SAS named European Airline of the Year 2026, reflecting progress for business travel

19 Jan

SAS has been named European Airline of the Year 2026 at the Grand Travel Awards, a major industry accolade that recognises the airline’s progress in reliability, customer experience and its overall offering for both leisure and business travel.

For Global Travel Management’s customers, this news is particularly relevant because SAS is a key carrier for UK-based business travellers flying across Scandinavia, Europe and beyond, and the award provides independent reassurance that the airline is delivering improvements in punctuality, service quality and premium products that directly impact the efficiency and comfort of business travel.

The Grand Travel Awards are regarded as one of the most prestigious honours in the Norwegian travel industry and have been held annually since 1995, with winners chosen by votes from employees in travel agencies and other travel trade professionals, reflecting the views of those who book and manage travel on a daily basis.

SAS was selected from a strong field of shortlisted airlines including KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, Norwegian, Icelandair, LOT Polish Airlines and Finnair.

Edward Fotheringham, VP Global Sales at SAS, said

This award is a true tribute to the dedication, professionalism and resilience shown by our colleagues across the entire organisation. Over the past few years, we have rebuilt our company step by step – improving reliability, strengthening our product and putting our customers firmly back at the centre of everything we do. Being named European Airline of the Year shows that the industry recognises both our progress and our direction. And while we are incredibly proud today, we also know that there is much more to come.

The award was presented at a ceremony in Oslo attended by more than 300 guests from across the travel industry and organised by Travel News, with the results reflecting the preferences of customers and partners in both leisure and business travel. The recognition highlights SAS’ wider transformation, including significantly improved punctuality, rising customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Scores, and a strengthened customer proposition through the return of Business Class, expanded lounge access and the launch of new routes.

Paul Baker, Sales Director of Global Travel Management, said

For UK-based business travellers, this recognition of SAS is important because it underlines the airline’s renewed focus on reliability, premium services and a consistent customer experience, all of which are critical when travelling for work and managing complex business travel programmes.

SAS was represented at the ceremony by Edward Fotheringham, VP Global Sales, Øystein Schmidt, Head of Press and Bjørn Erik Barman-Jenssen, VP Ground ARN & OSL, underlining the strategic importance of the award to the airline.

If you would like to understand how SAS can meet your travel plans, please contact your Global Travel Management Account Manager for further information.