SAS Commuter

SAS Commuter

IATA SK ICAO SAS Callsign SCANDINAVIAN
Founded	1988
Hubs	Copenhagen Airport Stockholm-Arlanda Airport Bergen Airport, Flesland
Frequent-flyer program	EuroBonus
Airport lounge	Scandinavian Lounge & Business Lounge
Alliance	Star Alliance
Fleet size	28
Destinations
Parent company	SAS AB
Headquarters	Kastrup, Tårnby Municipality, Denmark
Key people	Kristian Kircheiner (Managing Director)
Website	http://www.scandinavian.net

SAS Commuter, later branded Scandinavian Commuter was a regional airline created by Scandinavian Airlines parent companies Det Norske Luftfartsselskap, Det Danske Luftfartsselskap og Aerotransport on December 1, 1988. It was merged with the new airlines Scandinavian Airlines Denmark, Scandinavian Airlines Sweden and SAS Braathens in 2004. Its head office was in Kastrup, Tårnby Municipality, Denmark.^[1]

The airline operated under four brand names

• Eurolink served the SAS' hub Copenhagen Airport on short-haul routes too small for jet operation.
• Norlink operated in Northern Norway on regional non-subsidy routes. The routes were transferred to Widerøe in 2003.
• Swelink operated regional routes in Sweden.
• Westlink took over the regional routes on the Norwegian West Coast in 2003, after SAS bought Braathens.

Though the operations of Westlink are merged with SAS Braathens, the SAS Group has said they want to merge the Norwegian regional operations with Widerøe.

History

A Dash 8 Q400 aircraft at Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport in 2005

Two Fokker 50 in Norlink color at Trondheim Airport, Værnes in 1999

SAS Commuter was started by the owners of SAS to have a separate company to operate regional services. The airline acquired at them most 22 Fokker 50. The aircraft had 50 seats in Norway and 46 in Denmark. Swelink also operated six Saab 2000 aircraft from Stockholm Arlanda.

Eurolink started in 1988 and served domestic and short-haul international destinations from Copenhagen Airport.

Norlink stated operations in Northern Norway in 1990, at first with 7 Fokker 50, reduced to 5 in 1993. The first few years Norlink had major problems with regularity, until it opened a technical base at Trondheim Airport, Værnes in 1995. Following the SAS takeover of Braathens in 2002 Norlink division was moved from Tromsø to Bergen and renamed Westlink. After 1986 when Braathens had sold its last Fokker F-27 turboprops, the airline had wet-leased operations on the routes between Kristiansund - Stavanger - Haugesund - Bergen - Molde - Kristiansund - Trondheim, at first from its subsidiary Busy Bee and from 1993 from the independent operator Norwegian Air Shuttle. After the take-over SAS wanted to operate the routes themselves, and moved six Fokker 50 aircraft from Tromsø to Bergen. At the same time the operations previously operated by Norlink were taken over by SAS subsidiary Widerøe who operate public service obligation (PSO) routes in Northern Norway. Widerøe has operated the old Norlink routes with Dash-8-300 aircraft.

Starting in 2000 the airline replaced its fleet of aircraft in Sweden and Denmark with 24 brand new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft seating 72 or 58 people. The company kept its Fokker aircraft in Norway, where it still operates six. As part of a company reorganisation in 2001 SAS Commuter became a subsidiary of SAS Group.

In September 2004 the group reorganised and the operations were transferred to the national operation companies, Scandinavian Airlines Denmark, Scandinavian Airlines Sweden and SAS Braathens in Norway.

Fleet

At the time the airline was merged into the national airlines, it had the following fleet

SAS Commuter fleet

Image	Manufactuer	Aircraft	Quanity
	Bombardier	Q400	24
	Fokker	F27	9
	Fokker	50	22
—	Saab	SF340A	1
	Saab	2000	6

Destinations

Main article: [[SAS Commuter destinations]|SAS Commuter destinations]]]

References

1. ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 24-30 March 1993. 120.