Ok, here we go and it's not Friday, but Peter at the controls anyway. I was at an event about the new SAS aircraft Airbus A320 Neo and it was not difficult to "find Nemo", I mean Neo. SAS is investing heavily in a new aircraft fleet, the first of 30 and there will be a lot of new planes in the future. Free bus from the city centre, check. Free coffee, check. Free food, check. Cold as hell in the hall, check and a very nice plane, check. Follow me.
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Many experts in the hall
Here is the CEO, interior experts, internet experts, aircraft experts, test pilots, you name it, here is all the knowledge gathered in one hall. Of course, we had to go through the safety procedures, so off with belts and necklaces and it's lucky I don't have bigger earrings, haha.
It's cool to be able to stand next to an aircraft and feel the engines, me like. It smells new and there is no shit even on the wheel colour and it feels luxurious to be there. The new Airbus A320 Neo uses 15 per cent less fuel and of course the manufacturers are looking at this in terms of profitability, whatever the environmental party says. Everyone involved in business does that.
Chairs and the environment
Inside the aircraft they have thought about what customers want and they have almost succeeded, but you can't have everything. The chairs are upholstered with wool, which makes them more comfortable to sit on in the long run, and you definitely sit well. The chairs are narrower in the upholstery so the legroom is better and it is easy to get past for the person sitting in the centre.
You can't have everything
The chairs are wide and comfortable but the height has been reduced. This means that those of us who are taller than 175 cm get a neck twist when we go to sleep after a long day at work, and have to go home again, but safety comes first, so thumbs up anyway.
This is done for safety and for the flight attendants to have a better overview of what is happening. Maybe we should have a neck pillow to hand out to some travellers. Apart from that, everything is eco-labelled for the Green Party, which is good.
Internet and charging
SAS says they have thought about it and have introduced a USB input to each seat, finally! SAS also says that at the beginning of 2017, high-speed internet will be available on the plane, finally! That it should take so long and then a question obviously pops up in the head. Is it suddenly ok to have internet on planes? Have they built the plane so it doesn't crash in some clever way? If not, why is there no internet on the current other SAS planes?
WE WANT INTERNET ON FLIGHTS IN ALL PLANES. I don't want that little 4 inch screen in the seat, I want my laptop or phone and a socket. I think there's a lot of marketing in this, but that they should be so late when everyone was shouting about it 10 years ago. Faster decisions please in the digital world if you want to be first.
Accessible toilets
At the back of the plane is an accessible toilet, wow. This is good I think and it's a bit wider and really a good idea, there's a sense of future in everything and the 10,000 metre club can get some extra space for their gymnastic exercises to their ridiculous stuff, but clearly very good.
Some facts
I know very little about the history of SAS but from what I understand, SAS has the largest fleet in all of Europe and that makes you proud! SAS turns 70 years old, proud again! The engine noise has been reduced by 50 per cent on the new Nemo, I mean Neo, and that's very good work.
There are larger aisles in the plane, me like. SAS has reduced the number of seats in the plane to get better legroom instead of just thinking about profit/profit. This is a short/medium distance aircraft that has sold an incredible 4800 planes and is very reliable, what a hit. Overall I like this aircraft and I give it 4 FREEDOM points out of 5, not bad for FREEDOMtravel.
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Lena - good for the soul says:
Hey, that looks good. Thoughtful and modern. Fun review by the way!
Hug Lena
27 October 2016 - 6:06
Lennart says:
Good for air travellers.
Let's see if there is any more, it was a long time ago.
27 October 2016 - 7:05
Goatfish says:
Nice plane, too 😀
And splendidly reviewed, you get 4 Geddfish points 😉 hihi....
I have often wondered about the Internet. Dangerous or not? Merchandise, advertising gimmick? I don't understand.
Much like in hospitals, in the past mobile phones could interfere with technology, nowadays mobile phones are completely legal.
Morning reflection hug!
27 October 2016 - 7:13
Mr Steve says:
Good news review by you Peter. Nice to note that SAS is right on target. It is good when you listen to the customers.
I don't fly anymore, but good to know anyway.
The times I have flown after my stroke, I have missed the disabled toilet.
27 October 2016 - 7:42
Husis blog says:
Very nice report, again by you. SAS has a lot going on but to have internet on board, Norwegian (the owner thinks it is) has had a long time so several other large companies are behind really. I have f.ö. also internet on board.. 🙂
27 October 2016 - 7:59
Peter Bergström says:
Lena-Good for the soul: There will be major changes in the halls in the future as well. SAS is at the forefront when it comes to streamlining logging in yourself, texting, logging in your own luggage, etc. I think SAS will have better profitability in the future. Take care Lena.
Lennart: A lot will change quickly in our new digital world. The halls will be converted into large living rooms and sockets for all charging will be everywhere.
Geddfish: Hi Gerd! Holding back the development of such large companies is a mystery to me, when they are fighting to gain market share all the time. SAS also has an incredible amount of business people so it's just a matter of throwing in a router so everyone can work on the trip. See you tomorrow.
Thanks Steve: Now you could leave again when things get better for you too. Maybe Malta:-).
Husisblog: Internet is a must these days and I think all new motorhomes should come with a good router. It's kind of part of the modern world, but I know many companies don't really understand how much it will change everything. FREEDOM salutes.
27 October 2016 - 9:04
Solan says:
Really nice aerial photo 🙂
27 October 2016 - 9:04
Role o Carina says:
Then you might get a little more space for my 186 cm 🙂 .
Last time we flew with Tui to Mallis, the plane was 18 years old,Ugh!
Enjoy the autumn sun today....
27 October 2016 - 9:22
Ama de casa says:
Surely internet everywhere should be a human right? 😉 And so also in aeroplanes, of course 😀 I like Norwegian that has free internet, all other airlines with internet that we have encountered, they charge them.
New aeroplanes are cool, aren't they? We once flew with a brand new one from Rio to Brasilia. A huge plane (don't remember which model) that only had 30 flight hours behind it (in passenger traffic). The pilot was as proud as a rooster and basically forced all passengers to come to the cockpit and check (we were about as many passengers in the plane as it had flight hours, around 30).
I asked if it was fun to fly such a new plane, and he replied "Imagine the feeling of driving a brand new car?" 🙂
Yes, he did. He was proud and happy, the pilot. I thought "childhood diseases"... 😀.
27 October 2016 - 9:28
Dryden - Traveller's Edition says:
USB ports for every seat - it's about time. Not even AirFrance had that in their horribly outdated 772 I flew home from SFO a month ago. Would have been fun to be in place, but will have to make sure to fly with it in the future instead. 🙂
27 October 2016 - 9:54
Peter Bergström says:
Thank you sun! I took a chance and asked a guard if I could go up a staircase that is for staff and take photos. He let me go and I was the only one, so it was fun.
Rolle & Carina: It's time to upgrade and I think many people are doing it now, so one wonders which countries are buying the old ones?
Ama De Casa: I would have been the same to drive something new after thousands of hours, and you are passionate about your job. Haha, getting into the cockpit is impossible today so it must have been fun then. Childhood diseases can also be nice if it comes to this.
Dryden - Traveler's Edition: I am so surprised that such large companies are behind in their thinking, but Sweden is very far ahead in digitalisation but still too late. I would love to fly this machine to feel it too.
27 October 2016 - 11:42
Ama de casa says:
Well... The idea of "teething problems" I had was about the aircraft itself. That it would not be completely in order and maybe fall down. Such thoughts are not at all pleasant... 😉.
27 October 2016 - 12:33
Henny says:
Beautifully worse. Probably it will be such a plane I get to board on 7 November for an 11 hour pass to LAX. It would sit well there.
27 October 2016 - 15:52
Renate's travels says:
Tough with new aircraft like this! I've never heard of a disabled toilet on a plane before, so it's a big plus that they have chosen to include this. Also very good that the planes are becoming more and more environmentally friendly (in accordance with the fact that we are travelling more and more). Strange that SAS has not got internet on the planes earlier... but good that they are starting this now. USB input for charging phones is also a big plus.
27 October 2016 - 16:47
Veiken says:
Lovely with new fresh planes. I have travelled with Finnair's new one and it is really good! Airbus A350 XWB.... much quieter than what you are used to! 🙂
27 October 2016 - 17:15
Ditte says:
KUl that SAS is now modernising its fleet. Have a feeling that they are a good bit behind e.g. Finnair and of course the large Arab companies (Emirates, Qatar etc. and there I have used the internet free of charge. Do not know if all planes have it)
Norwegian has internet in many of its planes, which is good, but not in all Deramliner that flies in Asia.
Good that the seats will be wider and the legroom hopefully larger even in tourist class. (There are many other companies ahead so good that SAS is now following suit).
Thanks for a great review! So now we're hoping that these planes will be up and running soon.
27 October 2016 - 17:19
BP says:
What fun events you go to! Great and fun reportage.
It is fair to say that SAS seems to have recovered surprisingly quickly from the crisis situation a few years ago. Now the company has finally caught up with (though not past) Norwegian.
Also, my 1.95m tall husband thanks me for the extra legroom, but wonders if a guaranteed wiplash injury might be avoided with a support collar;-)
27 October 2016 - 19:25
Across the board says:
So good if there is better legroom and more comfortable seats. On the other hand, I mostly want to stay on the ground, after the long delay we had from Rome ....
27 October 2016 - 20:02
Peter Bergström says:
Ama De Casa: Now I am aware of teething problems and it is not a pleasant thought. I think more that if you don't take care of a car, sooner or later something will go wrong. We fly Ryanair and I don't know how the service is there, but it should be worse than other planes I think, but what do I know?
Henny: I don't have a clue which planes go in certain routes, but short and medium distance sounds like a maximum of 5 hours to me. I hope you have a great flight.
Renates Reiser: "Of course air travel is moving forward and getting better, but I still think it's taking too long. Large airlines should be at the forefront of development when it comes to digitalisation. I am a bit disappointed and want to do more now!
Veiken: Things are happening in the world and things are moving fast right now and everything is getting better. SAS has something going on and they obviously can't increase the production of planes, but putting in the internet can't be that difficult, with all these professionals. I still believe in SAS.
Ditte: I can only agree with the previous speaker and it is good that they have taken the decision to purchase new planes.
BP: Hello there! I will also get a neck brace but apparently you can't get everything. I think it's a strange idea because if you strive for the best, it can be solved. They are a bit on the way but did not reach all the way. I think I would be an asset to the SAS. Nothing is impossible!
Criss-cross: What you experienced does not happen often, but it does happen. We have been stuck in traffic jams in Germany after a big crash for many hours, so unfortunately it happens.
27 October 2016 - 22:20
Henny says:
I missed short and medium distance in your description. So it cannot apply to Arlanda - LA, but maybe Luleå - Arlanda instead. One can hope.
27 October 2016 - 23:00
Marie says:
There is no evidence that the internet can interfere with air traffic, so the EU has changed the rules and given the airlines their own mandate to determine their own rules in this regard. Here in New Zealand you are not allowed to use your mobile phone when refuelling, as they believe there is a risk of explosion...weird....
28 October 2016 - 4:45
Christine's Stories says:
I really like that both of your personalities come out in the posts, depending on who is writing. Haha, laughed at the Find Neo thing. Funnily worse 😉 Very good with USB charging! Especially on long flights.
01 November 2016 - 23:34