Today I’m taking a look at the SAS Business Lounge at Oslo Garermoen Airport. A pleasant, if slightly basic lounge, at a brilliant airport. You can access either by flying Business with SAS, having status with any Star Alliance Airline or paying NOK 350.

Oslo Airport

Oslo Airport is definitely my favourite airport in Europe, possibly the world. Built in 1998 and expanded to its former glory in 2017, Oslo Airport is unsurprisingly the largest airport in Norway. From the several times I’ve been here now I’ve always found it to be very efficient, despite it serving an impressive 29 million people in 2019. Not as big as global airports like London Heathrow or Hong Kong, but still impressive given only 5.5 million people live in Norway.

As you can hopefully see from the pictures below, the airport is also one of the most beautiful out there, With massive open areas, an impressive wooden structure and floor to ceiling windows. Overall, it’s just a really nice airport.

Also two cool things I noticed whilst walking around the airport:

1. They have a public grand piano for people to play. There was a really skilled pianist playing it whilst I was there which was nice to hear. Another reason why Oslo is a great airport. (You can see it in my Youtube review of SAS Plus at the 00:36 mark here)
2. They still have a Jamie’s Italian restaurant (owned by tv chef Jamie Oliver). Pretty sure they’ve gone out of business in the UK, but obviously still going strong in Norway.

The SAS Business Lounge

The SAS Lounges at Oslo Airport are actually split in two. There’s the standard Business Lounge (for Business Class passengers), then the Gold Lounge for SAS Gold Members or equivalent Star Alliance Status. You can also pay NOK 350 / £30 for access, but that only applies to the Business Lounge. I was flying SAS Plus today (SAS’s version of European Business Class) so that meant I could only access the basic Business Lounge.

They have ticket gates at the lounge entrance, you simply need to scan your boarding pass to enter. And for some reason they have a “Travel Service” desk just after entering. I’ve not entirely sure what it’s for, maybe to let people change their bookings? But whatever it’s there for, there was nobody at the desks the 2 hours I spent here. So I’m not sure if they actually use them or not.

Seating

The SAS Business Lounge is overall pretty comfortable. With mostly fabric lounge chairs as seen below plus a few sofas and dining chairs. There’s plenty of seating too so it should be easy to find somewhere to sit. Though there were times during my 2 hour visit that it got mostly full. So you might not always get your first choice of where to sit at busier times.

The lounge is also attractively decorated with a mix of wood furnishings, carpets and plants making it a relaxing place to be. There’s also a floor to ceiling window running the length of one side of the lounge letting you look down on the rest of the airport. It’s cool to watch the hustle and bustle of the airport from a relaxing seat in the lounge. But generally I prefer when lounges have a view of the aircraft/runway.

Also worth noting the picture above shows a load of dirty glasses which haven’t been cleared yet. The staff were actually very good at keeping the lounge tidy, much more so than many lounges I’ve visited. I took this picture just after a large group yet so they hadn’t cleaned it yet.

There’s a large dining area too with plenty of seating. Very modern and clean. Seats aren’t the comfiest but they are functional in a very Scandinavian style.

Lastly, they have some private rooms for making calls/getting some privacy. It’s well sound-proofed and I spent most of my time in here working on my laptop.

Food & Drink

Food was a slight weak point for the SAS Business Lounge. The main issue is they only serve cold food. I was here for lunch and breakfast so was able to try both. Starting off with breakfast, it’s just a basic continental breakfast in a very Norwegian style. I actually liked it, especially the Norwegian Brown Cheese, which is absolutely delicious if you haven’t tried it. There’s also plenty of break, some boiled eggs and porridge. And that’s about it. Scroll down a bit and you can see what I had. Some crisp bread with Norwegian Brown Cheese and pickles. It won’t win any prizes for sure.

Lunch was actually a bit better, though even less limited in selection. There were just 3 cold salads (tuna pasta, couscous, and a leafy salad. Though all were tasty. For lunch you also get the same selection of breads.

The SAS Business Lounge was slightly better with their drink selection. They have the obligatory coffee machines plus tea bags. Then a few soft drink dispensers, fruit juice, water, beer, etc. Then lastly a small bar with wine and spirits to help yourself to. Pretty much exactly what you would expect from any airline Business Class Lounge.

So to sum up… Food and drink is basic, but good quality. Everything felt slightly better quality compared to many basic airport lounges I’ve been to (the kind of places where the food is like school food).

Everything Else

The lounge has some spacious toilets which are kept nice and clean, but disappointingly no showers. I understand not many people will be having lengthy connections through Oslo Airport, so probably not much demand for showers. But it is still nice to have the option at least. And it really would add an extra level of luxury if showers were available.

Besides that there’s really not much to comment on. Whilst I was there the TVs were showing extreme sports, which I thought was an interesting choice.

Final Thoughts

More from me…

If you enjoyed my SAS Business Lounge Review, please feel free to check out other related posts I’ve written:

• Malaysia Airlines Economy A350-900 – Great food on a 13 hour flight
• No1 Lounge at London Gatwick South – Surprisingly good
• Singapore Airlines Economy from London to Singapore – As Good as People Say?

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