Fact Check

Those Vintage Photos of Scandinavian Airlines Meals Are Real

Caviar, turtle soup, and lobster were just the start of one of the many dinner service menus from the past once offered by Scandinavian Airlines.

Published Dec 28, 2022

 (SAS Museet, Gardermoen)
Image Via SAS Museet, Gardermoen
Claim:
Decades-old pictures show lobster, caviar, and carved meats being served on Scandinavian Airlines.

On May 20, 2022, the @historydefined Twitter account shared a tweet with a picture that was captioned, "Serving a snack on a Scandinavian Airlines flight, 1969." This was a real picture with a proper caption.

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.Passengers are greeted in their beds with breakfast. (Credit: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)
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.Special snacks are provided to passengers on Scandinavian Airlines. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.Passengers are served 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.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.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.You'd be hard-pressed to find 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.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.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.The official caption said that this picture showed 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.More of the same buffet. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)
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.Champagne, caviar, and more. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)

The 1970s

Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.The official caption for this photo with its large buffet 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.A different angle of the dinner service with what looks to be lobster in the middle. (Photo: SAS Museet, Gardermoen)
Scandinavian Airlines passengers were treated to luxury and high-class foods in past decades.Lobster, caviar, and champagne. (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

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

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

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.

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