SAS Cuts Lead to 25 Percent Drop in US–Scandinavia Flights
The transatlantic air travel market between the United States and Scandinavia is experiencing a sharp downturn this summer, with overall seat capacity down by 25 percent compared to the same period last year. Despite the launch of three new routes, the total number of two-way seats between the U.S. and the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden and Norway has dropped to 1.45 million for summer 2025, down from 1.94 million in summer 2024, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
The most significant driver of the decline is Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), which has reduced its U.S. seat capacity by nearly one-third amid a strategic network overhaul following its transition from Star Alliance to SkyTeam in September 2024. SAS now offers just over 1.13 million two-way seats to the U.S., a steep drop from over 1.6 million a year ago. While the airline has added service from Copenhagen to Seattle and resumed flights to New York John F. Kennedy to align with SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines, it has significantly scaled back operations to legacy Star Alliance hubs including Chicago O’Hare, San Francisco and Newark. Routes to Los Angeles and Boston have also seen cuts.
Other carriers are also pulling back. Norse Atlantic Airways has exited the Oslo–Los Angeles route and reduced its total U.S. capacity by 60 percent, offering just 32,804 seats for the season. American Airlines, which flies a single transatlantic route from Copenhagen to Philadelphia, has trimmed capacity by 10 percent. United Airlines has made a relatively minor 1.2 percent reduction.
In contrast, Delta Air Lines is the only major carrier increasing transatlantic service from Scandinavia. The airline has boosted capacity by nearly 30 percent, totaling 198,492 seats this summer. Its network now includes routes from New York JFK to both Copenhagen and Stockholm, along with a new Minneapolis–St. Paul to Copenhagen service.
The capacity reductions are being felt unevenly across the Nordic region. Denmark’s U.S.-bound capacity is down 23.6 percent, while Sweden and Norway have seen steeper drops of 27.1 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Major route contractions include a 44.9 percent decline on Stockholm–Newark, 43.9 percent on Copenhagen–Chicago O’Hare and nearly 50 percent on Copenhagen–San Francisco.
Even as SAS shrinks its U.S. footprint, the airline is expanding its European presence with its largest summer network to date, offering 28 new routes across 17 countries. This shift reflects a new strategy focused on intra-European demand and leveraging SkyTeam alliances for better connectivity.
SAS also remains a vital contributor to Denmark’s economy. A new study by SEO Amsterdam Economics highlights the airline’s €5.6 billion ($6.4 billion) contribution to Denmark’s GDP and its support for 45,000 jobs nationwide. This includes €1.5 billion from direct operations and €2.8 billion generated through tourism and trade-related activities, reaffirming SAS’s enduring economic significance despite transatlantic cuts.
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