Background SAS launched its London City to Oslo route at the end of August, completing the triangle between its other Scandinavian flights to Stockholm and Copenhagen. The new service from LCY is exclusive to SAS and aims to capture city workers and those based in Canary Wharf.
My flight left at 1800, though times have since changed slightly with the introduction of the winter timetable. The new schedule departs LCY at 1040 (Monday-Friday) and 2000 (Sunday-Friday), arriving in Oslo at 1355 and 2315 respectively. The return leg leaves Oslo at 0850 (Monday-Friday) and 1810 (Sunday-Friday), arriving back in London at 1010 and 1930 respectively.
The flight offers three classes – business, economy and economy extra. Benefits of economy extra include business class check-in, a complimentary meal, fully flexible fares and extra loyalty miles. The airline’s route to Oslo out of Heathrow has performed well and SAS is stressing the flexibility of its flights with a one-way pricing structure, which means passengers can mix and match their London departure and arrival airports.
Check-in I left my office in central London at 1630 and arrived at the airport at 1710. There was a queue but I was through security and sitting down in the lounge by 1735.
Boarding The gate was not flagged up and it was only when I heard my name being called that I realised the flight was boarding from Gate 2A. I was one of the last to jump on the bus for the short transfer to the plane.
The flight On this busy flight there were eight rows of business class seats, with business, economy plus and economy class separated only by a card stuck over the last row of each class. Seat configuration is 3-2 and my window seat (13A) was one of three on the left of the plane in the penultimate row. I had enough legroom to be comfortable enough to catch a snooze. Newspapers were offered but they were all Norwegian, and all food in economy class had to be paid for, which I passed on, as it was £2 for a can of Coke.
Arrival We landed at 2115 local time (2015 UK time), had a short taxi to the gate and then disembarked onto another bus. Once inside the terminal we had to walk along a few travellators and down to passport control, which was very quiet. The bags arrived quite quickly and I followed the signs for the Airport Express, which takes you right into the heart of Oslo in 19 minutes. Trains run every 15 minutes and are quiet and peaceful, with silent televisions showing weather and events in Oslo as well as the day’s main news.
Verdict I finished work and I was in the air an hour and a half later – a testament to the benefit of flying from London City airport. The flight was no-nonsense, but if you have an evening economy flight it’s worth having dinner before you board.
Felicity Cousins
