A SAS crash?

Call me old fashioned, but I think a national airline is a part of a national identity and pride. British Airways flies the red, white and blue, FinnAir coolly spreads Nordic culture, Lufthansa gradually takes over the world with its German wingspan. This week, we heard that Scandinavian Airlines, SAS, is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. A SAS crash is to be expected and this would mean Sweden, Denmark and Norway are without this national airline. I love SAS, I am very loyal to them and I would hate to see them disappear to be replaced solely by bargain airlines or German alternatives. I believe the service and coverage would deteriorate and Scandinavia as a hub would become irrelevant.

What I don’t understand really is why SAS can’t make it work, when other airlines such as Norwegian are rapidly gaining profitable ground.

I read in the paper today that a SAS bankruptcy would cost the Swedish State 920 million kronor. That’s a lot of tax payers’ money – surely it could be better invested to save the company?