stu1985

And they're showing again!

Billiken

Agree +1

mkjr

Yes. When you check in at the lounge, if you are flying CW you get a separate card to use for the buffet dining on the business side or if in F, you get an F one that can be used on either side. We had the buffet for our 8 year old since they had more stuff to her liking. The idea is with the short flight, you don't need to eat anything on board. The pre flight dining is part of the ticket and not a lounge benefit.

CHOPCHOP767

Thanks for sharing; there aren't too many reports on Finnair here.

I had a ticket on them for the summer to ICN on the super cheap Biz fares, but ended up canceling with the MERS there. I had heard that the services were pretty minimal and this tends to confirm that they are the KLM of OneWorld. Also, good to know about the over-crowded lounge. Thanks again!

intuition

First, thanks all for positive comments! The rest of the segments will come along, at a pace depending on my workload.


About the disappearing pictures: The first photosite I used (tinypic) apparently has some processing of images that makes them un-viewable for a few. I found a way to link to the original image file, and presumably they are back for everyone. For second post, I used a file hosting site but it seems it was blacklisted in some definition, and I'm guessing FT-software reads that blacklist and blocked embedded images. Sigh. Moved those images to tinypic, and hopefully we are good for now.



OK, thanks for the details, didn't know this. (and I wasn't given any dining card at all)
IMHO, calling some of the lounge services part of the ticket is just semantics.
Other airlines in OW does not act like this. Neither CX nor QF has any first lounge restrictions for BAEC emeralds. AY even invites sapphires to their premium lounge. So even if BA semantically has a reason behind this, it is still not in the spirit of the alliance. And what is the purpose of having an alliance if the same rules does not apply alliance wide?

QR does restrict access altogether to their first lounge to F-ticket holders, but at least this exception to the alliance rules is clearly noted.

SFO777

intuition, love your writing style and the comedy. The Canada customs and BA lounge conversations were hilarious.
And all the pics are now visible. Thanks. ^

DaveNCL

You won't of been given a card as you were not flying on the BA sleeper service that I described in my earlier post. Due to dining in the lounge (instead of onboard) it can get busy therefore status passenger travelling BA Y/Y+ and other Oneworld status passengers have access to the buffet and not the dinner service.

On your general point, I guess as normal it is simply due to employees not being familiar with the rules, perhaps the sleeper service element confused it further.

SPBanker

And to further clarify, this applies to all BA Northern American sleeper services to UK.

intuition, awesome TR! He's as funny in writing as in person.

IWontRegretThis

Do you mind if I "borrow" you lines re- BA lounge dragon? I get tired of explaining to them why they need to let me in, and I like your version the best.

intuition

Thanks, SFO777 and SPBanker!


Knock yourself out! I'm just happy I came up with such a quick comeback and managed to deliver it in a semi-casual way.
(I used to get angry but have found delivering a crushing blow "wrapped in a slice of lemon" is so much better.)



Next segment is about to get posted.

intuition

Cabin and Seat: Business, 1L

Boarding starts about half an hour after scheduled take off. For a moment I wonder if it will be the same cabin crew, but with a 8h flight and a 4h turnaround, naturally they've switched.

Remember my body clock acting up on me? It is just past 11pm EDT which wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't for me experiencing it as 5am. I grab my travel spreadsheet and I notice that the time at final destination is 5pm. I really should try to stay awake and adjust into the new timezone. Now, where is that lovely flight attendant with the pre departure Champagne?


Well, so I decide to stay up this flight. Looking back on my notes, there are only 2 entries from this flight:a) No table cloth on the second service
and
b) the measurements of the seat
so I guess I wasn't too successful. This may be a good time to report on some seat data instead.

Finnair has refurbished most of the long haul fleet with the Vantage full flat seat from Zodiac UK, advertised as a 200cm/79" long bed and a "shoulder room" of 58cm/23". But since they are installed in a staggered way, alternating between 2-2-1 and 1-2-1, not all seats are equal.

Those of us who regularly fly AY knows which seats we like, but I wanted to put some science into it and brought a measure. A laser measure to be precise, and while not a forbidden item lasers and airplanes is a combination that might freak people out. I decided to handle it discretely.
Well, the best way to get attention is to conceal something, so all of a sudden in the midst of my focused task I hear a school teacher voice from above.

- May I ask what that is?
Abashed I look up into the face of Ms Krabappel and I try to compose myself.
- Eh... it is a laser measure.
- Oh, that's what I though, she says, and there is no tension in the voice anymore.
- Eh, I travel a lot and just wanted to check the sizes of the different seats. (I'm still a bit defensive). They are not really the same, you know.
- Which one is you favourite, she asks playfully.

And there you have it. The average flight attendant of AY. If you do like the less talkative version of a school teacher, AY might just be perfect for you. OK, slightly stereotyping, joking and exaggerating here, but a legacy airline with close to zero staff turnover will have a certain staff structure.

Infact, they are more likely to teach you how to fold the table than to do it for you. For better and for worse, they are more pragmatic and mature than chatty and cheerful. Also, you can be quite confident they will haul your posterior off the burning wreck in case of evacuation.

Actual numbers: 28% of AY staff, counted over all professions air and land, are over 50 years of age. Only 4% are under 30 years of age.

Oh, right, the measurements....

All L seats are single. Odd row numbers are closer to aisle, even numbers are closer to fusilage. While closeness to aisle may scare you, they do have a great advantage. They have best space for your feet. This is important, because when seat is reclined, feet goes into a manhole and they differ a lot from seat to seat. Goofy most defenitely should go with 1L, and it is also my favourite for night flights.
For day flights 2A is pretty much everyone's favourite, as it has best stowage space, best privacy feeling and great width. But it has the smallest manhole of all seats, making it less suitable for nights.

As for äss width, all seats nominally has the same size, ie the upholstery is the same. But they differ in practice because other features of the seat are located slightly different.

1L:
Width at hip 51,6cm/20,3"
Width at feet: 60cm/23,6"

1A:
Width at hip 53,5cm/21,0"
(however, armrest can be removed which increases width to 61cm/24" )


2A:
Width at hip: 56,1cm/22,1"
Width at feet: Tiny


OK, some food also passed by in a blur. Sleep deprivation and reporting are not the best of friends.
Finnair starter


Salmon is a great fish in the air, but there sure is a lot of it in the Finnair menus



Finnair second service breakfast/brunch


One of the two notable moments of this flight - no table cloth! Not sure if it is a change in service or a mishap.

And something I didn't notice until now - the Canadian iögo... Are swedish letters coming back in fashion? Mötley crüe, Motörhead, iögo. It's so Rock'n'roll! Be a rebel - eat your youghurt!




Segment results:
Finally some good points results! Revenue, non-upgraded J flight on home carrier does have its advantages!

BIS: 6 598 km
TP: 18 750
AP: 18 750

llamaesque

This is a hugely entertaining trip report. Did that laser measure exchange with the flight attendant really happen or did you trip out from sleep deprivation? It's hilarious, and with the greatest respect sounds exactly how I'd imagine a conversation between two Finnish people to sound.

"Sir, may I ask what you're doing with that complicated and somewhat dangerous looking gadget?"
"Yes, I am making precise measurements of my seat and the seats around me."
"You surely are, I thought so. Would you like a drink?"

TheGreatTree

Hmm. My flight on AY32 June 23 had table cloth for both dinner and breakfast. Maybe they accidentally forgot to load it?

Firstclasser

Had you added the word terrorist in any form, the scenario would have been quite different and possibly involved ripped pants and handcuffs.

intuition

In theory correct, but you are missing the fact that Finns invented the text message, deciding 160 chars would be more than enough to cover any kind of conversation


Yes, I think so too.

Intriguing suggestion, but she really wasn't my type.