Gateway To Scandinavia: Potential New Flight Routes From Minneapolis-St. Paul
Minnesotans looking to fly to Scandinavia could soon have some new routes out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Scandinavian Airlines -- SAS -- exiting bankruptcy, was purchased in 2023 by a US investment firm, the Danish government and Air France-KLM.
And because Air France-KLM is part of the SkyTeam Alliance, SAS has just dropped its association with Star Alliance as of August 31st.
That means it's partnering with other SkyTeam members like Delta, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic and a bunch of other carriers.
Delta has a major hub at MSP. And Thrifty Traveler reports those closer ties with Delta as a fellow SkyTeam member could mean adding nonstop flights to more Delta hubs like MSP or Detroit.
Why does that matter to Minnesotans?
As Thrifty Traveler points out, being part of the SkyTeam Alliance allows travelers to connect more seamlessly from one airline to another, share flying benefits and air mile rewards travel.
It also makes it more likely SAS will add flights at Delta hubs. SAS has already added Delta's Atlanta megahub to its route map.
Thrifty Traveler says more Delta hub routes could benefit soon. They point to an interview with SAS CEO Anko van der Werff who says the airline's been considering replacing a Washington-Dulles to Copenhagen route with a nonstop between Copenhagen and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
That could make MSP a gateway for folks to get to Scandinavia quickly or to receive Europeans directly who can easily link to other flights out of MSP.
Nothing's for sure at this point. But with SAS officially joining SkyTeam, look for changes ahead.
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