Economy Plus - SAS's new class for long-distance flights

Economy Plus - SAS's new class for long-distance flights Economy Plus is a new price class that SAS will launch in September 2001, in connection with the introduction of Airbus A340-300, the Group's new long-haul aircraft. As the name suggests, Economy Plus will be an economy- class offering with extra features. Economy Plus will reflect a higher degree of comfort, in the form of more comfortable seats and increased leg space, in addition to power ports for portable computers. The service concept will be the same as that for the normal economy class. The main target group for the new class will be frequent travelers who currently fly economy class but who are willing to pay a slight increment for increased comfort and better in-flight working opportunities. The price of an Economy Plus ticket will correspond to that for Economy Full Flex, today's flexible economy class ticket, which amounts to approximately 65% of the price of a normal business class journey. The airline sector has experienced a new type of demand in recent years. Business travelers have become more cost conscious and frequently opt for economy class tickets, even for long trips. During 2000, SAS tested a more flexible economy class ticket, Economy Full Flex, with favorable results. "We believe Economy Plus will become the natural choice for business customers who want flexible tickets and better comfort, compared with the standard of a normal economy class trip," says Jan Olsson, who is responsible for product and service development at SAS. SAS has also decided to develop its business class offering, by providing increased leg space, wider and more comfortable seats and a general improvement in service levels. SAS's new long-haul aircraft, Airbus A340-300, will accommodate 261 passengers. A total of 24 seats will be reserved for Economy Plus passengers. The business class will comprise 54 seats, including six sleepers. The economy class will have 183 seats. Economy Plus will be launched in September 2001, in connection with the introduction of the new Airbus A340-300s. SAS has ordered ten new long- haul aircraft of either the Airbus A330-300 or Airbus A340-300 type. In addition to the new Airbus aircraft, six Boeing 767-300ER aircraft will be modified for use in the same three-class system by summer 2002. SAS's intercontinental operations currently comprise eight destinations: Bangkok, Chicago, New Delhi, New York, Beijing, Seattle, Singapore and Tokyo. The Copenhagen - Washington D.C. route will be added in May 2001. Photographs of SAS's long-distance aircraft are available on the Group's website: https://www.scandinavian.net/company/newsfacts/picture/index.asp For more information, please contact: Jan Olson, Vice President, Product- and Service Development, SAS Tel: +46 (0)8 797 28 32, mobile +46 (0)709 97 28 32 SAS CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/01/11/20010111BIT00070/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/01/11/20010111BIT00070/bit0002.pdf