SAS Celebrates 60 Years of Flying.LYNDHURST, N.J. -- Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS (1) (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, www.sas.com) A software company that specializes in data warehousing and decision support software based on the SAS System. Founded in 1976, SAS is one of the world's largest privately held software companies. See SAS System. ) will celebrate its 60th anniversary on September 17. On that date in 1946 the newly created airline operated its first scheduled flight scheduled flight schedule n → vol régulier scheduled flight schedule n → Linienflug m , from Stockholm to New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . Since then, SAS has been a leader in commercial aviation. SAS was founded in August 1946 by the governments of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The first SAS flight was on September 17 from Stockholm to New York on a four-engine Douglas DC-4, the "Dan Viking," with a stylized styl·ize tr.v. styl·ized, styl·iz·ing, styl·iz·es 1. To restrict or make conform to a particular style. 2. To represent conventionally; conventionalize. Viking dragon prow on its gleaming silver fuselage. The flight took 25 hours, with stops at Copenhagen, Prestwick in Scotland and Gander Gander, town (1991 pop. 10,339), NE Newfoundland, N.L., Canada. Gander's airport, an important base in World War II, is a hub for international flights; it also attracts many refugees. It was the site of a Dec. on Newfoundland in Canada, before landing at LaGuardia Field in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. with its 28 passengers. The group was hosted at a welcome luncheon the next day at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel by New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Two pilots who were on board the inaugural flight (Rupert Hansen, now 83 and Byron Cramblet, now 85, both Americans living in San Diego) are in Stockholm to participate in the anniversary celebrations. Since then, SAS has been an aviation pioneer in a number of areas: --SAS was first airline to operate scheduled flights over the North Pole region, with the launch of Copenhagen-Los Angeles service (1954). --SAS was the first airline with a route across the North Pole to Japan, which reduced the flight time by 20 hours to 32 hours (1957). --SAS was first to operate the French-built twin-engine jet aircraft Caravelle Caravelle may be a reference to:
--SAS was the first airline to introduce an electronic booking system for all of its services in Europe (1965). --SAS was the first airline to ban smoking on some flights (1986). --SAS was the first airline to offer passengers Wi-Fi Internet service on all intercontinental flights (2005). --During its 60 years, SAS has operated service to all of the world's inhabited continents except Oceania. The 60th anniversary will be celebrated in various ways at a number of airports throughout the SAS system on September 17, including a brief ceremony at Newark Airport before departure of SAS flights to Stockholm and Copenhagen. SAS photos can be downloaded at: www.sasgroup.net under "SAS Group Images" |
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