SAS and Delta Drive Growth in Scandinavia-U.S. Air Travel

Transatlantic travel between Scandinavia and the United States is set to grow more than 3% this summer, fueled by new route launches and increased frequencies from key carriers. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data for the 2025 summer season, capacity between the U.S. and Denmark, Sweden, and Norway will reach approximately 1.45 million two-way seats, marking a notable uptick in the region’s transatlantic connectivity.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is playing a pivotal role in this expansion, increasing its route count from 10 last summer to 12 this year. The carrier reintroduced flights between Oslo and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport in March and launched a new service from Copenhagen to Seattle on May 21. The 5X-weekly Seattle route, returning to the SAS network after a 15-year hiatus, complements Delta Air Lines’ growing operations at its West Coast hub and serves strong demand from Washington state’s Scandinavian-American community, which numbers around 740,000.

These moves align with SAS’s broader strategic shift following its entry into the SkyTeam alliance and deepening partnership with Delta. SAS will provide over 567,000 seats from Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm to U.S. destinations this summer, representing a year-over-year increase of nearly 6%.

Delta Air Lines is also significantly expanding its footprint in the region, boosting capacity by almost 30% to 198,492 seats. The airline operates flights from New York-JFK to both Copenhagen and Stockholm and has added a new route from Minneapolis–St. Paul to Copenhagen, reinforcing its commitment to serving Northern Europe with enhanced connectivity and greater frequencies.

However, while SAS and Delta expand, other carriers are pulling back. Norse Atlantic Airways has exited the Oslo–Los Angeles route and reduced its overall transatlantic offering by 60%, providing just 32,804 seats this summer. American Airlines, which serves only the Copenhagen–Philadelphia route, has trimmed its capacity by 10%, while United Airlines has implemented a smaller reduction of 1.2%.

Despite some capacity contractions, the addition of new routes and strong demand patterns from Scandinavian and U.S. travelers—particularly those visiting friends and relatives—are driving overall market growth. The latest data confirms that SAS and Delta’s strategic initiatives are revitalizing the transatlantic corridor between Scandinavia and the U.S., even as some competitors scale back their presence.

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