Fact Check: Photos: Scandinavian Airlines Food and Luxury Through the Years

Jordan Liles
·3 min read
A slideshow of photos shared online purportedly showed days gone by on flights for Scandinavian Airlines.
SAS Museet, Gardermoen

Claim:

Decades-old pictures show lobster, caviar and carved meats being served on Scandinavian Airlines.

Rating:

Rating: True
Rating: True

For years, online users have posted pictures that truly showed the luxury and high-class dining options that were offered over the decades by Scandinavian Airlines. For example, on Feb. 5, 2023, a Reddit user posted a slideshow of photos with the caption, "Passenger airlines during the Golden Age of Flight." Another post from 2022 also showed one of the same pictures with the caption, "Serving a snack on Scandinavian Airlines flight, 1969."

In recent years, Scandinavian Airlines, now known as SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System), shared a multitude of pictures that show what it used to be like to fly on the company's aircraft. The photos posted by the SAS Museet (Museum) go back decades.

Style, luxury, legroom and high-quality meal service offerings were on display in the vintage pictures, most of which appeared to show actors or passengers and airline staff in the first- or business-class section of the airplanes, either during photograph shoots on the ground or in the air.

Here are some of the best pictures we found that were taken by Scandinavian Airlines in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

The 1950s

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

Passengers are greeted in their beds with fruit and drinks. (Credit: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

A child helps a chef cut meat with a large knife during a flight. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

Special snacks are provided to passengers during a Scandinavian Airlines flight. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

Passengers are served snacks including fruit and cheeses during a flight. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

The 1960s

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

The 1960s were full of high-quality meals for Scandinavian Airlines passengers. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

This photo appears to show a snack service. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

You'll never see people having this much fun on any modern U.S. airline. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

A chef and flight attendant serve a high-quality meal to well-dressed passengers. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

Chefs on the ground prepare turkey for passengers. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

The official caption said that this picture shows an "air hostess serving a Scandinavian Country Style Buffet in 1969. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

More of the same buffet. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

An additional photo of the same buffet. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

Champagne and caviar. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

The 1970s

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

The official caption read, "Serving dinner on a Boeing 747 jumbo jet." (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

A different angle of the dinner service with a wide aisle space. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.

Champagne and lobster. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

Visit the SAS Museet Flickr page to see the rest of the pictures that were shared by Scandinavian Airlines. One of the albums even showed three menus from the past.

Sources:

u/FlyingFajita. “Passenger Airlines during the Golden Age of Flight.” r/pics via Reddit.com, 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/10um115/passenger_airlines_during_the_golden_age_of_flight/.

@historydefined. Twitter, 20 May 2022, https://twitter.com/historydefined/status/1527676157608476672.

SAS Museet. Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/sas-museum/48768690662/.