SAS Airbus A320-200 Economy Class, Copenhagen to Berlin

Copenhagen Airport (IATA: CPH) is the international airport serving the Danish capital, Copenhagen. With over 21.5 million passengers per year, it is the largest airport in Scandinavia. Our SAS flight to Berlin departed from Terminal 3.

Check in

From our hotel, the Hilton Copenhagen Airport (here you can find our Hotel reviewIt was therefore only a very short walk. In the rather small terminal hall, we used one of the many self-check-in kiosks. Here, we printed our own baggage labels for the first time. Even weighing and placing your luggage on the carousel is done by the passengers themselves. There is a separate counter for Star Alliance Gold members for this purpose.

Unfortunately, a fast-track security check is only available for SAS Premium customers. So we had to walk all the way around the terminal. After security, we made our way through a multitude of duty-free shops. We were looking for the SAS Gold Lounge, but it wasn't signposted at all. We finally found it near the D gates, behind the H&M store.

SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen

The SAS Lounge at Copenhagen Airport consists of a Business Class area and a Star Alliance Gold member area. We entered the spacious Gold area through an automatic ticket scanner and set out to find a seat. There are several seating areas, some with very comfortable Scandinavian-style armchairs. Unfortunately, it was very crowded on this Monday evening, so we had to wander around a bit to find a spot. Ours was perfectly situated by a small fireplace. How romantic!

Food and drinks in the SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen

The food and drink selection was adequate. At the salad and cheese bar, we could choose between a potato salad (very tasty), several types of sliced cheese, chips, various breads, and of course, the typical crispbread. The only hot dish was a soup of the day. I found the drinks selection to be very extensive. There was a beer tap with fresh Carlsberg beer, several other bottled beers, mostly of Scandinavian origin, and wines. For those who still hadn't had enough, there were also various soft drinks and the usual suspects in the spirits category.

Job opportunities in the SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen

The Wi-Fi in the lounge is free, but not the fastest. The internet in the small computer corner with four desktop PCs isn't much faster. The lounge is equipped with plenty of power outlets for using your own devices. Excellent!

SAS Airbus A320-200 flight in SAS Go as SK1677 from Copenhagen to Berlin

Right on schedule, just before boarding began, we left the lounge and made our way through the duty-free jungle to Gate B2. Boarding was slightly delayed, however. When it finally started at 7:25 p.m. with the premium passengers, everyone immediately rushed over, as is typical in Europe. Gold card in hand, we made our way to our seats and were among the first on the plane. That's how it should be!

The aircraft, an Airbus A320-200 (registration: OY-KAN), was completely full. Boarding was therefore quite lengthy. Nevertheless, we managed to depart from Copenhagen almost on time.

Service on this short, one-hour flight is only available to SAS Plus passengers. Those of us in SAS Go only received a small mint chocolate candy after takeoff.

Arrival at Berlin-Tegel

After a fantastic approach with a magnificent view over Berlin, we arrived at Berlin-Tegel Airport on time. After a short taxiing period, our aircraft came to a stop at Terminal D. We then quickly reached the terminal via stairs and a bus.

Premium league of incompetent ground staff

Up to this point, everything had gone perfectly, but we were to be disappointed by Berlin Airport and its sometimes incompetent ground staff. It may well be that the airport is operating at full capacity, and so is the staff. But when the plane is parked within spitting distance, do I really have to wait over 40 minutes for a piece of luggage? Furthermore, an Air France and a Germanwings plane arrived after us, and their luggage was processed much faster and they had already received it while we were still waiting! In my opinion, this is completely unacceptable, not to mention that the priority tags on the luggage were ignored!

Anyone familiar with Terminal D at Tegel Airport knows that the baggage carousel is separated from the tarmac only by a glass partition. So I waited, full of hope, for our suitcase to finally be loaded onto the next baggage cart. When it finally arrived, I couldn't believe my eyes at the sheer indifference with which the employee tossed our suitcase onto the belt. Since so much anger had already built up inside me due to the wait, I bid him farewell with a knock on the glass and a rather crude gesture. Sorry, but it had to be done!