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Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) Joining SkyTeam on September 1; Earning and Upgrade Details Released

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Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will officially join the SkyTeam Alliance as of September 1, 2024. We’ve known that since the move was finalized with SkyTeam and Scandinavian Airlines jointly signing an Alliance Adherence Agreement on April 29, 2024.

The news that the Scandinavian flag carrier, commonly known as SAS, would switch from Star Alliance to SkyTeam was originally announced back on October 2, 2023.

However, details remained thin in the original announcement. What would happen to the SAS Eurobonus program? And how would the loyalty program work going forward, given the new partnerships, earning opportunities, and chances for using upgrades on new partners?

We now have more of those details — let’s dive in.

SAS Switches From Star Alliance to SkyTeam on September 1

SAS has been a member of the Star Alliance since 1997, when it founded the alliance with Air Canada, Lufthansa, Thai Airways, and United Airlines.

The transition is historic — it will bring with it a lot of change in the industry, not least for SAS Eurobonus members.

“EuroBonus members will be able to enjoy new destinations and benefits as part of the SkyTeam alliance family, marking the start of an exciting future for customers, partners, and employees alike,” said Anko van de Werff, president and CEO of SAS. “SAS customers will benefit from SkyTeam’s strong global presence in many of the world’s major aviation hubs and from its focus on strategic partnerships and innovative sustainability initiatives.”

SAS SkyTeam
SAS will join the SkyTeam Alliance as of September 1, 2024. Image Credit: SkyTeam

While SAS Eurobonus members will no longer be able to earn and spend miles with the likes of Air Canada and Lufthansa, they’ll benefit from new relationships with Air France, Delta, KLM, and more.

The Eurobonus members’ status will also be matched to an equivalent SkyTeam status. Silver members will be granted SkyTeam Elite status while Gold and Diamond members will automatically become SkyTeam Elite Plus.

On the other hand, SAS Eurobonus status holders will no longer receive perks and benefits when flying member airlines of Star Alliance.

Current SkyTeam members will welcome the news, as they will now be able to earn and spend points on SAS flights on the airline’s expansive route network from its Copenhagen (CPH), Oslo (OSL), and Stockholm (ARN) hubs.

SAS’ transition from Star Alliance to SkyTeam is a direct result of the Air France/KLM group taking a 19.9% non-controlling stake in the airline after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July of 2022.

Hot Tip:

Learn all there is to know about the SkyTeam alliance in our full guide!

SAS Eurobonus Earning Rates After September 1

The earning rates page has a confusing-looking number of tables and charts to show you the earning rates before and after September 1, 2024. Luckily, we can condense all of this into 2 simple rules:

  • Whatever you’re earning as points before September 1 will be awarded as the same number of Level points after September 1. The name is changing, but the number isn’t.
  • After September 1, you’ll also get an equivalent number of Bonus points, matching the number of Level points.

Through August 31, 2024, you can earn Basic points or Extra points on codeshare flights (SK3000-SK3999 and SK6000-SK9999) with SAS partners. From September 1 on, you’ll earn Bonus points and Level points on SAS-marketed and -operated flights as shown below.

Flights Within Scandinavia

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Ticket Type

Booking Class

Points

Go Light

E, H, K, L, M, N, O, Q, R, T, U, V, W

100

Go Smart

G, K, L, N, O, R, T, U, V

250

Go Smart

Q, W

500

Go Smart

E, H, M

700

Go Smart Bio

G, K, L, N, O, R, T, U, V

650

Go Smart Bio

Q, W

900

Go Smart Bio

E, H, M

1,100

Plus Smart

A, B, D, J, P, S, Y, Z

700

Plus Pro

A, P

850

Plus Pro

B, J, S, Y

1,000

Plus Pro

D, Z

1,200

Plus Pro Bio

A, P

1,250

Plus Pro Bio

B, J, S, Y

1,400

Plus Pro Bio

D, Z

1,600

Plus Flex

C

1,200

Remember, regardless of the name change from Basic points (through August 31) to Level points (from September 1), the number of points earned from these fares isn’t changing. From September 1, you’ll also earn an equivalent number of Bonus points to what you see in the table.

Flights Within Europe

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Ticket Type

Booking Class

Points

Go Light

E, H, K, L, M, N, O, Q, R, T, U, V, W

100

Go Smart

G, K, L, N, O, R, T, U, V

500

Go Smart

E, H, M, Q, W

1,000

Go Smart Bio

G, K, L, N, O, R, T, U, V

1,200

Go Smart Bio

E, H, M, Q, W

1,700

Plus Smart

A, P

1,000

Plus Smart

B, J, S, Y

1,200

Plus Smart

D, Z

1,500

Plus Pro

A, P

1,200

Plus Pro

B, J, S, Y

1,500

Plus Pro

D, Z

2,000

Plus Pro Bio

A, P

1,900

Plus Pro Bio

B, J, S, Y

2,200

Plus Pro Bio

D, Z

2,700

Plus Flex

C

2,500

Flights to/From Boston, New York, and Toronto

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Ticket Type

Booking Class

Points

Go Light

E, H, K, L, M, N, O, Q, R, T, U, V, W

200

Go Smart

O, T

400

Go Smart

E, H, K, L, M, N, Q, R, U, V, W

1,600

Go Pro

O, T

1,000

Go Pro

E, H, K, L, M, N, Q, R, U, V, W

4,000

Plus Smart

A, B, P, S, Y

4,000

Plus Pro

A, B, P, S, Y

5,000

Business Smart

C, D, J, Z

6,000

Business Pro

C, D, J, Z

9,000

Flights to/From Beijing, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington

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Ticket Type

Booking Class

Points

Go Light

E, H, K, L, M, N, O, Q, R, T, U, V, W

200

Go Smart

O, T

500

Go Smart

E, H, K, L, M, N, Q, R, U, V, W

1,600

Go Pro

O, T

1,000

Go Pro

E, H, K, L, M, N, Q, R, U, V, W

4,000

Plus Smart

A, B, P, S, Y

4,000

Plus Pro

A, B, P, S, Y

5,000

Business Smart

C, D, J, Z

6,000

Business Pro

C, D, J, Z

Flights to/From Bangkok, Shanghai, Tokyo, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco

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Ticket type

Booking class

Points

Go Light

E, H, K, L, M, N, O, Q, R, T, U, V, W

240

Go Smart

O, T

600

Go Smart

E, H, K, L, M, N, Q, R, U, V, W

2,400

Go Pro

O, T

1,500

Go Pro

E, H, K, L, M, N, Q, R, U, V, W

6,000

Plus Smart

A, B, P, S, Y

6,000

Plus Pro

A, B, P, S, Y

7,500

Business Smart

C, D, J, Z

9,000

Business Pro

C, D, J, Z

12,000

SAS Upgrades

Upgrade bids to move to a higher class of service will earn additional Basic points if you’ve paid cash. You’ll earn points based on your original fare class, and this is only valid for bids placed online. Bids at the gate only earn points on the original fare class.

From September 1, 2024, you’ll earn as follows:

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From/to

SAS Go to SAS Plus

SAS Plus to SAS Business

SAS Go to SAS Business

Scandinavia

250

N/A

N/A

Europe

500

N/A

N/A

Asia & North America

1,500

1,500

3,000

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Final Thoughts

While SkyTeam frequent flyers may celebrate on September 1, 2024, some Star Alliance frequent flyers (and maybe some Eurobonus members) aren’t looking forward to that date.

Whatever SAS’s move from Star Alliance to SkyTeam means for you, monumental shifts like this don’t come around often in the world of airline points, miles, and loyalty. As the date approaches, we’re now gaining additional details on earning rates and upgrade awards, and will keep you updated as we learn even more.

Daniel Ross's image

About Daniel Ross

Daniel has loved aviation and travel his entire life. He earned a Master of Science in Air Transport Management and has written about travel and aviation in publications like Simple Flying, The Points Guy, and more.

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