Is Delta or SAS better to Europe?

SAS scores 8.8/10 against Delta at 8/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare. On the four dimensions we can verify, Delta wins 2 and SAS wins 1. Service and food are not scored here because they cannot be read off a spec sheet.

Which is cheaper, Delta or SAS?

On the 16 routes where both were priced for the same week (November 8–14, 2026), Delta was cheaper on 0 and SAS on 16. Every pair of fares is the same departure and return date in the same cabin, so the difference is the airline rather than the dates or the cabin.

Does the aircraft change the answer?

Yes. Delta scores 10/10 on the A350 / A330-900 (Delta One Suite) and 8/10 on the 767-300ER. Check the equipment on your date before deciding.

Has Jon flown either of these?

Delta, in business on a Europe route. SAS has not been flown, so nothing here claims firsthand experience of its cabin.

Head to head

Delta vs SAS

SAS scores 8.8/10 against Delta at 8/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare.

By Jon Miksis · cabin data verified August 30, 2026 · fares for travel November 8–14, 2026

Best product each one flies

Scored on what can be verified. Service, food and ground recovery are absent deliberately: they need someone in the seat, and they live in the reviews rather than here.

One caveat on the Value line, stated rather than buried: the cabin scores describe a business product and the fares behind Value are economy. A carrier that prices economy aggressively generally prices business the same way, but they are different products. Read Value as how an airline prices against its competitors, not as what its business seat costs.

Delta

A350 / A330-900 (Delta One Suite) · flown by Jon

Seat: 10/10
IFE: 10/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 2/10
Product score: 8/10

SAS

A330-300 / A350-900

Seat: 8/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 9/10
Product score: 8.8/10

Dimension by dimension

Seat: Delta
10/10 on the A350 / A330-900 (Delta One Suite) against 8/10 on the A330-300 / A350-900.
IFE: Delta
Screens, connectivity and power: 10/10 against 8/10.
Lounge & bags: level
What the fare includes before you board: 10/10 against 10/10.
Value: SAS
Median premium over the cheapest carrier on the same route: 2/10 against 9/10.

Where both were priced on the same dates

Every fare is November 8–14, 2026, so a difference between two rows is a difference between two airlines and nothing else. These are economy fares, while the cabin scores above describe the business product — read them as how each airline prices against its competitors, not as what its business seat costs.

Route	Cabin	Delta	SAS	Cheaper
JFK → DUB	economy	$631	$600	SAS by $31
JFK → OPO	economy	$893	$605	SAS by $288
JFK → MAD	economy	$686	$609	SAS by $77
BOS → LHR	economy	$815	$636	SAS by $179
JFK → AMS	economy	$1181	$644	SAS by $537
BOS → AMS	economy	$1226	$656	SAS by $570
JFK → LHR	economy	$815	$664	SAS by $151
BOS → CDG	economy	$719	$672	SAS by $47
JFK → CDG	economy	$719	$682	SAS by $37
JFK → MXP	economy	$916	$686	SAS by $230
JFK → EDI	economy	$819	$723	SAS by $96
JFK → ZRH	economy	$1624	$769	SAS by $855
JFK → FRA	economy	$1112	$809	SAS by $303
LAX → LIS	economy	$1237	$848	SAS by $389
LAX → AMS	economy	$1366	$901	SAS by $465
LAX → EDI	economy	$963	$902	SAS by $61

What happens if the aircraft swaps

Both carriers are paying-the-same-fare-either-way propositions on some frames. The worst product each one flies:

Delta

767-300ER · flown by Jon

Seat: 8/10
IFE: 10/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 2/10
Product score: 7.5/10

SAS

A330-300 / A350-900

Seat: 8/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 9/10
Product score: 8.8/10

Delta: Same 1-2-1 lie-flat, no privacy door.

SAS: Thompson Vantage XL in a staggered 1-2-1 on both widebodies, so the product does not change with the frame.

Common questions

Is Delta or SAS better to Europe?: SAS scores 8.8/10 against Delta at 8/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare. On the four dimensions we can verify, Delta wins 2 and SAS wins 1. Service and food are not scored here because they cannot be read off a spec sheet.
Which is cheaper, Delta or SAS?: On the 16 routes where both were priced for the same week (November 8–14, 2026), Delta was cheaper on 0 and SAS on 16. Every pair of fares is the same departure and return date in the same cabin, so the difference is the airline rather than the dates or the cabin.
Does the aircraft change the answer?: Yes. Delta scores 10/10 on the A350 / A330-900 (Delta One Suite) and 8/10 on the 767-300ER. Check the equipment on your date before deciding.
Has Jon flown either of these?: Delta, in business on a Europe route. SAS has not been flown, so nothing here claims firsthand experience of its cabin.

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