The start of a journey:
SAS Flight SK0001
July 1, 1982 – ready for departure
SAS Telephone Sales - Ruseløkkveien 6
In July 1982, I started working at SAS Telephone Sales at Ruseløkkveien 6 in Oslo. For a young man with a great interest in travel, people and service, it felt almost unreal to get a job at such an international and exciting company as Scandinavian Airlines System — SAS.
The road to SAS, however, began several years earlier in the Travel Association for Oslo and the surrounding area, (in both the Old Town Hall in Oslo and in Oslo City Hall) the precursor to today's VisitOslo. Even at a very young age, I had the opportunity to work in an environment characterized by tourism, service and international guests. The work consisted of, among other things, tourist information in Oslo City Hall, hotel booking, brochure storage, postal service, courier service and various administrative tasks.
Throughout these years, I was able to work with many talented people who would have a great impact on me later in my working life.
Tourism manager Alfhild Hovdan described me as early as 1976 as:
"a young, skilled and interested employee" She also highlighted that I had:
"very nice appearance" and was: "educated and reliable".
Tourism manager Arild Kristiansen , who would later become an important supporter of mine, wrote in a certificate that I was: "fast, accurate, service-minded and always in a good mood."
He also emphasized that they would be happy to recommend me further.
In the hotel department, I was given early responsibility for booking, accounting and advance reservations.
Department head Reidun Dalem wrote in his certificate that the work was carried out:
"very satisfactory" She also described me as: "honest and reliable."
Anne-Marie Taraldset, who headed the tourist information office at Oslo City Hall, later emphasized that I was: "service-minded, reliable, willing to learn and a loyal employee."
When I read these testimonials today, I really see a lot of the foundation for the rest of my working life. Not technology. Not systems. But human encounters, service, a sense of responsibility and the joy of helping other people.
From Rådmannsgården and Rådhuset to Ruseløkkveien 6
It was also in the Norwegian Travel Association that I met Einar Onsum.
Einar was a retired SAS employee and worked part-time at the Norwegian Travel Agents Association. We quickly found common ground and worked very well together. He became more than just a colleague for me. Einar was a source of security, a supporter and someone I looked up to immensely. In many ways, he became a kind of "second grandfather" or "second uncle" in my working life.
When the opportunity to join SAS arose, Einar gave me his warmest recommendation. I still remember how strongly I felt the responsibility the day I started at SAS. I promised him that I wouldn't let him down.
SAS in the early 1980s was a company in great development. This was the period when Jan Carlzon took over management and began to build what would later be known as “the new SAS” — with a stronger focus on service, employees and customer experience. It was not just about planes and tickets, but about people.
In Telephone Sales, we were in the middle of this. The pace was fast, the phones were ringing constantly, and we were helping customers with flights, information, and orders from all over the country. I enjoyed it from day one. There was energy, pride, and unity — and a feeling of representing something bigger than yourself.
The following year I was able to tell Einar that I had been awarded SAS's "Golden Sales Award 1982/83". The letter from SAS stated, among other things, that I was considered: "an excellent ambassador for the NEW SAS". It also highlighted: "service attitude, sales ability and hard work".
For me, this award was about far more than sales figures. It was about trust. About job satisfaction. About people who believed in me. And perhaps most of all — about the promise I had made to Einar Onsum when the journey began.
