When does SAS release award seats?
Read from SAS for 98 days · updated 1 OctAward seats exist at most 328 days ahead, not 330. The earliest we have seen an award seat is 357 days before. But most seats are not there: half of all Business seats open within 74 days of departure, and 25 % in the last month. Measured over 98 days, up to 1 Oct.
Right now: where Business is, Thailand, Mumbai and the calendar edge
Is 330 days right?
Almost. SAS's own site says up to 330 days. We see seats up to about 328 days ahead. The odd seat appears beyond that, 357 days is the record, but they are exceptions. We know the limit is SAS's and not ours because we look 364 days ahead. Had there been seats 350 days out, we would have seen them.
Why the calendar is empty eleven months out
Two limits get mixed up. SAS publishes the schedule 358 days ahead, but award seats only reach 328. That leaves 30 days at the far end where the departure can be bought for cash, but not for points.
How far in advance do seats open?
Booking the moment the calendar opens is almost backwards on SAS's own flights. The seats are usually not there yet. Half of the seats had come within: Business 74 days, Premium Economy 75, Economy 69.
| When the seat opened | Business | Premium Economy | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than a week | 8 % | 7 % | 9 % |
| One to four weeks | 17 % | 14 % | 15 % |
| One to three months | 30 % | 35 % | 38 % |
| Three to six months | 36 % | 32 % | 27 % |
| More than six months | 9 % | 12 % | 11 % |
Based on 3,380 Business openings we saw happen. 98 days is not enough to measure what happens ten months before departure, so the last row is at least that much. See the method.
Is there a time of day when SAS releases seats?
No. Folklore says midnight. We tested. Openings and closings are caught by the same checks at the same pace, and they track each other across every hour of the day and every day of the week. No hour to set an alarm for. No best weekday.
Measured 25 Jun to 1 Oct on SAS's own nonstop long-haul flights from Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. Availability changes without notice. Check flysas.com before you plan around a number here.