Editing Scandinavian Airlines (section)

=== 2009-2021: Restructuring ===
{{update section|reason=recent crisis and strike|date=July 2022}} 
With the growth of [[budget airlines]] and decreasing fares in Scandinavia, the business experienced financial hardship. By 2009, competitive pressures had compelled the airline to launch a cost-cutting initiative. In the first step of which, the business sold its stakes in other companies, such as [[British Midland International]], Spanair, and [[airBaltic]], and began to restructure its operations.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/sas-sells-remaining-stake-in-bmi-to-lufthansa/ |title=SAS Sells Remaining Stake in BMI to Lufthansa |last=Nicholson |first=Chris V. |date=1 October 2009 |work=The New York Times|access-date=18 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/spanair-idUSLU68460220090130 |title=SAS sells Spanair for 1 euro, takes big charge |last=Roberts |first=Martin |date=30 January 2009 |work=Reuters |access-date=18 November 2012 |display-authors=etal |archive-date=25 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825213218/http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/01/30/spanair-idUSLU68460220090130 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airbaltic.com/public/company_history.html |title=Company history |work=airBaltic.com |publisher=airBaltic |access-date=18 November 2012 |archive-date=1 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601121148/http://www.airbaltic.com/public/company_history.html}}</ref> During January 2009, an agreement to divest more than 80 percent of the holdings in Spanair was signed with a [[Catalonia|Catalan]] group of investors led by Consorci de Turisme de Barcelona and Catalana d'Inciatives.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cisionwire.se/sas/avtal-om-forsaljning-av-spanair-har-ingatts |title=SAS – press release (in Swedish) |publisher=Cision Wire |access-date=30 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715074850/http://www.cisionwire.se/sas/avtal-om-forsaljning-av-spanair-har-ingatts |archive-date=15 July 2009}}</ref> These changes reportedly reduced the airliner's expenses by around 23 per cent between 2008 and 2011.<ref name = "tradeunion 2012"/>

In November 2012, the company came under heavy pressure from its owners and banks to implement even heavier cost-cutting measures as a condition for continued financial support. Negotiations with the respective [[trade union]]s took place for more than a week and exceeded the original deadline; in the end, an agreement was reached between SAS and the trade unions that would increase the work time, cutting employee's salaries by between 12 and 20 percent, along with reductions to the [[pension]] and retirement plans; these measures were aimed at keeping the airline as an operating concern. SAS criticized how it handled the negotiations, having reportedly denied facilities to the union delegations.<ref name = "tradeunion 2012">{{cite news |url=http://www.di.se/artiklar/2012/11/20/fackens-mardromsdygn-i-kopenhamn/ |title= Nightmare for trade unions in Copenhagen |date=19 November 2012 |work=Dagens Industri |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref>

During 2017, SAS announced that it was forming a new airline, [[Scandinavian Airlines Connect|Scandinavian Airlines Ireland]], operating out of [[Heathrow Airport]] and [[Málaga Airport]] to fly European routes on its parent's behalf using nine Airbus A320neos.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/sas-irish-subsidiary-to-begin-flights-in-november-1.2992398| title=SAS Irish subsidiary to begin flights in November| newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]| location=[[Dublin]]| last=O'Halloran| first=Barry| date=28 February 2017| access-date=29 May 2018}}</ref> SAS sought to replace its own aircraft with cheaper ones crewed and based outside Scandinavia to compete better with other airlines.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://skift.com/2017/06/14/why-scandinavias-sas-is-creating-a-new-airline-with-the-same-name-in-ireland/| title=Why Scandinavia's SAS Is Creating a New Airline With the Same Name in Ireland| last=Sumers| first=Brian| date=14 June 2017| access-date=29 May 2018| publisher=[[Skift]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/aviation-recruitment-firm-creates-80-new-jobs-as-part-of-irish-expansion-1.3074599| title=Aviation recruitment firm creates 80 new jobs as part of Irish expansion| newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]| location=[[Dublin]]| last=Burke-Kennedy| first=Eoin| date=7 May 2017| access-date=29 May 2018}}</ref> The Swedish Pilots Union expressed its dissatisfaction with the operational structure of the new airline, suggesting it violated the current labour-agreements.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.svd.se/facket-om-nya-sas-bolaget-pa-irland-blir-bestort| url-access=subscription| title=Facket om nya SAS-bolaget| language=sv| newspaper=[[Svenska Dagbladet]]| publisher=[[Schibsted Media Group]]| location=[[Stockholm]]| date=16 November 2017| access-date=14 January 2018}}</ref> The Swedish Cabin Crew Union also condemned the new venture and stated that SAS established the airline to "not pay decent salaries" to cabin crew.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.svd.se/sas-ger-personalen-usla-villkor-med-lagprisbolag/i/senaste| url-access=subscription| title=SAS ger personalen usla villkor| language=sv| newspaper=[[Svenska Dagbladet]]| publisher=[[Schibsted Media Group]]| location=[[Stockholm]]| date=23 November 2017| access-date=31 January 2018}}</ref>

In 2018, SAS announced that it had placed an order for 50 [[Airbus A320neo]] narrow-body jetliners to facilitate the creation of a single-type fleet. That same year, the Norwegian government divested its stake in the airline.<ref name = "official milestones"/> As part of an environmental initiative launched by [[San Francisco International Airport]] (SFO), SAS flights operating out of SFO since December 2018 have been supplied with [[sustainable aviation fuel]] from [[Royal Dutch Shell|Shell]] and SkyNRG.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://biofuels-news.com/display_news/14217/shell_starts_supplying_sustainable_fuel_at_californian_airport/ |title=Shell starts supplying sustainable fuel at Californian airport |website=Biofuels International |date=12 December 2018 |access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.airport-world.com/news/general-news/6928-shell-supplies-sustainable-aviation-fuel-available-at-san-francisco-international-airport.html |title=Sustainable aviation fuel available at San Francisco International Airport |last=Bates |first=Joe |website=www.airport-world.com |access-date=25 April 2019 |archive-date=25 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425193618/http://www.airport-world.com/news/general-news/6928-shell-supplies-sustainable-aviation-fuel-available-at-san-francisco-international-airport.html}}</ref>

In July 2021, the European Commission approved a Swedish and Danish aid measure of approximately US$356 million to support SAS.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-13|title=State aid: Commission approves €300 million Swedish and Danish subsidised interest rate loans to SAS in context of coronavirus outbreak|url=https://newsroom.aviator.aero/state-aid-commission-approves-eu300-million-swedish-and-danish-subsidised-interest-rate-loans-to-sas-in-context-of-coronavirus-outbreak/|access-date=2021-07-21|website=AVIATOR}}</ref> In September 2021, SAS announced that it would establish two operating subsidiaries; SAS Connect and SAS Link, with its existing [[Scandinavian Airlines Connect|SAS Ireland]] subsidiary to be rebranded as the new SAS Connect, while SAS Link would initially operate the airline's Embraer E195 aircraft, and the operations of both companies to begin by early 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/108305-sas-to-launch-two-new-subsidiaries|title=SAS to launch two new subsidiaries|website=ch-aviation|date=1 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/sas-to-introduce-new-connect-and-link-operating-arms-at-copenhagen/146646.article|title=SAS to introduce new Connect and Link operating arms at Copenhagen|last=Kiminski-Morrow|first=David|website=[[FlightGlobal]]|publisher=[[DVV Media Group]]|date=30 November 2021|access-date=11 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/110407-sas-to-launch-connect-link-brands-in-1q22|title=SAS to launch Connect, Link brands in 1Q22|website=ch-aviation|date=3 December 2021|access-date=11 January 2022}}</ref>