SAS To Resume Seattle Flights After SkyTeam Entry, Signs Braathens Partnership

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is continuing its network realignment following its entry into the SkyTeam alliance, with plans to resume service to Seattle, a key hub for partner Delta Air Lines.

Beginning May 21, 2025, SAS will offer five roundtrip flights per week between Copenhagen Airport (CPH) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), marking the carrier's return to the Washington air gateway after more than 15 years.

The move comes just weeks after SAS officially left Star Alliance to join SkyTeam as part of a broader restructuring. The shift includes an investment by the Air France-KLM Group, which has taken a 19.9% stake in the airline. SAS has also secured approval from the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) to commence codeshare flights with Delta.

“The route from Copenhagen will provide more travel options for our customers and strengthen the connection between Scandinavia and the Pacific Northwest, a region of growing economic importance with deep Scandinavian roots," SAS President and CEO Anko van der Werff says.

“Seattle has been a highly requested destination by our customers, and we are excited to respond to their needs by launching this route. Additionally, Seattle’s growing cargo operations make this expansion even more strategically valuable.”

SAS first launched flights between Copenhagen and Seattle in 1967, maintaining the route until 2009. However, the city has remained absent from its network for the past 15 years, according to DOT data.

Once flights commence, the route will become the second linking Seattle and the Nordic region alongside Finnair’s summer-season service from Helsinki, which operated until August 2024 and is scheduled to resume in May 2025. Seattle will also become the 10^th point in North America to be served by SAS next summer.

The new flights will target the large Scandinavian community in the Washington area, which is home to around 740,000 Scandinavian-Americans. Additionally, SAS says the route has been timed to offer one-stop connections to 39 European cities via CPH, including Berlin, Helsinki, Milan and Zurich.

SAS will also be able to access feed from Delta’s extensive network at SEA, which serves as the airline’s primary West Coast hub. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, SEA is the eighth-largest airport in Delta's network by capacity, with more than 650,000 available departure seats during September 2024.

This transatlantic expansion follows SAS’s recent launch of a new route to Delta's Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport hub, operating daily during the summer with Airbus A330-300 aircraft, and reducing to five weekly flights during the winter using A350-900s.

Speaking to Aviation Week at Routes Europe 2024 in April, van der Werff said the carrier was undertaking a process of “untangling” its existing Star Alliance connectivity and adding more routes to SkyTeam hubs. He added that the carrier is exploring potential entry into the transatlantic joint venture between Air France-KLM, Delta and Virgin Atlantic.

In addition to expanding its transatlantic network, SAS has strengthened its domestic operations through a long-term wet-lease partnership with Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA). Under the agreement, BRA will operate several aircraft on behalf of SAS, focusing on key domestic routes within Sweden and feeding into the airline’s CPH hub.

“By integrating BRA’s expertise and fleet, we are not only enhancing Swedish infrastructure but also positioning Stockholm Arlanda as a stronger central hub for domestic and international travel,” van der Werff says.

“This collaboration will significantly improve connectivity, allowing us to offer more seamless and frequent services between major cities and regional destinations. As a result, Arlanda will become an even more vital gateway, supporting both business and leisure travelers with greater convenience while we maintain our focus on sustainability and operational efficiency.”

BRA currently operates a fleet of 14 ATR 72-600 aircraft across 13 domestic routes in Sweden. It also provides services from Stockholm Bromma to Aarhus, Denmark, and from Gothenburg to Lyon, France.

The wet-lease agreement means that BRA will shift Stockholm flights from Bromma to Arlanda, raising questions about the future of the former airport. Swedavia, which operates both airports, says the company will now “adapt our operations at the airport based on the new traffic structure.”

“This will be carried out in close dialogue with employees affected by the change,” Swedavia President and CEO Jonas Abrahamsson says. “Bromma is an efficient and well-maintained airport that is appreciated by many passengers. But it is no secret that the capacity utilization at Bromma has been too low for several years.

“Concentrating air traffic at Stockholm Arlanda is therefore a natural step. This changes the conditions for the operation of Bromma and raises policy questions regarding the airport's future.”

BRA accounts for about 95% of capacity from Bromma at present, according to OAG data.