I also think it did operate later than 76...I know when I started in
SAS in Oslo in the Spring of 1980 we still had the
GOT-
BGO-
JFK flight once or twice a week. As to your questions in regards to the market, I would say yes there was a huge market both ways, maybe most from the US. At that time
SAS still had reservations in L.A. also - serving the West Coast....and there was a close co operation between
SAS and several large tour operators here in the US (I am now living on Bainbridge Island Washington State). In addition we used
BGO as transfer in the same manner as
CPH from
OSL...and of course the ticket prices where quite high still....in 1980 our lowest fare from Scandinavia to New York was around
NOK 4000.00 in the summer, and this summer you could find tickets to Seattle for that amount....the cheapest ticket only allowed the passenger to reserve a week,
SAS Space Control would assign flights inside that week....