Is Lufthansa or SAS better to Europe?

Lufthansa scores 8.8/10 against SAS at 8.3/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare. On the four dimensions we can verify, Lufthansa wins 1 and SAS wins 0. Service and food are not scored here because they cannot be read off a spec sheet.

Which is cheaper, Lufthansa or SAS?

On the 163 routes where both were priced for the same week (November 8–14, 2026), Lufthansa was cheaper on 49 and SAS on 114. 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. Lufthansa scores 10/10 on the A350-900 / 787-9 (Allegris) and 5/10 on the 747-8 / A330-300 (legacy). Check the equipment on your date before deciding.

Has Jon flown either of these?

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

Head to head

Lufthansa vs SAS

Lufthansa scores 8.8/10 against SAS at 8.3/10 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: Value is computed from business fares, and a carrier with too few of them does not get a Value score at all. Where you see a dash, we have fewer than three priced business routes for that airline and did not want to invent a figure from one or two — so its product score is the mean of three dimensions rather than four, and it is not directly comparable to a score built on hundreds of fares. The airlines with the most fares behind them are named on the business-class ranking, and where each of these two sits among every carrier we price, on seat and on fare, is on The Best Airlines to Fly to Europe.

Lufthansa

A350-900 / 787-9 (Allegris) · flown by Jon

Seat: 10/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 7/10
Product score: 8.8/10

SAS

A330-300 / A350-900

Seat: 8/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 7/10
Product score: 8.3/10

One thing separates them: seat

Seat: Lufthansa
10/10 on the A350-900 / 787-9 (Allegris) against 8/10 on the A330-300 / A350-900.

Level on IFE and lounge & bags and value

As almost every pair is. Of the 31 business cabins we have verified, 28 score 8 on screens and power and 29 score 10 on lounge and bags — because those two dimensions describe what a business fare includes rather than which airline sold it to you. Lounge access, two checked bags and a carry-on are close to the definition of the cabin.

The one genuine differentiator on screens is free wifi, and only Delta and JetBlue offer it. Seat and Value are where carriers separate, which is why they lead this page.

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	Lufthansa	SAS	Cheaper
BOS → OSL	economy	$728	$422	SAS by $306
BOS → HEL	economy	$458	$600	Lufthansa by $142
ORD → OSL	economy	$737	$559	SAS by $178
JFK → ARN	economy	$661	$596	SAS by $65
MIA → OSL	economy	$848	$599	SAS by $249
ORD → ARN	economy	$692	$625	SAS by $67
MIA → DUB	economy	$853	$626	SAS by $227
BOS → KRK	economy	$666	$637	SAS by $29
ATL → ARN	economy	$829	$660	SAS by $169
JFK → KRK	economy	$666	$665	SAS by $1
ORD → KRK	economy	$850	$665	SAS by $185
MIA → ARN	economy	$790	$681	SAS by $109
ATL → KRK	economy	$834	$682	SAS by $152
LAX → KRK	economy	$689	$693	Lufthansa by $4
MIA → MXP	economy	$848	$691	SAS by $157
JFK → BUD	economy	$694	$840	Lufthansa by $146
ORD → MUC	economy	$909	$698	SAS by $211
MIA → PRG	economy	$815	$699	SAS by $116
BOS → BER	economy	$916	$702	SAS by $214
SFO → ARN	economy	$726	$704	SAS by $22
ORD → BER	economy	$894	$705	SAS by $189
ORD → HAM	economy	$898	$707	SAS by $191
ORD → FRA	economy	$1114	$708	SAS by $406
SFO → MAD	economy	$812	$708	SAS by $104
BOS → MLA	economy	$741	$713	SAS by $28
LAX → ARN	economy	$766	$713	SAS by $53
SFO → PRG	economy	$877	$714	SAS by $163
SFO → FCO	economy	$839	$717	SAS by $122
ORD → BUD	economy	$852	$718	SAS by $134
ORD → HEL	economy	$873	$721	SAS by $152
MIA → FRA	economy	$837	$721	SAS by $116
MIA → KRK	economy	$810	$723	SAS by $87
MIA → BUD	economy	$882	$725	SAS by $157
MIA → MUC	economy	$835	$726	SAS by $109
SFO → OSL	economy	$753	$730	SAS by $23
BOS → FRA	economy	$785	$733	SAS by $52
MIA → BER	economy	$878	$733	SAS by $145
MIA → HAM	economy	$875	$737	SAS by $138
LAX → PRG	economy	$750	$742	SAS by $8
LAX → OSL	economy	$748	$764	Lufthansa by $16
SFO → KRK	economy	$849	$750	SAS by $99
LAX → BUD	economy	$758	$861	Lufthansa by $103
MIA → MLA	economy	$767	$811	Lufthansa by $44
BOS → ATH	economy	$787	$769	SAS by $18
LAX → ZRH	economy	$769	$887	Lufthansa by $118
SFO → MLA	economy	$769	$1218	Lufthansa by $449
ORD → MXP	economy	$797	$772	SAS by $25
BOS → MUC	economy	$774	$821	Lufthansa by $47
JFK → BER	economy	$961	$778	SAS by $183
JFK → HAM	economy	$863	$780	SAS by $83
SFO → LIS	economy	$781	$818	Lufthansa by $37
BOS → HAM	economy	$947	$783	SAS by $164
MIA → CDG	economy	$1263	$792	SAS by $471
MIA → ZRH	economy	$816	$793	SAS by $23
ORD → ATH	economy	$841	$795	SAS by $46
JFK → FRA	economy	$802	$809	Lufthansa by $7
JFK → MLA	economy	$802	$837	Lufthansa by $35
ORD → MLA	economy	$802	$884	Lufthansa by $82
ORD → PRG	economy	$954	$818	SAS by $136
MIA → HEL	economy	$1035	$819	SAS by $216
MIA → EDI	economy	$1491	$821	SAS by $670
LAX → BER	economy	$887	$825	SAS by $62
SFO → CPH	economy	$830	$893	Lufthansa by $63
ATL → LIS	economy	$831	$952	Lufthansa by $121
BOS → BUD	economy	$870	$836	SAS by $34
JFK → MUC	economy	$839	$837	SAS by $2
ATL → PRG	economy	$906	$840	SAS by $66
LAX → FRA	economy	$846	$856	Lufthansa by $10
SFO → ATH	economy	$904	$855	SAS by $49
SFO → AMS	economy	$857	$953	Lufthansa by $96
ATL → MLA	economy	$859	$972	Lufthansa by $113
LAX → HAM	economy	$881	$861	SAS by $20
LAX → CPH	economy	$878	$863	SAS by $15
SFO → BER	economy	$920	$871	SAS by $49
ATL → BUD	economy	$880	$998	Lufthansa by $118
SFO → BUD	economy	$897	$882	SAS by $15
MIA → ATH	economy	$1018	$882	SAS by $136
SFO → MUC	economy	$950	$893	SAS by $57
ATL → ATH	economy	$917	$901	SAS by $16
SFO → FRA	economy	$2038	$903	SAS by $1135
SFO → HAM	economy	$924	$904	SAS by $20
ATL → FRA	economy	$1076	$920	SAS by $156
ATL → ZRH	economy	$1013	$925	SAS by $88
LAX → MUC	economy	$1020	$931	SAS by $89
ATL → BER	economy	$959	$932	SAS by $27
ATL → HAM	economy	$963	$936	SAS by $27
ATL → NCE	economy	$962	$983	Lufthansa by $21
LAX → HEL	economy	$965	$1049	Lufthansa by $84
ATL → DUB	business	$4307	$5386	Lufthansa by $1079
ATL → HAM	business	$6100	$4332	SAS by $1768
BOS → CPH	business	$4372	$5402	Lufthansa by $1030
MIA → MLA	business	$4436	$4903	Lufthansa by $467
ATL → PRG	business	$4587	$5979	Lufthansa by $1392
LAX → FCO	business	$4808	$5489	Lufthansa by $681
ATL → ARN	business	$5317	$4851	SAS by $466
MIA → PRG	business	$5447	$4982	SAS by $465
LAX → PRG	business	$5478	$5000	SAS by $478
ORD → MLA	business	$7308	$5030	SAS by $2278
SFO → LIS	business	$5038	$5979	Lufthansa by $941
MIA → NCE	business	$7551	$5044	SAS by $2507
MIA → KRK	business	$5537	$5125	SAS by $412
MIA → ATH	business	$7072	$5132	SAS by $1940
ATL → MLA	business	$5427	$5139	SAS by $288
JFK → ATH	business	$10461	$5175	SAS by $5286
MIA → BER	business	$5497	$5175	SAS by $322
MIA → HAM	business	$6245	$5179	SAS by $1066
JFK → KRK	business	$5485	$5247	SAS by $238
ORD → KRK	business	$5273	$5386	Lufthansa by $113
ORD → OSL	business	$7407	$5290	SAS by $2117
JFK → BUD	business	$5296	$6023	Lufthansa by $727
ATL → BCN	business	$5326	$5394	Lufthansa by $68
ATL → MAD	business	$5327	$5395	Lufthansa by $68
BOS → BER	business	$5340	$5942	Lufthansa by $602
BOS → HAM	business	$5344	$5946	Lufthansa by $602
ATL → BUD	business	$5344	$5446	Lufthansa by $102
ATL → MXP	business	$5347	$5393	Lufthansa by $46
JFK → BER	business	$5356	$5436	Lufthansa by $80
ATL → KRK	business	$5406	$5386	SAS by $20
ATL → ATH	business	$5444	$5393	SAS by $51
JFK → MLA	business	$5399	$5574	Lufthansa by $175
LAX → OSL	business	$5498	$5400	SAS by $98
ATL → OSL	business	$6060	$5430	SAS by $630
LAX → BER	business	$6094	$5436	SAS by $658
ORD → BER	business	$6590	$5436	SAS by $1154
MIA → EDI	business	$11231	$5458	SAS by $5773
LAX → KRK	business	$5462	$5896	Lufthansa by $434
BOS → PRG	business	$5466	$5979	Lufthansa by $513
LAX → FRA	business	$14379	$5467	SAS by $8912
ORD → FRA	business	$6069	$5467	SAS by $602
ATL → FRA	business	$5726	$5467	SAS by $259
MIA → HEL	business	$5567	$5677	Lufthansa by $110
ORD → HEL	business	$5585	$8412	Lufthansa by $2827
MIA → MUC	business	$6838	$5738	SAS by $1100
ORD → BUD	business	$6070	$5801	SAS by $269
LAX → HEL	business	$6167	$5809	SAS by $358
ATL → NCE	business	$6176	$5829	SAS by $347
ATL → ZRH	business	$5847	$5974	Lufthansa by $127
SFO → MLA	business	$6837	$5866	SAS by $971
BOS → KRK	business	$10019	$5896	SAS by $4123
SFO → ATH	business	$6828	$5901	SAS by $927
SFO → FCO	business	$8775	$5912	SAS by $2863
SFO → BER	business	$6091	$5942	SAS by $149
SFO → HAM	business	$6075	$5946	SAS by $129
BOS → MUC	business	$6044	$5963	SAS by $81
JFK → MUC	business	$6059	$5963	SAS by $96
LAX → MUC	business	$6071	$5963	SAS by $108
SFO → FRA	business	$15070	$5973	SAS by $9097
LAX → ZRH	business	$6014	$5974	SAS by $40
ORD → ZRH	business	$6816	$5974	SAS by $842
ORD → MAD	business	$6352	$5975	SAS by $377
ORD → PRG	business	$7462	$5979	SAS by $1483
BOS → BUD	business	$5994	$6373	Lufthansa by $379
ORD → MUC	business	$6838	$6038	SAS by $800
SFO → ARN	business	$6798	$6130	SAS by $668
SFO → OSL	business	$8824	$6240	SAS by $2584
BOS → MLA	business	$8720	$6289	SAS by $2431
SFO → KRK	business	$6380	$6425	Lufthansa by $45
SFO → MUC	business	$10446	$6488	SAS by $3958
MIA → BUD	business	$6554	$8554	Lufthansa by $2000
ORD → HAM	business	$6557	$8906	Lufthansa by $2349
SFO → BUD	business	$6847	$8862	Lufthansa by $2015
LAX → CPH	business	$6879	$8399	Lufthansa by $1520
LAX → BUD	business	$7318	$8854	Lufthansa by $1536

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:

Lufthansa

747-8 / A330-300 (legacy) · flown by Jon

Seat: 5/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 7/10
Product score: 7.5/10

SAS

A330-300 / A350-900

Seat: 8/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 7/10
Product score: 8.3/10

Lufthansa: The cabin Allegris is replacing. Still widely flown on US routes into late 2026.

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 Lufthansa or SAS better to Europe?: Lufthansa scores 8.8/10 against SAS at 8.3/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare. On the four dimensions we can verify, Lufthansa wins 1 and SAS wins 0. Service and food are not scored here because they cannot be read off a spec sheet.
Which is cheaper, Lufthansa or SAS?: On the 163 routes where both were priced for the same week (November 8–14, 2026), Lufthansa was cheaper on 49 and SAS on 114. 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. Lufthansa scores 10/10 on the A350-900 / 787-9 (Allegris) and 5/10 on the 747-8 / A330-300 (legacy). Check the equipment on your date before deciding.
Has Jon flown either of these?: Lufthansa, in business on a Europe route. SAS has not been flown, so nothing here claims firsthand experience of its cabin.

Deal alerts on Lufthansa and SAS

Lufthansa or SAS, whichever drops first

Lufthansa carried a $50 median premium in our grid and SAS $12; the cheaper of the two changes route by route, and neither is cheapest every week. An alert from your airport catches whichever falls under the field, which is a better bet than picking one airline in advance.

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