Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) is celebrating 50 years of flying to Chicago with increased service to the United States. The airline issued this statement:

SAS was the first airline to fly over the North Pole to the U.S. West Coast in 1954. Ten years later, SAS also began flying to the U.S. Midwest and is now celebrating 50 years of service between Copenhagen and Chicago. In 2014, SAS is continuing to increase its traffic, adding five weekly departures and a new route to the USA. In doing so, SAS is cementing its position as Scandinavia’s biggest and most capable airline for travel to the United States.

On April 2, 1964, SAS launched the route to Chicago (O’Hare) with the maiden flight from Copenhagen. Captain Jens Mueller flew passengers and crew in a Douglas DC-8-33 to Chicago via Montreal, sowing the seeds for a successful route, which has since been operated by aircraft including the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, Boeing 767 and Airbus A330and A340. More than 3 million people have flown this route with SAS, and today the airline flies directly from Copenhagen and Stockholm to Chicago.

SAS operates a nonstop route between Copenhagen and Chicago (O’Hare) with one flight a day every day of the week. This will now also apply to the route to San Francisco, which is getting an extra departure on Tuesday, making it a daily service as of June 10.

SAS currently flies from Stockholm to Chicago every day in the summer and five times a week in winter. SAS is adding another winter departure to Chicago (O’Hare) from Stockholm, which will also be getting an extra flight to New York (JFK). SAS is also adding two more departures a week on the Oslo-New York (JFK) route in winter. Oslo-New York (JFK) operates daily in the summer.

SAS has also just announced the opening of a new route between Stavanger and Houston (Bush Intercontinental) (please see our previous report).

Details of the expansion of U.S. services:

· Copenhagen-San Francisco: From June 10 to October 25, 7 departures per week (Tuesday has been added)
· Stockholm Chicago: Daily departures in the summer. On the winter timetable (from end of October) 6 departures per week (Thursday has been added)
· Stockholm-New York: Daily departures in the summer. On the winter timetable (from end of October) 6 departures per week (Friday has been added)
· Oslo-New York: Daily departures in the summer. On the winter timetable (from end of October) 6 departures per week (Tuesday and Wednesday have been added)
· Stavanger-Houston: From 20 August with 6 departures per week (except Saturday)

Copyright Photo: Stefan Sjogren/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus Airbus A340-313X OY-KBM (msn 450) in the Star Alliance motif departs the runway at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport (ARN).

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS: