h 20m
Date of flight: October 1, 2025
*This is an award ticket, Business Class flight #294

Video on YouTube



Copenhagen Airport Terminal 3

I arrived in Copenhagen Airport Terminal 3 around 6:50am for my 8:50am flight to Madrid. The SAS check-in desks are close to fast track near Burger King.

Fast Track

With a business class boarding pass (and Skyteam elite plus status), I was able to use fast track.

SAS Lounge

Today October 1, the two SAS lounges (SAS Gold and Business Lounge) are officially merged to become 1 lounge.

Some celebrations happening 😉

Cava

Kardemommesnurre (Swedish-style cardemom buns with the Denmark flag).

The famous barista bar upstairs is now open to business class passengers as well 👍

This is the first time that business class passengers without SAS/Skyteam status could use the lounge upstairs which was previously off limits to them. 

The breakfast offering was the usual Scandinavian breakfast you´d find in hotels. 

Aircraft, Airbus A320neo

This aircraft is named Gudrun Viking.

Boarding, Gate A21

The boarding gate was Gate A21 which was located far from the lounge. I left the lounge at 8:02am and reached the gate 10 minutes later. At 8:22am, boarding began.

Business Class Cabin

The business class cabin features a 2-2 configuration with the middle seat being blocked, which is now in par with what other airlines offer in business class intra-Europe. On this flight, the cabin consisted of seats from rows 1 to 4 with a total of 16 seats, with only 1 vacant seat on this morning flight to Madrid.

Seat 3A

My seat 3A is a window seat.

Literature pocket, tray table, USB port, coat hook

The legroom was spacious.

Safety card, Menu (for economy class passengers).

The middle seat is now blocked.

Sadly, the aircraft is not equipped with wifi system.

Push back & Take Off

Just before push back at 8:45am, Captain Matthias welcomed us onboard. 15 minutes later, we took off.

Separate Cabin

The new business class also meant having a curtain between the 2 cabins. The cabin chief came personally to welcome all the business class passengers on this premier flight 😉

Dining

On this flight to Madrid, breakfast will be offered to business class passengers (meals are served on a tray), followed by coffee and tea.

To start the meal service, drinks were offered and I settled for a glass of apple juice.

Handcrafted apple juice

The lady seated at 4A had a sparkling wine for drinks 👍

There was no mention of what the main course was, but after tasting it, it appeared to be omelette with paprika sauce. It was actually very flavorful 😋 There was also a small portion of salad with blueberries, cheese and salami. Then there was the dessert. It was actually a very good meal so kudos to SAS for this 👍

They did not have any tea other than the Ceylon black tea so I had to ask just half a cup.

Bread was also offered. Sadly it was not warm.

More drinks were offered and I had a bottle of mineral water. The service from the crew (both the lady cabin chief and the guy with a cute moustache) was friendly throughout the flight.

Lavatory

The lavatory is located in front of the cabin.

Landing in Madrid Airport

We landed in Madrid Airport at 11:34am although it took awhile since it was already 11:50am by the time we reached the gate.

CONCLUSION

It was exciting to be one of those to experience the new SAS business class intra-Europe. Flying from Copenhagen is cool since they have the SAS lounge which will will also have the Flagship Lounge in 2027. The crew on this flight were friendly and did their best to make this flight special. The meal was very good and could compete with what others were offering in business class. The bread not being warm was a minor issue which I am sure will be resolved in the future. Overall, it was a great flight and was worth all the SAS points I redeemed for 👍

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