Early years.

Marianne Vos was born in's-Hertogenbosch, North Brabant and lives in the small village of Babyloniënbroek. She started her career when she was six years old after watching her older brother who was already a cyclist. At first she trained with her brother's team as she was not allowed to participate in races; during the winter she started training in cyclo-cross as well. When she was eight, she was able to ride races. Vos also participated in speed skating and inline speed skating. At 14 she replaced inline skating with mountain biking.

Professional career.

2002–2003.

In 2002, she won two national championships and finished second in another. She became Dutch mountain biking champion and won the national junior road race, while she finished second in the Dutch time trial championship behind Roxane Knetemann. In 2003 Vos successfully defended her national junior mountain bike title. At the time trial championships she again finished second, this time behind Maxime Groenewegen while 2002 champion Roxane Knetemann finished fourth.

2004.

Vos excelled in cyclo-cross for the first time in 2004 when she won her first international race in Gieten, beating Birgit Hollmann and Arenda Grimberg. She finished third in the Dutch junior road race and time trial, unable to beat Ellen van Dijk who won both events. Continuing her cyclo-cross season she added wins in Surhuisterveen and Pijnacker-Nootdorp. In the last she beat Hanka Kupfernagel and Daphny van den Brand. For the third straight time she became Dutch junior champion in mountain biking before heading to Verona for the junior road world championship. Aged 17 and a first-year junior, Vos broke away in the final of five laps on the climb. She stayed clear and became world champion. At the end of 2004 Vos was elected "Sport FM Sportswoman of the year 2004".

2005.

As junior world champion Vos claimed her first Dutch junior national road title in front of 2004 champion Ellen van Dijk. Van Dijk was able to defend her time trial title successfully before Maxime Groenewegen, while Vos finished third again. Participating as a senior at the Dutch cyclo-cross championship Vos finished second behind Daphny van den Brand. She then won her fourth Dutch junior mountain bike title, before winning a junior World Cup meeting in Houffalize. She finished fourth at the world junior cyclo-cross championship and won a race held in Heeswijk a week later. From then on Vos occasionally took part in senior road races. One was the Omloop van Borsele which she won by beating Adrie Visser. Including Vos's world championship in 2004 the Netherlands had won the last three editions of the junior championship (the others being Loes Markerink in 2002 and Suzanne de Goede in 2003). Vos's goal was to add a fourth title by defending her title in Salzburg, but she finished second behind Denmark's Mie Bekker Lacota.  Vos competed in cyclo-cross again. Six weeks after her silver medal in Salzburg she won in Harderwijk and Suameer. Her next aim was the European cyclo-cross championship in Pont-Château, France. She started in the élite field and was expected to assist Daphny van den Brand but instead beat the favourites, including van den Brand who won silver. After the European championship she won two cyclo-crosses in Gieten and Loenhout. Vos was named "Sport FM Sportswoman of the year 2005".

2006.

Vos won her first race of 2006 on 1 January in Pétange. Less than a week later, the Dutch championship in Huijbergen was again a clash between Vos and van den Brand, this time van den Brand become champion while Vos took silver. Vos then concentrated on the world cyclo-cross championship in her own country, in Zeddam. On 29 January 2006 she was in excellent form, with only Hanka Kupfernagel and Daphny van den Brand able to catch her. Van den Brand changed bikes and lost her lead, finishing one minute behind to take bronze. The gold medal was decided in the last metres when Vos outsprinted Kupfernagel.  During the 2006 road season Vos took part in the Gracia-Orlova Tour in the Czech Republic and won the 5th stage, 2:20 ahead of the pack. In that same week she won the Omloop van Borsele for the second time in a row, beating Vera Koedooder and Bertine Spijkerman. In Spain she took part in the Emakumeen Bira and won the 1st stage. She then travelled back to the Netherlands for the national road championship in Maastricht. Vos cycled in a group containing all the favourites for the race and outsprinted Sharon van Essen and Suzanne de Goede to win the title. On 28 June 2006 Vos was named "Dutch Sports Talent of the year 2006" ahead of pentathlete Laurien Hoos and gymnast Epke Zonderland. The additional award was handed to her by former swimming star Erica Terpstra.  A few weeks later she was strongest in the Omloop van Valkenburg where she again finished in front of de Goede. She was still in the junior age category and took part in the European road race championship in Valkenburg. She won the sprint against Italy's Tatiana Guderzo. She went on to win two stages and overall in the Tour Féminin en Limousin. In July, she won criteriums in Steenwijk, Draai van de Kaai, Oostvoorne and Pijnackerow.  In August, she signed a five-year deal with the Dutch Team DSB-Ballast Nedam. It wasn't long before she won her first race with DSB. At the end of the 4th stage of the Trophée d'Or Féminin Vos beat Tanja Schmidt-Hennes.  With the silver medal won in 2005 in mind, Vos returned to Salzburg for the senior road race at the World Championship of road cycling. Vos remained in the bunch until Nicole Cooke started the action in the fifth of six laps. Cooke attacked on the second climb and only Nicole Brändli and Vos were able to catch her. A few others came back a few kilometres later. Judith Arndt left the group by herself. Vos made the jump to Arndt and they led for a few minutes until the chasers came back. From then, the group stayed together apart from attacks on either the flat road or the second climb. The race went to a sprint of 15 riders, Vos taking another rainbow jersey.  In the 2006 UCI Cyclo-cross European Championships Vos won a bronze medal behind Daphny van den Brand and Hanka Kupfernagel.

2007.

Vos won La Flèche Wallonne Féminine and the Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt World Cup events before going on to win the series overall. She also finished second in the Road Race World Championships, conceding her title to Marta Bastianelli of Italy who broke away in the last 15 km of the race.

2008.

Vos added a track cycling world title to her list when she won the Women's Points Race at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. In doing so, she became the first woman to have held world championship titles on the road, track and cyclo-cross. Vos became Olympic points race champion at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

2009.

In 2009, Vos started by winning the Cyclo-cross world championships. She also had success on the road, as she won La Flèche Wallonne Féminine for the third time. Later that year, she finished second in the UCI Road World Championships.

2010.

In 2010, Vos again won the silver medal in the UCI Road World Championships, but became cyclo-cross world champion again.

2011.

Vos captured her fifth consecutive silver medal at the UCI Road World Championships. She won the scratch race in the UCI Track World Championships, and the world cyclo-cross championship.  Vos was appointed as a member of the inaugural UCI Athletes' Commission in 2011.

2012.

In 2012, Vos won the world cyclo-cross championship again. On the road, she recorded wins at the Ronde van Drenthe and the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, but fractured her collarbone after colliding with a motorcycle during the Valkenburg Hills Classic on 25 May. Although she was still able to finish the race in second place and did not require surgery, she did not resume racing until the Dutch National Championships on 23 June in which she finished second, 3 seconds behind Annemiek van Vleuten. She then raced in the Giro Donne, where for the second year running she won five stages and the general classification. On 29 July she won gold in the London Olympic Games road race winning the sprint from a 3-woman breakaway which formed following the final lap of the Box Hill, Surrey circuit on the return to London. She finished 16th in the time trial. In September, Vos won her second road race world title in Valkenburg, Netherlands after 5 second places in a row (2007–2011).

2013.

In 2013, Vos started off her year with yet another dominant performance at the 2013 Cyclocross World Championships, winning her fifth World Championship in a row, and her sixth overall. Vos took little time off after her unprecedented fifth consecutive title, winning mountain bike races and then taking her first win at the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) by outsprinting Ellen van Dijk On 28 September Vos won another UCI world road race championship after riding away from her challengers on a steep climb in the final lap of the Florence, Italy, course. She finished 15 seconds ahead of the second and third placed riders.

2014.

Vos started the year with a record seventh world championship in cyclocross. Six of those titles were consecutive. Later in the year, she won Giro d'Italia Femminile and the first edition of La Course. La Course took place on the last day of the Tour de France for men. The women's race was launched after a successful petition by Marianne Vos, Emma Pooley, Kathryn Bertine and Chrissie Wellington. She also won the first edition of the Women's Tour.

2015.

Vos started the year with a 3rd place in the Cyclocross World Championships. She then switched to mountain biking, with an eye on participating in that discipline in the Rio Olympics. She won her first race, but broke a rib preparing for a race in Austria. The rest of her 2015 season was plagued by a persisting hamstring injury. She later announced she was overtrained and would not participate in the 2015/16 cyclocross season.

2016.

Vos recovered in 2016 and won her first World Tour race in stage 3 of the Tour of California. She was one of four women selected for the Dutch national team for the 2016 Summer Olympics that same month. She finished in 9th place in the Olympic Road Race, which was won by her team mate Anna van der Breggen.

2017.

Vos won a silver medal at the Cyclocross World Championships. She also won the road race at the European Championships in Herning, Denmark and the general classification in the Ladies Tour of Norway stage race.

2018.

Vos won a silver medal at the European Championships in Glasgow. She also won two Women's World Tour events: the Open de Suède Vårgårda and the Ladies Tour of Norway for the second year running. Vos won all three stages, the general and the points classification of that race.

2019.

Vos started the year with a bronze medal at the 2019 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Bogense. In March, she won the Trofeo Alfredo Binda for the fourth time. She is now tied with Maria Canins for most wins in this race. In May she won the Tour de Yorkshire and in July she won La Course for the second time.

Outside sports.

Vos is an ambassador for the Dutch charity Jeugdsportfonds which financially supports children of poor families who want to join a sports club. She is also an ambassador for Youth United for Sri Lanka (YU4SL), set up by young people to help underprivileged people in Sri Lanka. Speed skater Ireen Wüst and other Dutch celebrities joined Vos as ambassadors.

Further reading.

Jeanine Laudy, Jan Willem Verkiel,: "Strijd in het vrouwenpeloton: de Giro door de ogen van Marianne Vos en Ellen van Dijk " (), Tirion Sport. The story of Ellen van Dijk and Marianne Vos of the 2011 Giro d'Italia Femminile.

Marianne Vos (; born 13 May 1987) is a Dutch cyclo-cross, road bicycle racer, mountain bike racer and track racer, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam. Vos has drawn comparison to Eddy Merckx as being "the finest cyclist of [her] generation".

Marianne Vosová (* 13. května 1987 v's-Hertogenboschu, Nizozemsko) je všestranná nizozemská cyklistka, která dosáhla vynikajících výsledků na dráze, na silnici i v terénu.


Qualification.

The winners of certain song contests for particular languages or groups of languages automatically qualify as entrants for Liet International. These contests thus function as selection rounds for the international contest. They have included:  Additional entrants are chosen from applying artists by a selection committee.

Liet Ynternasjonaal 2002.

The first Liet International song contest was held on April 28, 2002 at the theatre in Leeuwarden/Ljouwert, Friesland, the Netherlands. The West Frisian-language Liet contest was held on the previous night, and in a pattern that would be repeated in future editions the winner of Liet went on to represent Friesland in the international contest. However in later years Liet International would be held some months after Liet.  Both the jury and public awards were won by the Catalan band Pomada for their song "En Pere Galleri".

Liet Ynternasjonaal 2003.

The second Liet International contest was again held at the De Harmonie theatre in Leeuwarden, on November 23, 2003.  Transjoik, a Sámi group from Norway, won the jury award with their song "Mijjajaa". The public award was won by Welsh/Cornish singer Gwenno for her song in Cornish, "Vodya".

Liet Ynternasjonaal 2004.

The third edition of the contest was held on the 22nd of October, 2004. The venue was once again the De Harmonie theatre in Leeuwarden. Sámi singer Niko Valkeapää won both the jury and the public award with his song "Rabas mielain". This was the second time in a row that the contest was won by the Sámi entry.

Liet-Lávlut 2006.

Since the Sámi had won two out of the three competitions, the festival was held in Östersund, Sweden, which is the southern reaches of the area, Sápmi, that the Sámi live in the Nordic Countries. Sixty competitors, singing in 25 minority languages, took part in the preliminary elimination round. Eleven songs, representing 11 languages, were selected for the final competition.  Although the winner was selected by the festival's jury, the audience could vote for their favorite artist at the festival, on the Internet and by SMS message. The Sámi duo of Johan Kitti from Sweden and Ellen Sara Bæhr from Norway won the competition with "Luđiin muitalan", sung in Northern Sámi. The audience favorite was Liza Pannetier, with her song in Occitan, "Soleu Rouge".

Liet-Lávlut 2008.

The competition took place on 18 October at Kulturens hus in Luleå/Luleju, Sweden. Corsican singer Jacques Culioli won both the jury's and public's awards.

Liet International 2009.

In January the Board of the Liet Foundation decided to continue under the name Liet International. The 6th competition was held on 31 October 2009, returning to the De Harmonie theater in Leeuwarden.  The Finnish Sámi rock band Somby won the competition with their song "Ii iđit vel", sung in Northern Sámi. The audience favorite was Dr. Drer en Cre Posse from Sardinia, with their song "Apu biu".

Liet International 2010.

In 2010 Liet International was held in the Breton city of Lorient/An Oriant in France. The contest was won by the band Orka of the Faroe Islands with their song "Rúmdardrongurin". The public award went to the Friulian band R.esistence in Dub and their song "Fieste".

Liet International 2011.

The eighth Liet International was held on November 19, 2011 at the Teatro Giovanni da Udine in Udine/Udin, the historical capital of the Italian region of Friûl.  The Frisian singer Janna Eijer (22) from Jobbegea won the jury prize with her song "Ien klap", while the band Coffeeshock Company from Austria won the public vote with "Gusla mi se je znicila", sung in Burgenland Croatian.

Liet International 2012.

The ninth edition of Liet International was held in Gijón/Xixón, Asturias, Spain, at the Teatru de la Llaboral, on December 1, 2012. Welsh-born Breton singer Lleuwen won the jury prize for her song "Ar Gouloù Bev", while the public prize went to Asturiana Mining Company with "Si nun conoces Vaḷḷouta".

Liet International 2014.

The 2014 contest was held in Oldenburg, Germany. 19-year-old musician Martina Iori, from Val di Fassa in the north of Italy, won the jury award for her song "Via con mia mùsega", sung in Ladin.  In this year the audience award was replaced by a musicians' award voted on by the contestants themselves. This was won by Aila-Duo from Finland and their song in Aanaar Sámi "Naharij kandâ".

Liet International 2017.

The 11th Liet International song contest was scheduled to be held in late 2016 in Kautokeino/Guovdageaidnu, Norway, the home of the Sámi Grand Prix. However, due to a lack of funds the contest was rescheduled to fall on April 13 2017, as part of the Sámi Easterfestival.  For a second time in the history of the contest, a local singer, Norwegian Sami-speaker Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen, won the contest with her song "Luoddaearru” (“Crossroad”) in addition to being awarded the Musicians' award.

Liet International 2018.

The 12th Liet International song contest was held on May 23 2018 at Neushoorn Leeuwarden as part of LF2018 (Leeuwarden's stint as European Capital of Culture).

Liet International (West Frisian: "Liet Ynternasjonaal"), formerly Liet-Lávlut, is a song contest for musicians who speak any of Europe's regional or minority languages that was held the first time in Friesland in 2002. The goal of the festival is to boost interest in Europe's minority languages, especially with young people.

Liet-Lávlut neboli Liet Ynternasjonaal je každoroční hudební festival pro hudební umělce zpívající některým z evropských minoritních jazyků. Poprvé se konala v roce 2002 v Leeuwarden v Nizozemsku, kde se konaly i ostatní první ročníky, postupně se ale festival začal pořádat i v jiných městech. Další (v pořadí devátý) ročník festivalu se má konat 1. prosince 2012 ve městě Gijón na severu Španělska.


History.

Central London Railway.

The Central London Railway (CLR) was given permission in 1891 for a tube line between Shepherd's Bush and a station at Cornhill, and the following year an extension to Liverpool Street was authorised, with a station at Bank instead of at Cornhill. The line was built following the streets above rather than running underneath buildings, because purchase of wayleave under private properties would have been expensive, and as a result one line runs above another in places, with platforms at different levels at St Paul's, Chancery Lane and Notting Hill Gate stations. The tunnels were bored with the nominal diameter of, increased on curves, reduced to near to stations. The tunnels generally rise approaching a station, to aid braking, and fall when leaving, to aid acceleration.  The Central London Railway was the first underground railway to have the station platforms illuminated electrically. All the platforms were lit by Crompton automatic electric arc lamps, and other station areas by incandescent lamps. Both the City and South London Railway and the Waterloo and City Railway were lit by gas lamps, primarily because the power stations for these lines were designed with no spare capacity to power electric lighting. With the white glazed tiling, all underground Central London Railway platforms were very brightly lit. The use of electric lighting was further made possible because the Central London was also the first tube railway to use AC electrical distribution and the substation transformers were easily able to provide convenient voltages to run the lighting. Earlier tube lines generated DC power at the voltage required to run the trains (500 volts).  The line between Shepherd's Bush and Bank was formally opened on 30 June 1900, public services beginning on 30 July. With a uniform fare of 2d the railway became known as the "Twopenny Tube". It was initially operated by electric locomotives hauling carriages, but the locomotive's considerable unsprung weight caused much vibration in the buildings above the line, and the railway rebuilt the locomotives to incorporate geared drives. This allowed higher-speed and lighter motors to be used, which reduced the overall weight of the locomotive as well as the unsprung weight. The railway also tried an alternative approach: it converted four coaches to accommodate motors and control gear. Two of these experimental motor coaches were used in a 6-coach train, the control gear being operated by the system used on the Waterloo and City Railway. The modified locomotives were a considerable improvement, but the motor coaches of an even lower weight were much better still. The CLR ordered 64 new motor cars designed to use Sprague's recently developed traction control system. The CLR was exclusively using the resulting electric multiple units by 1903.  In July 1907, the fare was increased to 3d for journeys of more than seven or eight stations. The line was extended westwards with a loop serving a single platform at Wood Lane for the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition. A reduced fare of 1d, for a journey of three or fewer stations, was introduced in 1909, and season tickets became available from 1911. The extension to Liverpool Street opened the following year, providing access to the Great Eastern station and the adjacent Broad Street station by escalators. The Central London Railway was absorbed into the Underground Group on 1 January 1913.  In 1911, the Great Western Railway won permission for a line from Ealing Broadway to a station near to the CLR's Shepherd's Bush station, with a connection to the West London Railway, and agreement to connect the line to the Central London Railway and for the CLR to run trains to Ealing Broadway. Construction of the extension from the CLR to Ealing Broadway started in 1912 but opening was delayed by World War I. The CLR purchased new rolling stock for the extension, which arrived in 1915 and was stored before being lent to the Bakerloo line. The rolling stock returned when the extension opened in 1920.  In 1912, plans were published for a railway from Shepherd's Bush to Turnham Green and Gunnersbury, allowing the Central London Railway to run trains on London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) tracks to Richmond. The route was authorised in 1913 but work had not started by the outbreak of war the following year. In 1919 an alternative route was published, with a tunnelled link to the disused L&SWR tracks south of their Shepherd's Bush station then via Hammersmith (Grove Road) railway station. Authorisation was granted in 1920, but the connection was never built, and the L&SWR tracks were used by the Piccadilly line when it was extended west of Hammersmith in 1932.

London Transport and the Second World War.

On 1 July 1933, the Central London Railway and other transport companies in the London area were amalgamated to form the London Passenger Transport Board, generally known as London Transport. The railway was known as the "Central London Line", becoming the "Central line" in 1937. The 1935–40 New Works Programme included a major expansion of the line. To the west new tracks were to be built parallel with the Great Western Railway's New North Main Line as far as Denham. To the east new tunnels would run to just beyond Stratford station, where the line would be extended over the London & North Eastern Railway suburban branch to Epping and Ongar in Essex, as well as a new underground line between Leytonstone and Newbury Park mostly under Eastern Avenue so as to serve the new suburbs of north Ilford and the Hainault Loop. Platforms at central London stations were to be lengthened to allow 8-car trains.  Construction started, the tunnels through central London being expanded and realigned and the stations lengthened, but it proved impossible to modify Wood Lane station to take 8-car trains and a new station at White City was authorised in 1938. The line was converted to the London Underground four-rail electrification system in 1940. The positive outer rail is higher than on other lines, because even after reconstruction work the tunnels are slightly smaller. Most of the tunnels for the extensions to the east of London had been built by 1940, but work slowed due to the outbreak of the Second World War until eventually suspended in June. The unused tunnels between Leytonstone and Newbury Park were equipped by the Plessey Company as an aircraft components factory, opening in March 1942 and employing 2,000 people. Elsewhere, people used underground stations as night shelters during air raids. The unopened Bethnal Green station had space for 10,000 people. In March 1943, 173 people died there when a woman entering the shelter fell at the bottom of the steps and those following fell on top of her. Construction restarted after the war, and the western extension opened as far as Greenford in 1947 and West Ruislip in 1948. The powers to extend the line to Denham were never used due to post-war establishment of the Green Belt around London, which restricted development of land in the area. The eastern extension opened as far as Stratford in December 1946, with trains continuing without passengers to reverse in the cutting south of Leyton. In 1947 the line opened to Leytonstone, and then Woodford and Newbury Park. Stations from Newbury Park to Woodford via Hainault and from Woodford to Loughton were served by tube trains from 1948. South of Newbury Park, the west-facing junction with the main line closed in the same year to allow expansion of Ilford carriage depot. The extension transferred to London Underground management in 1949, when Epping began to be served by Central line trains. The single line to Ongar was served by a steam autotrain operated by British Rail (BR) until 1957, when the line was electrified. BR trains accessed the line via a link from Temple Mills East to Leyton.  The Central line stations east of Stratford kept their goods service for a time, being worked from Temple Mills, with the Hainault loop stations served via Woodford. The BR line south of Newbury Park closed in 1956 and Hainault loop stations lost their goods service in 1965, the rest of the stations on the line following in 1966. Early morning passenger trains from Stratford (Liverpool Street on Sundays) ran to Epping or Loughton until 1970. The single-track section from Epping to Ongar was electrified in 1957 and then operated as a shuttle service using short tube trains. However, carrying only 100 passengers a day and losing money, the section closed in 1994, and is now used by the heritage Epping Ongar Railway.  The entire Central line was shut between January and March 2003, after 32 passengers were injured when a train derailed at Chancery Lane due to a traction motor falling on to the track. The line was not fully reopened until June. In 2003, the infrastructure of the Central line was partly privatised in a public–private partnership, managed by the Metronet consortium. Metronet went into administration in 2007, and Transport for London took over its responsibilities.

Route.

Railway line.

The Central line is long and serves 49 stations. The line is predominantly double track, widened to three tracks for short sections south of Leytonstone and west of White City; no track is shared with any other line though some sections do parallel other routes. Total track length is, of which is in tunnel; this track is electrified with a four-rail DC system: a central conductor rail is energised at −210 V and a rail outside the running rail at +420 V, giving a potential difference of 630 V.  The single-track line north of Epping, which closed in 1994, is now the Epping Ongar heritage railway. shuttle services operate on weekends between North Weald and Ongar and North Weald and Coopersale. These do not call at Blake Hall, as the station platform was removed by London Transport after the station closed, and the remaining building is now a private residence. The track at Blake Hall has been restored but trains do not stop at the station as it is private.  The section between Leyton and just south of Loughton is the oldest railway alignment in use on the current London Underground system, having been opened on 22 August 1856 by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR). Loughton to Epping was opened on 24 April 1865 by the ECR's successor, the Great Eastern Railway (GER), along with the section to Ongar. The Hainault Loop was originally the greater part of the Fairlop Loop opened by the GER on 1 May 1903.  The line has three junctions:  The line has the shortest escalator on the London Underground system, at Stratford (previously at Chancery Lane), with a rise of and at Stratford and Greenford the only stations where escalators take passengers up to the trains. That at Greenford was the last escalator with wooden treads on the system until it was replaced in March 2014. They were exempt from fire regulations because they were outside the tunnel system.  The line has the shallowest underground Tube platforms on the system, at Redbridge, just below street level, and the sharpest curve, the Caxton Curve, between Shepherds Bush and White City.

Rolling stock.

Former rolling stock.

When the railway opened in 1900, it was operated by electric locomotives hauling carriages with passengers boarding via lattice gates at each end. The locomotives had a large unsprung mass, which caused vibrations that could be felt in the buildings above the route. After an investigation by the Board of Trade, by 1903 the carriages had been adapted to run as trailers and formed with new motor cars into electric multiple units. The Central London Railway trains normally ran with six cars, four trailers and two motor-cars, although some trailers were later equipped with control equipment to allow trains to be formed with 3 cars. Work started in 1912 on an extension to Ealing Broadway, and new more powerful motor-cars were ordered. These arrived in 1915, but completion of the extension was delayed due to the outbreak of World War I, and the cars stored. In 1917 they were lent to the Bakerloo line, where they ran on the newly opened extension to Watford Junction. Returning in 1920/21 and formed with trailers converted from the original carriages they became the Ealing Stock. In 1925–28 the trains were rebuilt, replacing the gated ends with air-operated doors, allowing the number of guards to be reduced to two. After reconstruction of the Central London Railway tunnels, the trains were replaced by Standard Stock transferred from other lines and the last of the original trains ran in service in 1939.  The Standard Stock ran as 6-car trains until 1947, when 8-car trains became possible after Wood Lane was replaced by a new station at White City. More cars were transferred from other lines as they were replaced by 1938 Stock. In the early 1960s there was a plan to re-equip the Piccadilly line with new trains and transfer its newer Standard Stock to the Central line to replace the older cars there, some of which had been stored in the open during the Second World War and were becoming increasingly unreliable. However, after the first deliveries of 1959 Stock were running on the Piccadilly it was decided to divert this stock to the Central line, together with extra non-driving motor cars to lengthen the trains from 7-car to 8-car. 1962 Stock was ordered to release the 1959 Stock for the Piccadilly line. The last Standard Stock train ran on the Central line in 1963, and by May 1964 all 1959 Stock had been released to the Piccadilly line.  The single track section from Epping to Ongar was not electrified until 1957, prior to which the service was operated by an autotrain, carriages attached to a steam locomotive capable of being driven from either end, hired from British Railways, and an experimental AEC three-car lightweight diesel multiple unit operated part of the shuttle service Monday-Friday in June 1952. Upon electrification, 1935 Stock was used, until replaced by four-car sets of 1962 Stock specially modified to cope with the limited current. The section closed in 1994, and is now the heritage Epping Ongar Railway.  A shuttle operated on the section from Hainault to Woodford after a train of 1960 Stock was modified to test the automatic train operation system to be used on the Victoria line. As each 1967 Stock train was delivered, it ran in test for three weeks on the shuttle service.

Current rolling stock.

When the signalling on the Central line needed replacement by the late 1980s, it was decided to bring forward the replacement of the 1962 Stock, due at about the time as the replacement of the 1959 Stock. The signalling was to be replaced with an updated version of the Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system used on the Victoria line, the line traction supply boosted and new trains built. Prototype trains were built with two double and two single doors hung on the outside of each carriage of the train, and with electronic traction equipment that gave regenerative and rheostatic braking.  In accordance with this plan, the first 8-car trains of 1992 Stock entered service in 1993, and while the necessary signalling works for ATO were in progress, One Person Operation (OPO) was phased in between 1993 and 1995. Automatic train protection was comissioned from 1995–97 and ATO from 1999–2001, with a centralised control centre in West London.

Depots.

There are three depots: Ruislip, Hainault and White City. White City depot first opened in 1900 when the initial line went into operation; Ruislip and Hainault depots were completed in 1939. During the Second World War, anti-aircraft guns were made at Ruislip Depot and the U.S. Army Transportation Corps assembled rolling stock at Hainault between 1943 and 1945. As part of the construction of the Westfield London shopping centre, the depot at White City was replaced underground, opening in 2007.

Services.

During the off-peak, services on the Central line are grouped by branch lines: trains on the West Ruislip branch run to/from Epping, while trains to/from Ealing Broadway run on the Hainault Loop. At peak times, however, services are less structured, and trains can run between any two terminus stations at irregular intervals (e.g. from Ealing Broadway to Epping).  The above services combine to give a total of 24 trains per hour each way (one every 2 minutes and 30 seconds) in the core section between White City and Leytonstone. At peak times, the frequency increases further, with up to 35 trains per hour each way in the core section.  A 24-hour Night Tube service started on the Central line on 19 August 2016, running on Friday and Saturday nights. Night tube services are:

Peak-time frequency.

In September 2013, the frequency in the morning peak period was increased to 35 trains per hour, giving the line the most intensive train service in the UK at the time. Before that date, the Victoria line held the record with 33 trains per hour; it regained it in May 2017 with an increased frequency of 36 trains per hour (one every 100 seconds) during peak periods.

Future and cancelled plans.

The Central crosses over the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines' shared Uxbridge branch near West Ruislip depot, and a single track linking the two routes was laid in 1973. The London Borough of Hillingdon has lobbied TfL to divert some or all Central trains along this to Uxbridge, as West Ruislip station is located in a quiet suburb and Uxbridge is a much more densely populated regional centre. TfL has stated that the link will be impossible until the Metropolitan line's signalling is upgraded in 2017.  The Central line was the first Underground line to receive a complete refurbishment in the early 1990s, including the introduction of new rolling stock. A new generation of deep-level tube trains, as well as signaling upgrades, is planned for the mid-2020s, starting with the Piccadilly line, followed by the Bakerloo Line and the Central Line.  The proposed Crossrail 2 line, running from south-west to north-east London and due to open by 2030, was planned for a number of years to take over the Epping branch of the Central line between Leytonstone and Epping. As of 2013 the preferred route options for the line no longer include this proposal.  The Central line runs directly below Shoreditch High Street station and an interchange has been desired locally since it opened in 2010. The station would lie between Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green, one of the longest gaps between stations in inner London. Although there would be benefits to this interchange, it was ruled out on grounds of cost, the disruption it would cause to the Central line while being built and because the platforms would be too close to sidings at Liverpool Street and would not be developed until after Crossrail is fully operational.  The developers of the "First Central" business park at Park Royal, west London, were planning a new station between North Acton and Hanger Lane. This would have served the business park and provided a walking distance interchange with Park Royal station on the Piccadilly line. This is not being actively pursued; London Underground has said that the transport benefits of a Park Royal station on the Central line are not sufficiently high to justify the costs of construction.

The Central line is a London Underground line that runs through central London, from, Essex, in the north-east to and in the west. Coloured red on the Tube map, the line serves 49 stations over. It is one of only two lines on the Underground network to cross the Greater London boundary, the other being the Metropolitan line. One of London's deep-level railways, Central line trains are smaller than those on British main lines.

Central Line je jednou z linek londýnského metra, na mapách je znázorněna červenou barvou. Je to podzemní linka s raženými tunely na ose východ-západ. Linka má celkem 49 stanic a délku 74 km (46 mílí), což z ní dělá nejdelší linku v systému londýnského metra. Jedná se také o jednu ze dvou linek v londýnského metra, která překračuje hranice Velkého Londýna (druhá je linka Metropolitan Line). Do uzavření úseku Epping - Ongar byla konečná stanice Ongar nejvzdálenějším bodem celé sítě. Je to druhá nejvíce využívaná linka v síti (nejvytíženější je linka Northern line). Stejně jako na ostatních hlubinných linkách londýnského metra jezdí i na lince Central Line vlakové soupravy s menším profilem než na linkách podpovrchových (vlaky z hlubinných linek mohou jezdit na tratích linek podpovrchových, nikoliv však naopak).


History.

Origins.

The Slovenian Democratic Party developed from the merger of two distinct political parties, being the legal successor of both of the Social Democratic Union of Slovenia and the Slovenian Democratic Union, member parties of the Democratic Opposition of Slovenia (DEMOS) which defeated the Communist Party of Slovenia-derived parties in the first democratic Slovenian election in 1990, and carried out the democratization of Slovenia and its secession from Yugoslavia.  The Social Democratic Union of Slovenia had emerged from an independent, anti-Communist trade union movement in the late 1980s. Its first president was the trade union leader France Tomšič, who in December 1987 organized a milestone workers' strike which lead to the establishment of an independent trade union, Neodvisnost, thus following the example of the Solidarity movement in Poland, and, in

Radical populist turn.

After the year 2000, the party applied for membership in the European People's Party (EPP), adopting a liberal economic policy and later pro-austerity measures upon the late-2000 economic crisis, while retaining an atlantist foreign policy. The rightward shift culminated in the 2003 name change

2004–2008: in power (first Janša Cabinet).

On 3 October 2004, SDS won the 2004 parliamentary election with 29.1% of the popular vote and 29 out of 88 seats. SDS then formed a coalition with New Slovenia (NSi), the Slovenian People's Party (SLS), and Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia (DeSUS), holding a total of 49 parliamentary seats (out of 90).  The SDS-led government passed several pro-business measures, initiated the regionalisation of the country by giving more power to local governments, and, in order to please its coalition party, DeSUS - introduced economically non-sustainable changes in the pension system.  SDS has been accused of catering to the interests of the Slovenian Roman Catholic Church in exchange for political support. Nevertheless, the Church maintained a critical attitude towards some of the party's positions (the SDS-led Government has assumed a favourable attitude towards gambling tourism, stem cell research and passed a law recognizing same-sex civil unions, all opposed by the Roman Catholic Church).

Internal affairs.

The government introduced measures to supervise, and to curtail the powers of the Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency. The measures

Freedom of the press.

The first SDS government was the target of widespread criticism due to allegations of meddling in the independence of the press. The first SDS government has been accused of politicising the independent press by appointing political allies to leadership and journalist positioned in the state Slovenian Press Agency, daily newspaper Delo, regional newspaper Primorske novice, and public media and broadcasting organisation, RTV Slovenia. State-owned companies also ceased purchasing adverts in the daily newspaper Dnevnik and weekly political magazine Mladina, two publications critical of the administration. By changing the laws governing the administration of the public broadcaster RTV Slovenia, the government enabled increased political control of the state media organisation's editorial board and its board of directors by increasing the number of board members appointed by the government. The law faced a referendum challenge, but was approved by a tight margin as it also promised to lower compulsory contributions for the broadcaster's funding. In a secret 2007 deal with the head of the

Economy and finance.

The first Cabinet of Janez Janša oversaw a period of rapid economic growth. GDP grew by nearly 5% between 2004 and 2006, reaching nearly 7% growth in 2007, making Slovenia the fastest-growing eurozone member for that year. The economic boom, however, was highly dependent on private debt, particularly corporate debt. Additionally, the Janša government failed to implement meaningful structural reforms or accumulate budget surpluses during the period of sustained growth, instead opting for pork barrel politics, reducing tax burdens while engaging in economic populist overspending, making the country particularly susceptible to the coming economic crisis.  Andrej Bajuk, Minister of Finance in Janša's first cabinet, listed the passage of comprehensive tax reform (which included the lowering of corporate taxes and taxes on juridical persons, a reduction of the tax burden on individual incomes, the flattening of

2008–2011: in opposition.

In the 2008 parliamentary election (held on 21 September 2008) narrowly lost against the Social Democrats, until then the main opposition party. It also lost one seat in Slovenian Parliament, falling to 28.  With the election of the Social Democrat leader Borut Pahor as Prime Minister of Slovenia, the Slovenian Democratic Party officially declared it would stay in opposition

2012–2013: a year in power (second Janša Cabinet).

In the 2011 snap parliamentary election (held on 4 December after the centre-left governing coalition collapsed due to internal conflict and inefficacy in passing meaningful economic reforms), SDS won 26.19% of the vote, gaining 26 seats in the National Assembly, thus making SDS the second-largest parliamentary party after the newly formed centre-left party, Positive Slovenia (PS) (headed by Ljubljana mayor Zoran Janković), which won 28 MPs (28.5% of the total). However, SDS succeeded in forming a ruling four-party coalition government (which included the Civic List, New Slovenia, Slovenian People's Party, and Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia) (holding a combined total of 50 out of 90 parliamentary seats) some two months after the election after PS failed to form a coalition with a parliamentary majority. The coalition took

2013–2020: return to opposition.

On 20 March 2013, the second Janša cabinet was replaced by the cabinet of Alenka Bratušek, a four-party centre-left coalition led by the new leader of Positive Slovenia, Alenka Bratušek.  In June 2013, Janša was convicted in the Patria case, but appealed the verdict. In April 2014, the Higher Court upheld the two-year jail sentence passed on Janez Janša as result of the bribery conviction. In June of that year, Janša began serving out his sentence, 26 years after his imprisonment for leaking military secrets as a whistle-blower (his imprisonment, trial, and public reaction were a milestone in the Slovenian path to independence). Despite his imprisonment, Janša stood as candidate for MP.

2020–present: third Janša Cabinet.

In early 2020, the resignation of the finance minister due to intra-government disagreements regarding the crafting of a health insurance reform bill precipitated the resignation of PM Šarec, who called for an early election. SDS was however able to secure support for the formation of a new SDS-led government by forming a coalition with New Slovenia, Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia (DeSUS), and Modern Centre Party (SMC). While all three parties had expressed clear opposition to a formation of a Janša-led government in the past, all had since experienced changes of

Coronavirus pandemic.

The new government took office in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The period during and immediately after the transition of power was marked by a series of controversial actions and decisions by the incoming government. The government allocated the highest possible salaries allowed by law to its ministers and state secretaries before reducing government functionaries' wages by 30% for the duration of the epidemic.  A state crisis office was created to confront the epidemic. The official Twitter account of the crisis office that was meant to inform the public about the epidemic frequently retweeted articles from SDS's official party newspaper and published an offensive and slanderous statement about four prominent critics of the government (saying that they escaped from a mental hospital and were infected with "virus COVID-Marx/Lenin") that prompted a lawsuit against the institution by the subjects of the tweet. The official explanation for the inappropriate communications - unauthorised access to the account by an unknown individual - was later refuted by the police. The legal basis that would justify the creation of the office was also never explained by the government and the office was subsequently disbanded a mere 9 days after its inception.  Criticism of the press  Answering a question about plans for an upcoming gathering of party officials in an interview with Dnevnik, soon-to-be PM Janša sardonically stated that the party will be discussing the "editorial policies of Dnevnik", elaborating with "Since you're interfering in our party, we shall be interfering with your editorial policies, because we live in a free country." Dnevnik was one of the few media institutions that remained critical of the first Janša Cabinet and consequently saw its advertisements from state-owned companies evaporate. In a tweet published shortly after the interview, Janša suggested the journalist that conducted the interview may have a drinking problem (Janša had also ridiculed the journalist previously). Janša accused Slovenia's highest-circulation newspaper, Delo, of serving "deep-state tycoons" in a tweed, adding "#fakenews" and "#presstitution". Janša also accused RTV SLO of being remiss in their duty to inform the public of the growing threat of global coronavirus contagion in a timely manner, and ridiculed on Twitter a Der Spiegel journalist who responded to the Foreign Ministry communique, and a "Guardian" journalist who published a critical reportage about the new government. After a Slovenian journalist Blaž Zgaga received an award from Deutsche Welle for his reporting about the government and the subsequent barrage threats and attacks on his character, SDS MEP Romana Tomc initiated a heated correspondence with DW—originally addressed to the editor-in-chief—demanding to know the details of the awarding process and, in particular, who nominated Zgaga for the award. Zgaga was also attacked by Janša and other SDS and government politicians, and defamed through an official government Twitter account intended to inform the public about the coronavirus epidemic. Zgaga had previously extensively reported on Slovenian involvement in arms smuggling during the Yugoslav Wars in which then-defence minister Janša was reportedly extensively implicated. Janša was admonished by the leadership of the public broadcasting institution RTV Slovenia, the Slovenian Union of Journalists, and the Slovene Association of Journalists (DNS) for his attacks on the public broadcaster. A month earlier, DNS had also issued a statement condemning attacks and discreditation of journalists whose reporting was "uncomfortable for the owners, political allies, and supporters of Slovene media companies with Hungarian ownership", as these - according to DNS - were intended to discourage such reporting and had come to present a threat to "journalists, media, and a democratic society" due to a rise in threats to those journalists from private individuals. DNS had been referring to SDS-aligned media organisations that were financially backed by allies of Hungarian PM Orbán. An international consortium of press freedom organisations likewise addressed an open letter petitioning an EU vice-commissioner to intervene with the Slovene government to guarantee the safety of a Slovene investigative journalist that was attacked by government allies and subsequently received serious threats. After the EU official declared her intention to take up the issue, saying "No hate, no threats, no personal attacks.", PM Janša responded by reiterating his aversion to the journalist on Twitter. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has also expressed concern regarding the attacks government on journalists. After The Economist published a piece critical of the Janša government, the publication was denounced as "beneath any form of journalism worth its salt" in an English-language article headline published in the party-affiliated Nova24TV while an SDS politician sent a letter to the editor under the guise of a concerned reader to complain about the piece.  The government decided to carry

Ideology.

Originally a centre-left to centre-right political party, the SDP gradually moved to the right and became a right-wing party.  Deutsche Welle has described supporters of the party as "[...] disagree[ing] with the majority of the population on more or less everything, starting with the history of World War II, where they cherish the memory of the German-allied wartime military guard."

Populism.

During the European migrant crisis, SDS sharply intensified its nationalist populist rhetoric. The party came out in opposition of migrant quotas and advocated shifting resources from non-governmental organisations to increase security spending. Janša furthermore lambasted the "degenerate left". The party's heated rhetoric and allegations of corrupt practices have led "to concerns among international observers about the direction of

Domestic policy.

Economic policy.

SDS has been described as broadly pro-market, and its economic

Social policy.

SDS introduced legislation allowing for same-sex civil

Education policy.

SDS advocates for the introduction of educational programs that would foster

National security.

Janša has expressed strong support for the re-enstatement of mandatory military service for males with service lasting at least 6 months (with an option of 12 months of civil service for consciencious objectors). In early 2016, SDS proposed the establishment of a national guard composed of some 25,000 "patriotic" volunteers. The guard would replace all current reserve formations of the Slovene armed

Judiciary and law enforcement.

SDS advocates for trials to be

Environment and climate change.

During the first SDS government, PM Janša presented climate change as the major political and societal challenge of the era. In 2007, Janša stated that "climate change is not only a problem for the government and economy; it is a challenge for the wider society and every individual" during an international conference on the matter, stressing the dangers and opportunities associated with the issue. He called on the EU to lead the efforts to combat climate change. In 2008, Janša described an EU legislative package on energy

Other policies.

SDS has long advocated for a change in the Slovene parliamentary electoral system, namely the shift from the current proportional electoral system to two-round plurality voting. SDS argues this would result in more stable and effective governments.  SDS supports citizens' legal right to bear arms, and has come out in opposition to further restrictions. It strongly opposed new EU regulation of firearms which the European Commission moved to pass after the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks.  SDS argues the current text to the Slovene national anthem—the 7th stanza of France Prešeren's A Toast ("Blessed be all

Foreign policy.

The party is pro-European, but staunchly anti-immigration and strongly opposed to EU asylum quotas. The party is committed to Slovenia's continuing membership in

Post-communist cabal conspiracy.

Perhaps the most peculiar aspect of SDS ideology are the unique beliefs and rhetoric frequently employed by members of the party. The central tenet of the party's view regarding the country's political situation is that a sinister clique composed mostly of former Communist Party officials and associates has retained significant control over the economic, financial, political, social, judicial, and journalistic aspects of Slovenian public life. Some of the beliefs and language used are also shared by other right-wing populist political actors, or have entered into the mainstream political discourse.  SDS members and affiliates frequently employ particular phrases and concepts to represent their world-view, most notably:

Other radical beliefs.

SDS MP Branko Grims, speaking to a gathering of a patriotic ultranationalist group in early 2018, said "Now is the era of Trump. He is the greatest thorn in the foot of the globalists, who control the US mechanisms, with Soros at the helm. Soros is the symbol of this. But there's also the Rothschilds and many other wealthiest families of financial speculators." SDS MP Marijan Pojbič, in a 2017 Statehood Day address on Facebook, called for "No more mayors that aren't real Slovenes, and even fewer national politicians who aren't real Slovenes by birth."  After the 2011 parliamentary elections, which saw the victory of Ljubljana mayor Zoran Janković (who is of Serbian descent) and his party, a contribution published on the official SDS webpage by a "Tomaž Majer" caused considerable public outrage. Majer states that Janković

Organization and political affiliation.

As of 2013, SDS membership numbered some 30,000 strong, more than any other political party in Slovenia. Slovenian Democratic Youth (, SDM) is the independent and autonomous youth wing of the party.  The party is affiliated with the Jože Pučnik Institute, the major liberal-conservative think tank in Slovenia. It is also closely affiliated with the civic platform Rally for the Republic (). Committee 2014 (Slovene: "Odbor 2014") is a civic organisation that was established to protest and demand the overturn of the corruption convictions in the Patria case, the freeing of SDS leader Janez Janša from prison (sentence resuling from the conviction), and the "actual implementation of the rule of law, human rights, basic freedoms, and establishment of a democratic society". Committee 2014 held regular protests in front of the Higher Court building in Ljubljana. The Alliance for the Values of Slovene Independence (Slovene: "Združenje za vrednote Slovenske osamosvojitve", VSO) is a patriotic veteran non-governmental organisation intended to commemorate the values of the Slovenian independence movement. VSO leadership consists of prominent SDS members and associates. The organisation holds public speaking events, commemorations, and is engaged in other activities as well.  SDS has seen some support from the Slovene Catholic Church.

International affiliations.

The party is supported by and closely affiliated with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz). SDS's committed backing of Fidesz has reportedly been the decisive factor in preventing Fidesz's expulsion from the European People's Party, resulting in a more

Affiliated publications.

SDS is also affiliated with several current and past publications, including its de facto party publication, Demokracija, and tabloid Škandal24 (both owned by "Nova Obzorja" (English: "New Horizons") publishing company, which is in turn jointly owned by SDS and a Hungarian publishing company with close ties to Hungary's ruling party, Fidesz). The publishing company has profited from providing literature to, and advising the SDS parliamentary group/SDS MPs (activities for which parliamentary groups receive state funds), and has also benefited financially from doing business with government agencies, which were particularly bountiful while SDS was in government. Nova24TV, a media conglomerate consisting of a television channel and online news portal, was established

Supporters and affiliates.

The party enjoys strong support in some Slovene conservative and classical liberal intellectual circles. Public figures who have publicly voiced support for SDS or affiliated themselves with the party include economist Ljubo Sirc (joined the party in 2010), philosopher Ivan Urbančič, historians Vasko Simoniti and Alenka Puhar, writer and essayist Drago Jančar, theologian and philosopher Janez Juhant, and poet Tone Kuntner. Public supporters of the party also include sportsmen Miran Pavlin, and Katja Koren, pop singer Marta Zore, designer and cartoonist Miki Muster, and actor Roman Končar.  In 2008, SDS was found to have falsely attributed "supporter status" to many prominent Slovenes on its webpage. The party sent a request to comment on the ruling government for its party newspaper to numerous notable public figures. Though they were never asked whether they support the party or informed they will be listed as supporters, SDS nevertheless listed them as such.

Former supporters and affiliates.

Many prominent members have abandoned SDS due to the radicalisation of the party's ideology and disagreements over leadership style. Some also established new political parties. Most former members politically transitioned towards the centre, with a minority outflanking SDS on the far right.  Former supporters or affiliated individuals, now party critics and dissidents, include one of the fathers of the current Slovenian Constitution, Peter Jambrek, the former chairman

Controversies and criticism.

Ties to extremist groups.

SDS has been criticised for alleged links to a neo-Nazi extremist group; the Slovene branch of Blood & Honour. The journalist who uncovered the links (Anuška Delić) was charged with leaking confidential information. The state intelligence agency, SOVA, headed by an SDS appointee at the time of the indictment, inadvertently confirmed allegations made by Delić by stating that the information revealed in the reports was consistent with findings of an ongoing investigation into the activities of the violent extremist group. SOVA argued that the information revealed in the reports could not have been obtained by any other means than by gaining access to information collected during the agency's covert investigations, and that the publication disrupted its efforts to monitor the group by alerting B & H of the monitoring efforts. Delić alleged the charges were "politically motivated".  Some Blood & Honour members were allegedly also members of SDS, and formally met with SDS MP Branko Grims. The group (the

Political self-dealing accusations.

The party has been accused of political self-dealing and nepotism, appointing relatives, allies, and friends to government (and other) positions. Many close relatives of prominent SDS members have found employment in the Slovenian and European parliaments,

Cult of personality.

SDS leader Janez Janša has continuously served as party head since 1993 without a single other contender for the post. Party members are extremely loyal to Janša; it has been noted that the party appears to resemble a cult, with numerous past members claiming that Janša

Campaign financing impropriety allegations.

In the run-up to the 2018 Slovenian parliamentary election, SDS attempted to receive a loan of €450,000 from an individual residing in Bosnia and Herzegovina to fund its electoral campaign. The party came into contact with the individual via Nova obzorja publishing company (partially owned by SDS). SDS also put up its share in Nova obzorja as collateral. The sum borrowed exceeded limits set by campaign finance laws, however, and SDS was obliged to return the borrowed funds. A police and financial court investigation was also triggered after the terms of the loan became public. An investigation into the lender was also launched, based on suspicions of money laundering, tax avoidance, destruction and falsification of business documents, and overseeing dummy companies. The individual was allegedly a part of a criminal organisation managing dummy companies

Party leaders.

Presidents of the Social Democratic Party and Slovenian Democratic Party

The Slovenian Democratic Party (, SDS), formerly the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia (, SDSS), is a nationalist right-wing populist political party in Slovenia. Led by Janez Janša, the SDS is a member of the European People's Party (EPP), Centrist Democrat International and International Democrat Union.

Slovinská demokratická strana (; SDS) je slovinská pravicová liberálně konzervativní strana. Do roku 2003 nesla označení Sociálně demokratická strana Slovinska ('; SDSS).


Origins and character.

Throughout the song, lyricist Anthony Kiedis laments the early death of Dani, a poor, young Southern girl who eventually lived in California, became a mother and lived a hard, fast, unsettled life. Kiedis has commented that the character of Dani is a composite of all the women with whom he has had relationships. The song narrates much of Dani's life, starting with her birth in Mississippi and apparently culminating with her death in the badlands, by a North Dakota policeman, while en route to Minnesota.  Dani first appeared in the 1999 song "Californication", which includes the lyrics "Teenage bride with a baby inside/Gettin' high on information" although the girl's name is not specified. She was next mentioned in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2002 single "By the Way" as "Dani the girl". Kiedis commented: "When this funky groove came up it struck me as a perfect place to actually tell a story. It sort of revealed itself to me that it's been the same character, just kind of developing. At first I didn't realize that I was writing about the same girl."  Guitarist John Frusciante used various instruments and effects devices in order to achieve the textures and treatments used throughout the song, including Mellotron, Moog effect pedals, and a Doepfer modular synthesizer, used for the filtering and processing of pre-recorded tracks. The one-minute guitar solo at the end of the song is an adaption of Jimi Hendrix's intro to "Purple Haze", with the effects kept very close to the original.  The working title of the song was "Wu-Tang" because Smith's drums sounded similar to those on the Wu-Tang Clan's debut album, "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)", though they ended up a bit more like Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama".

Reception.

Shortly after its release, the originality of the song was questioned on the Dan Gaffney Morning Show on Delaware based news/talk radio station WGMD 92.7 FM. Two of the station's talk show hosts, Dan Gaffney and Jared Morris, alleged that the Red Hot Chili Peppers had plagiarized Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 1993 hit "Mary Jane's Last Dance". To demonstrate, they presented audio snippets of both songs, both side by side and simultaneously (i.e. on top of each other) several times. They stated that the chord progression, key, and the lyrical theme of the songs (both produced by Rick Rubin) showed "startling similarities" and urged listeners to "decide for themselves."  Although the chord progressions sound similar, they do in fact differ as "Mary Jane's Last Dance" follows "Am, G, D, Am" (A Dorian mode), while "Dani California" follows "Am, G, Dm, Am" (A minor). University of Chicago musicologist Travis Jackson said the songs' chord progressions were similar, but were a "pretty standard groove" in music and not necessarily evidence of copying. Other commentators on the controversy point out that the main riff in Petty's song resembles that of a prior song called "Waiting for the Sun" which was released in 1992 by The Jayhawks. The Jayhawks were the opening act for Petty's tour in 1992 and keyboardist Benmont Tench played on both "Waiting for the Sun" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance".  In an interview with "Rolling Stone" magazine, Petty denied rumors that he planned to sue the Chili Peppers and said, "I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of rock & roll songs sound alike."

Music video.

The music video for "Dani California" premiered on MTV on April 4, 2006. Directed by Tony Kaye, director of "American History X" (who was only accepted after initial choice Mark Romanek declined), the video is a quasi-chronology of the evolution of rock music; the band performs the song on a stage, but in a variety of outfits representing important figures and movements in the history of rock, with band members transformed into famous musicians.  Flea affirmed that "[The band] mainly did eras, not actual people: rockabilly, British Invasion, psychedelia, funk, glam, punk, goth, hair metal, grunge, and ourselves being the sum of all those parts."  The video received ten nominations at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards; it won the award for Best Art Direction, failing to win its six other nominations for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Best Rock Video, Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Cinematography. The video was also nominated for an MMVA for best international video.

Live performances.

The song has been the band's most performed from the album with over 330 performances as of 2017.

Chart performance.

"Dani California" debuted at number 24 and peaked at number six on the "Billboard" Hot 100 (remaining for two weeks at that position) and it's the 2nd song to debut at number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart after R.E.M. in 1994 and before Linkin Park in 2007, remaining at the location for 14 weeks. The song also managed to achieve 28,000 units of digital sales in the song's first week of release and debuted at number 16 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. In the UK, the song fared even better, peaking at the number two spot for one week (kept off by Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy"), and eventually remaining on that chart for over 15 weeks. It also stayed 12 weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song also became a cross-over hit to pop and adult contemporary radio peaking number five on the Adult Top 40 chart, their 1st Top 5 and Top 10 single on the chart beating "Scar Tissue" and "Otherside" both at number 11. The song also hit number 25 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.  The song is among the few tracks the Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded which have broken the top 10 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. It was a success, with "Dani California" accumulating over 500 weeks collectively on over 20 charts.

In popular culture.

The song is offered as a playable track in "Rock Band", and was exportable to "Rock Band 2" but not any future versions of the "Rock Band" series until a patch on November 8 made the song playable in "Rock Band 3". The song is used in the two Japanese live-action films, "Death Note" and "", both directed by Shūsuke Kaneko. In addition, "Dani California" was used in the promo for the fourth season of "Sons of Anarchy" and as a NASCAR AD for All Star Weekend in 2006.

Track listing.

CD single 1  CD single 2  7" picture disc single  12" Picture disc single  Promotional single  iTunes EP

Personnel.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

"Dani California" is a single from the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers' ninth studio album, "Stadium Arcadium". The single was first made available at the iTunes Music Store and then was officially released on May 2, 2006. The international radio premiere was April 3, 2006, when Don Jantzen, from the Houston radio station KTBZ-FM, played "Dani California" continuously for his entire three-hour program.

Dani California je píseň kapely Red Hot Chili Peppers, která se objevila na devátém studiovém albu Stadium Arcadium vydaném v roce 2006. Pojednává o dívce jménem Dani California, která si vybere cestu zločince, vykrade banku a umírá mladá.


Writing and production.

"I Stand Alone" was written by Sully Erna and produced by Mudrock. Erna elaborated on how the song was created:  In terms of production, Robbie Merrill stated that Mudrock managed to bring Sully to another level with his vocal range and trying different ideas that the band wouldn't have tried in the past. They wanted to give the producer a chance and it worked out well.

Music and lyrics.

"The song was written about the character, the Scorpion King, in the movie," Erna explained on the set of the accompanying video. "It's about him being this big, masculine badass, but he has this hidden sensitive side to him. He feels like he's isolated, and he likes to do things alone because he was hurt in the past or whatever. I don't really know why he is the way he is. I guess there's always this mystique about those people who are really tough but maybe feel a little bit lonely inside. So the lyrics are kind of based on his character — being as masculine as he can be but yet isolated and a loner."  "I Stand Alone" features a chugging main riff enhanced by textural, single-note guitar lines and powerful, melodic vocals. The song starts with a lunging beat and a guitar riff that shifts between a low, rumbling buzz and an eerie series of notes much higher up the fretboard. Then, for the verse, the song locks into a crunching, percussive riff reminiscent of Metallica before kicking back into the eerie opening passage with Sully Erna scream-singing the song's title and the lines "I'm not afraid of fading/ Feeling your sting down inside of me/ I'm not dying for it." During the midsection of the song, the music turns creepy and atmospheric, and the singer moans, "It's my time to dream/ Dream of the skies/ Make me believe that this place isn't made by the poison in me/ Help me decide if my fire will burn out before you can breathe."

Music video.

The music video is based on "The Scorpion King", and it also features clips from the film. It was directed by the Brothers Strause. The video was made at a cost of approx $750,000.

Appearances.

"I Stand Alone" was featured on the soundtrack to the 2002 film "The Scorpion King". About the song, Sully Erna told Launch Media, "It's like a prequel to the movie "The Mummy Returns". It happens 5,000 years ago in ancient Egypt--5,000 years prior to, you know? They sent a script and they sent a trailer, and that's kind of what it was based on--was about the character in the movie."  One fan of the song is Dwayne Johnson, also known by his ring name "The Rock", star of "The Scorpion King". He says Erna's study of the film's theme and story led to the creation of a great song. "Godsmack sat down with Chuck Russell, the director, and Chuck laid out the entire story and what my character was all about, and Sully wrote the song. That's what makes the song so great. When you see that on the trailer, "I Stand Alone", that's a hot, hot song, and very indicative of what the character's all about."  The song was also featured in the video game "", used both for its trailer and the ingame music that mimics the song. The main theme of the game revolves around The Prince trying to change his fate all by himself, while the Time Guardian known as the Dahaka tries to end his life. An instrumental version of the song (without the lyrics) is played when the Prince is being chased by the Dahaka in some parts of the game.  "I Stand Alone" is also the entrance song of Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt as well as former Boston Red Sox pitcher Craig Hansen.  On January 20, 2009, the song became available for download in the "Rock Band" series, marking the first time Godsmack is represented in a music video game.  The song also featured in 2005 film "".  The song featured in video games "Guitar Hero 5" and "Rock Band Unplugged" as DLC.  The song appeared in the film "Here Comes the Boom".  The song was featured in theatrical trailer for the film "Alone in the Dark", but does not appears in the film or soundtrack.  The song also featured in animated series "Kantai Collection" animated by Diomedea in FUNimation English dub version taken as the album labelled by Milan Records.

Grammy Awards.

"I Stand Alone" had two Grammy nominations for 'Best Rock Song' and, 'Best Hard Rock Performance' respectively.  In an interview with him, Sully Erna said that the group's two Grammy Award nominations took the band by surprise, because they didn't release an album in 2002.  "It did take us by surprise, because we've been so busy working on the new record and things like that, we didn't even think about," Erna said. "2002 was kind of a wash for us, except for that one track. It served its purpose. It kept us afloat the whole time we were down working on the new album and stuff, so...but now that it's soaking in I'm like, I'm pretty excited that we just got nominated for a couple. Whether we take it, or whether we don't, it's still...Someone recognized us for the hard work we've done."  Also, Erna admits that the band was pretty excited because they were nominated in a rock category.  "It was definitely a surprise being nominated again," Erna said. "The first year, I don't even know why we were nominated, because we were in a category with Joe Satriani and these other guys for best instrumental performance. And the instrumental that we had on our record was an accident, so that was pretty bizarre to be nominated for that. But this year we're pretty excited because we consider ourselves a rock band and we're in a rock category."

Track listing.

Though it appeared on "Faceless", "I Stand Alone" was released a year early in conjunction with "The Scorpion King", and only later added to "Faceless". Therefore, the tracks on the single are all off their previous releases, "Godsmack" and "Awake".

"I Stand Alone" is a song by the American rock band Godsmack. It served as a single from the "Scorpion King" soundtrack on March 5, 2002. It would reappear on Godsmack's third studio album, "Faceless", the following year. It won a 2002 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award for "Song of the Year From a Movie Soundtrack."

I Stand Alone je singl od americké heavy metalové kapely Godsmack. Píseň byl určená pro soundtrack k filmu Král Škorpion, ovšem zaujala místo na připravované desce "Faceless" z roku 2003.


History.

Founding.

The airline was founded on 1 August 1946, when Svensk Interkontinental Lufttrafik AB (an airline owned by the Swedish Wallenberg family), Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S, and Det Norske Luftfartselskap AS (the flag carriers of Denmark and Norway) formed a partnership to handle the intercontinental air traffic of these three Scandinavian countries. The first president of SAS was Per A. Norlin. On 17 September 1946, operations started under the new entity, the first international service was conducted between Stockholm and New York.  During 1948, the Swedish flag carrier AB Aerotransport joined SAS, quickly coordinated its European operations with the latter. Three years later, the companies formally merged to form the SAS Consortium. When established, ownership of the airline was divided between SAS Danmark (28.6%), SAS Norge (28.6%), and SAS Sverige (42.8%), all of which were owned 50% by private investors and 50% by their governments.

Transpolar route.

During 1954, SAS became the first airline to commence scheduled flights on a polar route, flying Douglas DC-6Bs from Copenhagen to Los Angeles with stops in Søndre Strømfjord (now Kangerlussuaq) in Greenland and Winnipeg in Canada. By summer 1956, traffic on the route had justified the frequency to be increased to three flights per week. The service proved relatively popular with Hollywood celebrities and members of the film industry, and the route turned out to be a publicity coup for SAS. Thanks to a tariff structure that allowed free transit to other European destinations via Copenhagen, this trans-polar route gained increasing popularity with American tourists throughout the 1950s.  During 1957, SAS was the first airline to offer a round-the-world service over the North Pole via a second polar route served by Douglas DC-7Cs flying from Copenhagen to Tokyo via Anchorage International Airport in Alaska. The flight via Alaska was a compromise solution since the Soviet Union would not allow SAS, among other air carriers, to fly across Siberia between Europe and Japan, and Chinese airspace was also closed.

Jet era.

In 1959, SAS entered the jet age, having procured a number of French-built Sud Aviation Caravelles as the company's first jetliner. During the following year, another jetliner, the Douglas DC-8, was also inducted into the fleet.  In addition to modern airliners, SAS also adopted innovative operating practices and systems to improve the customer experience. In 1965, it was the first airline to introduce an electronic reservation system. During 1971, SAS introduced its first Boeing 747 jumbo jet into service. In 1982, SAS was recognised as the most punctual airline operating in Europe at that time.  During its first decades, the airline built two large hotels in central Copenhagen, "SAS Royal Hotel" (5 stars) and the even larger "SAS Hotel Scandinavia" (4 stars, with a casino on the 26th floor). During 1980, SAS oepened its first hotel outside of Scandinavia, the "SAS Kuwait Hotel". By 1989, SAS's hotels division owned a 40 per cent stage in the Intercontinental Hotels Group. Following the deregulation of commercial aviation in Europe and the competitive pressures from new rivals, SAS experienced economic difficulties (as did many incumbent flag carrier airlines; this heavily contributed to the airline's decision to sell its hotel chain to the Radisson Hotel Group during 1992.

Consolidation, acquisitions, and partnerships.

During 1981, Jan Carlzon was appointed as the CEO of SAS; during his tenure, the company underwent a successful financial turnaround of the company starting in 1981 and who envisioned SAS ownership of multiple airlines worldwide. SAS gradually acquired control of the domestic markets in all three countries; this was achieved by acquiring full or partial control of various competing local airlines, including Braathens and Widerøe in Norway; Linjeflyg and Skyways Express in Sweden; and Cimber Air in Denmark. During 1989, SAS acquired 18.4% of the Texas Air Corporation, the parent company of Continental Airlines, in a bid to form a global alliance. However, this did not come about and the stake in the Texas Air Corporation was subsequently sold on. During the 1990s, SAS also acquired a 20 per cent stake in British Midland, as well as purchasing 95 per cent of Spanair, the second-largest airline in Spain, in addition to Air Greenland.  During the early 1990s, SAS unsuccessfully tried to merge itself with the Dutch airline KLM, along with Austrian Airlines and Swissair, in a proposed combined entity commonly called Alcazar. However, months of negotiations towards this ambitious merger ultimately collapsed due to multiple unsettled issues; this strategic failure heavily contributed to the departure of Carlzon that same year and his replacement by Jan Reinås. The airline marked its 50th year of operation on 1 August 1996 with the harmonization and name of SAS's parent company to "SAS Danmark A/S, SAS Norge ASA" and "SAS Sverige AB". During May 1997, SAS became a founding member of the global Star Alliance network, joining with airlines such as Air Canada, Lufthansa, Thai Airways International, and United Airlines.  During June 2001, the ownership structure of SAS was changed, with a holding company being created in which the holdings of the governments changed to Sweden (21.4%), Norway (14.3%), and Denmark (14.3%), while the remaining 50 per cent of shares were publicly held and traded on the stock market. During 2004, SAS was again restructured, being divided into four separate companies: "SAS Scandinavian Airlines Sverige AB, SAS Scandinavian Airlines Danmark A/S, SAS Braathens AS," and "SAS Scandinavian International AS". "SAS Braathens" was re-branded "SAS Scandinavian Airlines Norge AS" in 2007. However, during October 2009, the four companies were once again united into one company, named "SAS Scandinavian System AB".

Restructuring.

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. During January 2009, an agreement to divest more than 80 percent of the holdings in Spanair was signed with a Catalan group of investors led by Consorci de Turisme de Barcelona and Catalana d'Inciatives. These changes reportedly reduced the airliner's expenses by around 23 per cent between 2008 and 2011.  During 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 unions took place for more than a week, 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 per cent, along with reductions to the pension and retirement plans; these measures were aimed at keeping the airline as an operating concern. SAS drew criticism for how it had handled the negotiations, having reportedly denied facilities to the union delegations.  During 2017, SAS announced that it was forming a new airline, Scandinavian Airlines Ireland, operating out of Heathrow Airport and Malaga Airport to fly European routes on its parent's behalf using nine new A320Neo airliners. SAS' sought to replace its own aircraft with cheaper ones crewed and based outside Scandinavia to compete better with other airlines. The Swedish Pilots Union expressed its dissatisfaction with the operational structure of the new airline, suggesting it violated the current labour-agreements. 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.  During 2018, SAS announced that it had placed an order for 50 Airbus A320neo narrow-body jetliners; these shall facilitate the creation of a single-type fleet. That same year, the Norwegian government divested its stake in the airline. As part of an environmental initiative launched by SFO, in December 2018 SAS flights operating out of SFO have been supplied with sustainable aviation fuel from Shell and SkyNRG.

Corporate affairs.

Business trends.

The key trends for Scandinavian Airlines Group (which includes SAS Cargo, SAS Ground Handling, and SAS Tech), are shown below (since 2012, for years ending 31 October):

Head office.

Scandinavian Airlines' head office is located in the SAS Frösundavik Office Building in, Solna Municipality, Sweden, near Stockholm. Between 2011 and 2013, the head office was located at Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) in Sigtuna Municipality, Sweden. The SAS Cargo Group A/S head office is in Kastrup, Tårnby Municipality, Denmark.  The SAS Frösundavik Office Building, was designed by Niels Torp Architects and built between 1985 and 1987. The move from Solna to Arlanda was completed in 2010. A previous SAS head office was located on the grounds of Bromma Airport in Stockholm. In 2013 SAS announced that it once again would relocate to Frösundavik.

Emissions.

As for other airlines, burned fossil fuel and emitted greenhouse gases are significant side effects from the company activities. The following table gives and overview of emissions of greenhouse gases in COe emitted by the company as reported in the European Union Emission Trading Scheme. Data for passengers, aircraft and profit from section Business Trends above.  In contrast to most other businesses and private individuals in Sweden, airlines are exempt from the Swedish carbon tax. Had SAS paid the Swedish carbon tax level of SEK1180 (EUR114) per tonne () for all of its emissions, it would have had significant impact on recent profit levels. Since 2012 airlines are included in the EU ETS. In January 2013 the price for extra emission rights on top of the granted were approximately EUR 6.3 per tonne. In May 2017 the price was EUR 4.9 per tonne.

Destinations.

Codeshare agreements.

Scandinavian Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Interline agreements.

Scandinavian Airlines has interlining agreements with the following airlines:

Fleet.

Current fleet.

, Scandinavian Airlines operates the following aircraft:

Future fleet plans.

Short haul.

On 20 June 2011, SAS announced an order for 30 new A320neo aircraft as part of its fleet harmonisation plan. SAS' stated goal is to have an all-Airbus fleet at its bases in Stockholm and Copenhagen by 2019, with a mixed A320neo and A320ceo fleet operation at both bases. The base in Oslo will then operate mostly Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with a few 737-700s also being retained. The older, smaller 737-600s are disposed in 2019. The first of the order of A320neos was delivered in October 2016. In April 2018, SAS announced an order of 50 more A320neos to replace all 737NGs and older A320ceos in service as part of its goal to have an all-Airbus fleet by 2023.

Long haul.

On 25 June 2013, SAS and Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding stating that SAS intends to buy twelve new-generation aircraft, including six options. The agreement consists of eight A350-900s with six options and four A330-300Es. The first new long haul aircraft to enter service will be the A330-300E, which were originally planned to replace the aging A340-300s in 2015 as leasing agreements on these aircraft expire. Instead, SAS renewed the leasing agreements to be able to expand its long-haul fleet and used the new A330-300Es to add more long-haul destinations to its network. The A350-900 is planned to enter service in November 2019. SAS has dubbed this "a total renewal of long haul fleet", indicating that all former A340 and A330 will be replaced, although the total renewal could also refer to the new interior in the long haul fleet.  The first of 8 Airbus A350-900s for SAS is expected to be delivered to the airline before the end of 2019 and to start to operate long haul routes from 28 January 2020. The A350 will first fly on the Copenhagen and Chicago route, with the airline planning Beijing, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and San Francisco when more A350 are delivered in 2020.

Removal of SAS Q400 fleet.

In September 2007, two separate incidents of similar landing gear failures occurred within four days of each other on SAS Bombardier Q400 aircraft. A third incident occurred in October 2007. On 28 October 2007, in a move that was described as unique by the Swedish press, the board of directors announced that all 27 Bombardier Q400 aircraft were to be removed from service due to the three landing gear failures.  A press release from SAS said that the company had reached a settlement with Bombardier and Goodrich, whereby the airline would receive SEK one billion as compensation, while SAS would purchase 27 new aircraft, with an option of 24 more. These aircraft would consist of 13 of the Bombardier CRJ900 Nextgen (10 to SAS and 3 to Estonian Air) and 14 of the updated Q400 Nextgen units (8 to airBaltic and 6 to Widerøe), with 7 additional options. SAS received the first CRJ-900 on 3 December 2008.  In November 2007, it was revealed that the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration began an investigation and accused Scandinavian Airlines System of cutting corners during maintenance. The airline reportedly made 2,300 flights in which safety equipment was not up to standard.

Livery.

In September 2019, SAS unveiled an all-new livery, which will initially be showcased on a new A350 and an A320neo, before gradually being rolled out to the whole fleet. SAS expects the whole fleet to be repainted by 2024.  The previous livery was introduced in 1998 and is designed by SthlmLab (Stockholm Design Lab). SAS aircraft look predominantly white, however, the fuselage is in a very light beige (Pantone Warm Gray 2/Pantone 9083C) with "Scandinavian" above the windows in silver lettering (Pantone 877) and "Airlines" below the windows in white. The typeface used is Rotis Semi Serif. The vertical stabiliser (and winglets) are painted blue (Pantone 2738C) with the classic white SAS logo on it. It is a variant of the traditional SAS logotype, slimmed slightly and stylised by the design company Stockholm Design Lab, as part of the SAS livery change. The engine casing is painted in scarlet (Pantone Warm Red/Pantone 179C) with the word Scandinavian in white, the thrust reversers in the colour of the fuselage. All other text is painted in Pantone Warm Gray 9. The design also features stylised versions of the Scandinavian flags. All aircraft are named, traditionally after Vikings.  Apart from the standard livery, SAS also has an Airbus A319 in retro livery and two Boeing 737s and one Airbus A340 in Star Alliance livery.

Cabin.

SAS Business.

On long-haul flights business class, called "SAS Business", is still offered and features wide sleeper seats. On the Airbus A330s and upgraded Airbus A340s seating is 1-2-1 on seats that convert into flat beds, with power sockets and a entertainment screen.

SAS Plus.

Plus is SAS' premium economy class. On wide-body aircraft, seating has a 2-3-2 configuration. The seats offered on SAS Plus are wider than those in the SAS Go section.  On European flights, SAS Plus tickets are refundable and include a meal, a double checked-in baggage allowance, and access to lounges and fast track security at the airport. The SAS Plus passengers are seated at the front of the aircraft and passengers can choose their seat at booking for free, but the seats there are otherwise the same as the SAS Go seats. The two-class system was introduced in June 2013, when business class was eliminated from intra-European flights.

SAS Go.

SAS Go, or economy offers 3-3 seating on intracontinental flights, 2-4-2 on the A330s and A340s and 3-3-3 on the A350s.  SAS offers free coffee and tea to GO passengers on short-haul services, except very short flights like Bergen-Stavanger or Stockholm-Visby. Meals are served to all passengers on long-haul flights.

SAS Go Light.

SAS Go Light is a variant of SAS Go with no checked luggage included. Tickets are sold in the same booking class as SAS Go and are otherwise identical. As of 14 December 2017, SAS Go Light is available on both European and Long-haul flights. It is not available on flights within the Nordic countries. SAS Go Light is aimed at competing with low-cost carriers for those who travel with hand luggage only. Extra luggage allowance for EuroBonus Silver, Gold, and Diamond members does not apply on SAS Go Light tickets and is only valid for EuroBonus Pandion members.

Services.

Fingerprint biometric identification.

In 2006, SAS Sweden launched a new biometric system for use throughout Sweden. Each passenger's fingerprints are, for security purposes, matched to their respective checked baggage. The new technology will be phased in at all the airports served by SAS, although the use of the system is voluntary for passengers. The system has been introduced in Norway.

EuroBonus.

SAS's frequent-flyer program is called EuroBonus. Members earn points on all SAS and Widerøe flights as well as on Star Alliance flights. Around 50 percent of SAS' total revenues are generated by EuroBonus members. By August 2015, the EuroBonus program had in excess of four million members.

Fly Home Club.

"Fly Home Club" was SAS's membership club for Scandinavians living in Spain. It has closed ever since economic conditions have worsened in Spain and as Scandinavians living in Spain have decided to return home or change locations.

Hovercraft.

Between 1984 and 1994, SAS operated a hovercraft service between Malmö in Sweden and Copenhagen Airport in Denmark. Travellers could check in for their flights in Malmö and the hovercraft were operated as connecting flights. The service was operated using a handful of British Hovercraft Corporation AP1-88s, which took an average journey time of 45 minutes to traverse the route across the Øresund; within its first year of operation, hovercraft reportedly carried roughly 100,000 passengers. Due to the level of demand experienced, SAS examined the prospects for introducing larger hovercraft, capable of carrying up to 200 passengers, for the service. However, in 1994, the hovercraft were replaced by catamarans. These vessels were in turn discontinued during 2000 due to the opening of the Öresund bridge, which provided a competing rail link between Malmö and Copenhagen airport.

Wi-Fi.

During May 2018, SAS launched a new high-speed WiFi system supplied by Viasat. The service is being rolled out on both the short and medium-haul fleets, it is expected to take two years to complete. The new system is much faster than previously available and will enable passengers to stream movies on board. Before this, SAS only offered WiFi on board on its long haul aircraft and a small number of Boeing 737s. WiFi is free for Eurobonus Gold and Diamond members as well as for those travelling in SAS Plus or Business. Otherwise, WiFi can be purchased with EuroBonus points or for a small fee.

Scandinavian Airlines, usually known as SAS, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. "SAS" is an abbreviation of the company's full name, Scandinavian Airlines System or legally Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark-Norway-Sweden. Part of the SAS Group and headquartered at the SAS Frösundavik Office Building in Solna, Sweden, the airline operates 180 aircraft to 90 destinations (as of December 2019). The airline's main hub is at Copenhagen-Kastrup Airport, with connections to 109 destinations around the world. Stockholm Arlanda Airport (with 106 destinations) is the second largest hub and Oslo Airport, Gardermoen being the third major hub of SAS. Minor hubs also exist at Bergen Airport, Flesland, Göteborg Landvetter Airport, Stavanger Airport, Sola, and Trondheim Airport, Værnes. SAS Cargo is an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines and its main office is at Copenhagen Airport.

Scandinavian Airlines (neboli SAS, dříve nazývaný Scandinavian Airlines System) je národní letecký dopravce Dánska, Norska a Švédska a druhá největší aerolinie Skandinávie podle přepravených pasažérů (po Norwegian). Jsou součástí SAS Group, má základny na letištích v Kodani, Oslu a Stockholmu–Arlanda. Sídlí ve městě Solna blízko Stockholmu ve Švédsku. V květnu 2017 létala tato společnost do 119 destinací.