Dear readers,

Welcome to my next story! A few weeks after my previous travels (http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/186592/) it was time for another day up in the sky.
You know in life all good things are 3 so this story features 3x SAS, 3 different aicraft and a 3hr layover in OSL. Maybe there are some more “3’s” later on but I’ll leave the searching up to you!
Booking was done via the excellent SAS website which enables you to book one way journeys at sometimes decent prices, thank you for that. The routing was to be BRU-OSL-CPH-BRU, cost about € 60 per leg all incl. A 3 hr layover un OSL so plenty of time there but a 50 min layover only in CPH so hopefully that would work out… And, important as well: 3 different plane types: B736, B734 & A321. So let’s see how it all went.

The routing for today:


My day started as a usual working day: getting up around 6h30, and bringing my son to daycare around 8h00. Then onto the train on my way to the airport.

1st class in this more than 30 year old train, still running strong


Then by bus for about 20 mins , passing the ABELAG apron on the BRU airport premises


At about 9h30 I was in the checkin zone of BRU, plenty of people around due to the Eastern holidays. Since I did OLCI, I could walk straight through, very convenient. SAS’s boarding pass was printed on just 1 paper with a bar scanning code, the 3 flights were listed so I had to keep this valuable paper all day with me.

Brussels Airlines checkin zone


The A gates, that’s my destination


Nice and roomy A terminal


Still having enough time I wondered around and enjoyed the view, I’m getting very familiar with this place 

SN’s Avro getting serviced


Different carriers, same destination


CSA bus to PRG


View in the B terminal, Jet Airways is a dominant player here!


Customs clearing for the T-gates which are located at the far end of the A-gates and where SN’s African destinations are served from


Nope, this one’s not for me; leaving for ARN


El-Al from TLV, this airlines has always intrigued me…


Lovely A321 from THY coming in from IST


Your standard LH A320, from MUC


Jet Airways A332 going to either USA, Canada or India


And here she is, my ride to OSL, arriving nicely on time from… OSL


So with the plane having arrived on time from OSL, it was soon enough time to board. As I learned from other reporters here: last row window seat for me it was.

Flight SK4744
Type Boeing 737-683, built 1999, delivered 1999-09-03
Reg LN-RPH
STD-STA 11h05-13h00

So a first for me on a B736, I might call it a ‘baby-Boeing’  A senior crew was trying to welcome everyone but I think they should’ve tried harder as they were not very interested. Being seated I found the comfort very good and the cabin was clean and in good condition.

Me: “Hi neighbour, where to this morning?”
Neighbour: “ZRH”


We pushed back on time and as you can see the weather was turning nasty unfortunately


Cabin view on the small Boeing


Decent legroom and comfortable seats


On the way to 25R, BRU tower overlooking it all


And (full) throttle


-


-


Construction going on for a new railroad connection from the north to BRU


-


Beautiful view on BRU


Again…


Belgian landscape shortly after takeoff


Again…


The city of Boom and the Rupel river and A12 highway from Antwerp to Brussels


After takeoff, I sat back, popped in my ear plugs and relaxed and enjoyed the flight (as proposed by our cockpit crew). The crew came round with a BOB service and I got myself some tea and lemon.

Messing around with tea & lemon


The safety card


The seats on this plane, the last row ABC has 3 seats, EF has only 2 seats (that’s were I was seated)


Overflying the Dutch coastline


Soon enough the good views were over as the clouds folded in…

After about 1h30 we plunged down for our final descent into OSL, the weather was not too good, cold (about 4°C) and rain. But then after all, we are in the north and it is not yet summer now, is it?

Diving down gently into the murkiness


And here we have the first signs of Norwegian landscapes


Again…


And again…


Short finals for Rwy 01R


Welcome to a rainy OSL; flaps and braking


First view on the terminal building


Taxiing to the international section of the terminal building


Obviously one of the main players here together with Norwegian.no

We docked into gate 43.
As usual I was leaving the aircraft as the last passenger and asked permission for a cockpit picture. The captain kindly invited me in and I got my shot, thanks guys!

B736 office


A quick shot of this CRJ next door


And then in the terminal building. OSL is a very nice airport, I was impressed… also with the prices of food & drinks…

I went through bagage claim and upstairs again into the checkin zone.


A different angle shot throught the window, the checkin hall lies lower than the apron


The checkin hall


After wondering around, I cleared security again, which was a breeze and took a stroll into the domestic terminal. There are not too many seats around but the seats itself are pretty comfortable. Soon enough I plunged down, had a bite to eat and enjoyed the terminal views.

Two exotic operators (for me that is) in the distance (Primera & Q-Star)


Hi there!


Full view of this Norwegian bird


And here someone coming in from the other way


A visitor from even further up north, and look how bad the weather was…


Pilot training?


After a good & expensive meal I returned to the international terminal to check for the gate for my flight to CPH. Still nothing on the monitors so I kept myself entertained looking around (which was not a problem)

Air Berlin to TXL


Nice! Star Alliance MD-82 to CPH, will we meet again?


Finally the gate for CPH was displayed and I went there. A few minutes thereafter our plane came in, running perfectly on time schedule but not on equipment schedule. It appeared not to be the expected 737-400 but a 737-800… Oh well, next time hopefully then.

Boarding was announced and we walked down the jetway to be greeted on board by another quite senoir crew in mediocre spirits.

Flight SK1471
Type Boeing 738-883, built 2000, delivered 2000-11-09
Reg LN-RPM
STD-STA 16h10-17h20

Window last row again, the middle seat stayed empty. Compared to the B736 I found the overall comfort not so good. The seat itself was comfortable enough but the legroom was not too good and I had an overall feeling of a cramped cabin like I have in an ATR of F50 for example. The captain came on with a friendly welcome and weather information informing us on a mildly turbulent flight into CPH due to strong winds.

CRJ next gate going to HAM


Pushing back with a view


Taxiing to 01L for takeoff.


And liftoff from OSL…


Some Q-Star Saab 340’s on the apron


Ice crystals or a badly scratched window? It’s the latter…


That’s better…


Flight time was announced to be 50 mins with an estimated arrival on schedule. Good for me since the connection time was very short. The cabin crew announced the gate numbers for passengers with short connections (hey, that’s me!), BRU = gate 5. …And this aircraft will arrive at gate B3. How convenient!!

Turbulent approach for CPH’s rwy 22L


Docking into gate B3, nothing to see yet at B5 and a previous seen visitor at B7


Again out last and the request for a cockpit shot was granted, thanks for that!

Cockpit of B738


With no plane at B5 yet I checked the airport monitors on which a 10 min delay was announced. Now that’s not too bad. So I had time for a short stroll ans some more pictures.

Looks nice, doesn’t it?


Haha, here it is, the expected A321 for BRU


Not long after the deplaning of the inbound flight, we were able to board the A321. For the 3rd time today a senior crew but in more or less good spirits today.

Flight SK597
Type Airbus A321-232, built 2002, delivered 2002-09-13
Reg OY-KBF (“Skapti Viking”)
STD-STA 18h10-19h45

Good seating comfort on board of this plane


And the safety card


The FO welcomed us on board an announced a flight of 1h20 mins into a lighty cloudy BRU. This plane was equipped with drop down monitors which were actually used, that’s was a first for me on SAS! They even had a nose and belly camera which were turned of during takeoff and landing, very nice!

People settling in, me seated in 36F and 3 seats for me


This one’s for FlyingFinn76, Euro Atlantic Avro going to the Faroe Islands


The captain seemed to be willing to reduce the delay since we overtook an MD-82 waiting for takeoff and performed a rolling start immediately.

Lifting off from CPH’s 22R


Idyllic…


The flight map


Cruising


Turning a few times to line up for BRU’s rwy 25L


Again…


And again…


After a smooth landing, back on home soil


And almost back from where we started from this morning
KM and JAF


Turning into position 151


The end of a great day: a shot from the A321 cockpit!


So what can I say in conclusion? Overall a good experience on SAS today, the B736 and A321 very good in terms of comfort, somewhat less comfortable on the B738. The senior crews were rather average, maybe introducing some younger people would be good? I most definitely will fly SAS again when going north.

Next episode, another 'Tales from the North on LH: Heaven & HEL?'

Thanks for reading,
(Sulta)Nils

[Edited 2011-04-13 03:44:04]

[Edited 2011-04-13 03:45:04]

[Edited 2011-04-13 03:46:00]