In Transit

Spending at least a week in 20 different countries could be rather expensive and the point isn't to be fancy, so I decided to keep costs down by flying in SAS Plus rather than business class, saving a few thousand dollars in the process.  I figure I can sleep anywhere, so flying in what appeared, at least online, to be the equivalent of business class seats on American Airlines circa 2005 should be no big deal.  Of course, I was also younger with a more forgiving body in 2005.

I should note that around that same 2005 timeframe, I flew back and forth between Chicago and Stockholm on SAS and really liked the airline.  For example, at least in business class:

• The bathrooms had windows in them.  Because, honestly, who's going to be seeing what you're doing in there at 35,000 feet unless you've invaded hostile airspace and get a fighter jet escort, but that's not very likely over, say, Greenland. And it's quite surreal to have that kind of a view from the not-exactly-porcelain throne.  The bathrooms also had a fresh flower in a secured bud vase.  Because, Scandinavia....
• There was a guide in the seatback pocket on both the features of your seat and the aircraft.  One such feature that aroused my curiosity was the "stretch bar" that was located somewhere near the galley.  So I went to seek it out.  One of the flight attendants asked if she could help me, I explained what I was looking for, and she happily not only showed me where it was but demonstrated how to use it, noting how nice it felt to just hang from it and stretch out your spine.
• The amenity kit included a guide on the science behind jetlag and how to prepare for and counter jetlag when flying east and when flying west.  Very helpful.

Don't even think about using the business class bathrooms

  

Well, suffice it to say, SAS Plus is not business class, but it was still quite nice.  Here's a comparison from the cheaper seats:

• No windows or flowers in the bathrooms, though they are larger than a typical US airline bathroom, I think.  The interesting thing is that there was a special sign hanging from the divider curtain between business class and SAS Plus saying the SAS Plus were aft so, basically, don't open that curtain.  And even the bathroom occupancy indicator indicated the direction of the bathrooms for all of us in steerage and steerage plus.
• The amenity kit was more modest -- no scientific information or guide to aircraft features, but nice to still get a set of earbuds, ear plugs, eye mask and toothbrush/toothpaste in a bag that's designed to be used as a shoe bag after the flight.
• Meal service was efficient, but I was intrigued by the beverage service.  They came through with a cart and noted that the next service would be dinner and would I like to have an extra wine (unlike in business where they would pour the wine, in SAS Plus, they gave out plastic bottles).  What?  No. Just one wine and some water, please.  Well, it became clear later that there was no beverage service with dinner.  Which was fine, but for the boozers out there, take note!

Overall, an uneventful flight, followed by a five hour layover in Copenhagen Airport.  All I have to say about the latter is that my favorite feature is that they have hardwood floors.  Yes, real wood.  It feels like a higher end office building rather than an institutional setting. Creates a very warm feeling.

Look at this gorgeous flooring!

On to Vilnius!