After three hours in the SAS Gold Lounge in Stockholm and the most scenic flight of my life, we faced a 7hr layover in Oslo. I wanted to go into Oslo, but an afternoon storm rolled through so we remained in the lounge.
As in Stockholm, the Gold Lounge is a sub-section of the SAS Lounge in Oslo. Access is controlled by a gate and barcode reader that scans your boarding pass.
Our first priority was to find a place to relax. The lounge contains three easy chairs in one corner that are designed for rest. All were occupied.
We dropped our bags off nearby and waited for two chairs to open. It only took about 20 minutes. Claiming the chairs, we both took an afternoon nap.
The Gold Lounge was never all the crowded, though it never really emptied out until closing time (our flight to Longyearbyen was the one of the last flights out of the night and the lounge closed as we were leaving).
Newspapers and magazines were available–
Around 7pm I became hungry again and headed over the buffet. Although very smiler to the lounge in Stockholm, it included a special “American BBQ” section that featured hamburgers, hot dogs, and bacons with buns and condiments. I did sample a hamburger, which sadly was not half as nice as the United Airlines hamburger. I enjoyed a salad as well. The buffet featured several salads and cold dishes.
Restrooms were located just past the Gold entrance to the lounge. They were smelly and there were no showers.
I took a quick look around the business lounge. No hamburgers or hot dogs! The food spread was far more limited.
CONCLUSION
Seven hours is a long time to spend in any lounge, even a first class lounge. While this lounge was “just” a business class lounge I was certainly thankful to wait for our last connection here instead of in the gate area.
Ha! Reminds me of when I stayed at the Clarion Hotel in Oslo (I highly highly recommend). They had free dinner but it was Mexican food (I’m from San Diego). Sadly never got to try any Norwegian food; I was on a 22 hr connection and they have a ton of American themed restaurants (including the largest TGIF I’ve ever seen).