Scandinavia is a popular tourist destination during the winter months, despite the cold weather.
From historic cities in their winter coat to the northern lights dancing overhead, Scandinavia has a lot to offer visitors during the winter season.
However, with airlines including Norse Atlantic cancelling flights from their winter schedules, getting to Norway, Sweden and Denmark without changing planes has become more difficult. But it’s not impossible.
Flying to Norway
Throughout the winter season, Norse Atlantic continues to fly from Fort Lauderdale and New York to Oslo but the frequency on both routes has been cut as the airline tries to fill its planes. With just three weekly flights from JFK and two from Fort Lauderdale, this means the cheapest fares will go quickly.
The Norse routes from Orlando and Los Angeles to Oslo have been suspended but are expected to return in the spring.
With United no longer flying to Oslo and only flying to Bergen seasonally, the only other option to reach Norway directly is the daily Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight from Newark.
Flying to Denmark
Copenhagen is the main international hub for SAS and the airline seems set to keep its numerous U.S. routes throughout the winter. That means direct flights to the Danish capital city from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, San Francisco and Washington.
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) operate direct flights from several U.S. cities to Denmark, Norway and … [+]
A handy option for frequent Delta flyers is the direct Delta route from New York JFK to Copenhagen.
Flying to Sweden
Stockholm is another hub city for SAS and the airline runs daily flights from Newark together with regular flights from Chicago.
SAS Star Alliance partners United have been on and off with a direct route from Newark to Stockholm and although the airline has confirmed its return, it won’t start until May 2023. Delta has also confirmed the return of a direct route from New York JFK, but it will operate in the summer season only.
More options with flight connections
If you are prepared to make a connection, there are many more options available to you from other U.S. airports. In particular, KLM/Delta offer direct flights to Amsterdam from multiple U.S. cities. From Amsterdam, there are connections to destinations all over Scandinavia including many smaller airports.
While these options are great in theory, bear in mind that Amsterdam airport has suffered from major issues lately including staff shortages and lengthy security queues.
Other good options for connecting to the Scandinavian capitals include Air France via Paris, Lufthansa via several German cities, and British Airways via London Heathrow.
Finally, another popular option is to fly via Iceland on Icelandair or Play. Many travelers choose to break up their trip by spending some time enjoying the attractions in and around Reykjavik.