SAS starts service to Washington D.C.

SAS starts service to Washington D.C. In May 2001, SAS will introduce its Copenhagen-Washington D.C. service as the first step in the expansion of SAS' intercontinental operations. Initially, there will be five departures per week, but by the end of June, SAS will be able to offer six to seven flights. Washington D.C. is a fast-growing traffic hub on the US east coast, where SAS' Star Alliance partner United Airlines is the largest single airline. There are currently no direct connections between Washington D.C. and Scandinavia. "Through Washington D.C., we are improving the accessibility of the North American market for our customers. The competitive transfer time and possibility of reaching 38 of the 50 main destinations in North America generate tangible customer benefits," says Vagn Sörensen, Senior Vice President, SAS Business Systems Division. But Washington is more than a traffic hub. Ten million people live within a two-hour radius of the airport and the business sector in the region is in a phase of strong development, with a stream of new high-tech and biotechnology companies becoming established. "The Netplex area, outside Washington, is the second-largest center in the US for data communications and the Internet after Silicon Valley in California. In addition, the region has the second-highest concentration of biotechnology companies after Boston, Massachusetts," adds Vagn Sörensen. The new route will give Europe's third-largest pharmaceuticals and biotechnology area - Medicon Valley in the Öresund Region - a natural direct link with Washington D.C. Following an introductory period with five departures per week, SAS plans to increase the number of flights. Passengers will land at Washington Dulles International Airport after lunch and have the possibility of onward travel on early afternoon flights to as many as 38 destinations in the US. It is planned that the return flight will depart Washington D.C. in the late afternoon, with arrival in Copenhagen in the early morning. Travelers will then be in time to join some 40 morning departures to other destinations in Scandinavia and Europe. SAS now has seven daily departures to three destinations in the US - Chicago, New York and Seattle. SAS flies daily from Copenhagen to Toronto in Canada in collaboration with Air Canada. Washington Dulles International Airport was the most rapidly expanding airport in the world in 1999. Nearly 20 million passengers used the airport, an increase of 4 million compared with 1998. Dulles international Airport increased its number of daily eastbound departures by 60 percent in 1999. For further information, please contact: Vagn Sörensen, Senior Vice President, Business Systems Division, SAS, Tel: +46-8-797 14 61 Jens Wigen, Head of Network Planning, tel +46 8 797 19 92 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/2000/11/07/20001106BIT00240/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/07/20001106BIT00240/bit0002.pdf