TORONTO — SAS Airlines, Scandinavia’s leading airline, brought some star power to its inaugural at Pearson Airport yesterday: Toronto Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin.
The former Leafs captain and Sweden native joined SAS Airlines President and CEO Anko van der Werff and Swedish ambassador Urban Ahlin at Pearson’s Terminal 1 to celebrate the start of the carrier’s Toronto – Stockholm service.
The Stockholm flights, along with flights to Copenhagen, both launched yesterday, June 2, on brand new A321LR aircraft. The Copenhagen route will operate three times weekly and the Stockholm route, four times weekly.
The narrow-body, single aisle A321LR is the first of its kind in the SAS fleet, with an ideal configuration for longer distances. The A321LR is also a good fit for SAS’ sustainability goals, reducing carbon emissions by some 15 – 18% compared to previous generations of similar aircraft.
A three-class configuration offers 157 seats; 22 seats in SAS Business, 12 seats in SAS Plus (premium economy), and 123 seats in SAS Go (economy).
Flights depart from Scandinavia at midday and from Toronto in the afternoon enabling good connections in either end to other destinations, says Karl Sandlund, EVP Commercial, SAS.
For summer 2022 SAS will fly to a total of seven destinations in the U.S. and Canada: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Toronto.
Here’s a look at the SAS schedules to and from Toronto:
- Copenhagen-Toronto: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
- Toronto-Copenhagen: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Stockholm-Toronto: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
- Toronto-Stockholm: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
Asked about his own recommendations for visiting Stockholm, the personable Sundin was happy to share some tips.
In a video posted to Travelweek’s Twitter feed by Travelweek’s Annie Cicvaric, Sundin recommended Stockholm’s Old Town and a visit to the Royal Palace as must-do’s. “Stroll around there, get some Swedish ice cream,” Sundin said with a smile.
And what does Sundin have to say about his former home, Toronto? “The thing I miss most about Toronto is the people,” he said. “It’s the best to come back and visit Canadians and Torontonians.”
Also high on his list in T.O.? Enjoying a good steak (“We don’t have the same great steakhouses in Sweden”) and enjoying drinks and camaraderie downtown with friends.
Hear what hockey legend Mats Sundin has to say as @SAS celebrates new flights to @TorontoPearson with ribbon cutting event today. Direct flights are now available to #Copenhagen and #Stockholm from June to November. Welcome back to Canada #SAS pic.twitter.com/vXr5Cm7WnA
— Travelweek (@TravelweekGroup) June 2, 2022
More information about SAS can be found at flysas.com.
