intuition

Preamble

The idea for this trip came from my FT friend OH-LGG a few years ago. He used to qualify for Finnair platinum (OW emerald) from segment running, by doing 92 segments on the 1 hour HEL-ARN flight. While that got him some fame, I guess he was happy when he found Finnair flights to DEL with attractive pricing, quick turn-around and a new visa-on-arrival regime. Qualifying by tier points running surely takes less time.

We quickly also found out that DEL-HEL-JFK in J was offered at good prices if sold in India, so re-routing the return via North America became a viable option, both time- and money-wise. Doing the miles math it was now possible to achieve Gold (sapphire) in one go. And with a few added segments and our platinum tier bounus it would even be possible to requalify for platinum in one go. The thought was very intriquing, but at that point we didn't need the miles and didn't want to spend the time for a monster run, so we parked the idea.

Fast forward to present time. I didn't have a lot of Finnair trips last year year, and with membership year end coming up, I went back to explore these thoughts. A lot of things had changed (exchange rates, price hikes) but since Finnair adds a few odd routes for summer schedule, accompanied by sales, all I had to do was to turn the plan up-side-down, replace India with China and a great run-opportunity opened up.

Feverishly I pushed the buttons to secure me a Finnair trip CPH-HEL-YYZ-HEL-CKG (r/t) on the first day of summer schedule. I contemplated for a few days if I should add a really cheap CX trip CKG-HKG-MEL back-to-back, even though I didn't really need the miles. But I finally came to the conclusion I'd be better off with a few days on the ground. And since I failed to do a cherry blossom visit to Japan this spring (one of my traditions), it felt only natural to add on a few segments so I could spend some time in Japan. Heck, since I don't need the miles, why not let Star Alliance be a part of this trip too!

I ended up with a CPH-HEL-YYZ-HEL-CKG-ICN-TYO-TOY-TYO-KIX-ICN-CKG-HEL-YYZ-HEL-CPH, which I am now about to report to you in subsequent posts. Admittedly in the eyes of someone who flies this airline a lot, and it will be more of nerdy details and reflections than a traditional trip report.

TOTALS
BIS: 31 391 mi / 50.508 km
Tier points (km based *): 85 626 (+632 mi to *A)
Award points (km based *): 150 626 (+632 mi to *A)

Time spent in air: 67h
Time spent in transit: 48h






Segment list (linked to posts as they are published)


1. Copenhagen-Helsinki AY666 Airbus A321 OH-LZA
1a) Finnair Premium lounge Helsinki

2. Helsinki-Toronto AY31 Airbus A330 OH-LTP
2a) BA First class lounge Toronto

3. Toronto-Helsinki AY32 Airbus A330 OH-LTP
3a) Finnair Premium lounge Helsinki

4. Helsinki-ChongQing AY55 Airbus A330 OH-LTM
4a) The (not so) comfortable benches of international departures hall
(and eventually CKG airport first class lounge)

5. ChongQing-Incheon OZ354 Boeing 767 HL-7515
5a) Asiana Business lounge Incheon

6. Incheon-Narita OZ108 Airbus A321 HL-7790

7. Haneda-Toyama NH317 Boeing 737 JA-80AN

8. Toyama-Haneda NH320 Boeing 737 JA-74AN
8a) ANA business lounge Haneda

9 Haneda-Kansai NH97 Boeing 772 JA-8199

10. Kansai-Incheon OZ115 Boeing 767 HL-7506
10a) Asiana Business lounge Incheon

11. Incheon-ChongQing CA440 Boeing 737 B-5486

Interlude ChongQing

12. ChongQing-Helsinki AY56 Airbus A330 OH-LTP
12a) Finnair Premium lounge Helsinki

13. Helsinki-Toronto AY31 Airbus A330 OH-LTT
13a) Plaza Premium lounge, Toronto

14. Toronto-Helsinki AY32 Airbus A330 OH-LTT
14a) Finnair Premium lounge Helsinki

15. Helsinki-Copenhagen AY663 Airbus A320 OH-LXD



*) All points in AY+ program are km-based. I call them tierpoints / TP, but let's not confuse them with BA tierpoints, OK?

intuition

CPH-HEL AY666 A321 OH-LZA
Cabin and Seat: Economy, 8C

Here I am, in the CPH apartments lounge, eating and drinking before the monster trip begins. I have no idea what to expect for the next 2 days I will be on the move.





Since this trip was optimized to get the tier points I needed to keep platinum, some of the segments was cheapest economy. It earns very little on Finnair + program, but these segments is kind of positioning segments, so any number of miles earned is a plus.

Gate agent enforced priority boarding by using the group numbers on boarding passes, but also announce Business pax and OW elites to board before group 1. This is very good (but not SOP). Finnair has put all tier members in group 1 which makes prio boarding a mess.

With the perk to freely choose any seat in economy, I chose 8C, an exit seat, aisle.
Pitch was 110 cm but seat width was only 41,8cm (16,45"). And, which I now realize, those who pay for exit seats really needs them - my seat mate was over 210 cm, and a lot wider than the seat.

Best exit-seat would be 8B (since there is no 8A), but if forced in the back of the bus again, I'd probably chose a non-exit seat to gain an inch or so and to get a normal sized seat mate. But I most certainly will continue to upgrade any shorthaul Finnair flight to stay away from econ seats altogether. Some people question the value to upgrade a short haul flight to business ("you already have lounge access and such, why waste miles on a pathetic meal and a seat in the front?"). To me, a pathetic meal and a seat in the front is clearly valuable!

No food was served, but I did have a chance to try the complimentary "Finnair signature drink" blueberry juice. I never tried it before, as it is not served in business. And now I know why. It is closer to a soft drink than a fruit juice, high on sugar and with a distinct bad taste felt through the blueberries. Yuck.

Segment results:
BIS: 892km
TP: 625
AP: 625

SFO777

Wow, and here I thought I was crazy.
This should be fun.

intuition

For most connections, Finnair makes good use of the smallness and efficiency of HEL-airport. Connections are scheduled very close to MCT, with often as little as 45 minutes transfer. This connection was 1h 15 minutes, still short in comparison, but long enough to enjoy a little of the so called premium lounge.

I refuse to accept it as premium though, for several reasons. One major issue is that it is open to a lot of travellers, regardless of travel class: Finnair platinum, Finnair gold, oneWorld emerald and oneWorld sapphire. During the busy hours of the afternoon when the whole longhaul fleet departs, it is usually jam packed.
Today it was "only" about 80% full, so it was possible to find a seat. However the crowding in the food area is similar to the bar area of a discoteque when playing an un-danceable song. I manage to grab some cold-cuts and a glass of champagne and headed of to the upper level, where there is a bit less commotion.

intuition

HEL-YYZ AY31
Airbus A330 OH-LTP
Cabin and Seat: Business, 1A

Now, this was going to be my first (ever!) economy flight on Finnair longhaul, and I had mixed feelings. On one hand, my platinum status grants me a seat in the "economy comfort" section, with slightly better pitch. On the other hand, it still is economy...

I emptied another glass of champagne, braced myself and walked over to the gate. It was a bit disorganized, with a lot of people needing support from the desk. But HEL has clearly marked priority boarding lanes, and I could easily make my way. My boarding pass was scanned and rejected due to a "seating issue". Oh yeah, for the first time in 6 years as a platinum, Finnair had upgraded me.
A quick look at the gate desk told me it wasn't a very exclusive treat though. I counted 12 newly printed boarding passes sorted on the desk, waiting for the lucky travellers.
I thought to myself that this was really quite a lot of op-ups, but I'd later learn that Finnair revenue management is really bad (or good if you're life is stuck in second gear) handing out upgrades like candy. This is why I always argue that airlines should add more perks to those who fly business tickets. Anyway...

Day flight means food and drinks needs to be good, and I wasn't let down.

Amuse bouche - Soya marinated lavaret and spring asparagus - together with my signature drink, Gin and tonic.






Starter - Cold smoked salmon, potato salad with curdled cream, red onion and malt bread vinaigrette



This is a very good dish in the current service. The cold smoked salmon has a great taste and texture, and paired well with the potato salad. The malt bread (crumbs in the plastic container) is a bit odd though. Not bad at all, but not really clicking IMHO.




For main course I chose Lamb, and it didn't meet my expectations. It felt a bit fatty and oily, but not too bad.

Lamb entrecôte, red wine sauce with herbs, roasted vegetables and barley risotto





For dessert I had some cheese, and to position their brand, AY has gone with cheeses from small (no name) Finnish producers, instead of any famous brands. It is the right choice I think, the cheeses were perfectly fine.



Then suddenly Canada is below



and 90 minutes before landing Finnair serves their second service. On a daytime flight like this, it is a "Light meal" consisting of a starter salad, Cannelloni as main and Godiva pralines as dessert.



I usually don't agree with the pasta Finnair serves, it is usually a bit too greasy for me. This one was OK, a bit heavy on the cheese, but nice tomato sauce and the romanescu (despite going fractal) is fine.



Segment results:
BIS: 6 598 km
TP: 4 688 (based on original Y ticket :-(
AP: 4 688 (based on original Y ticket :-(

On the road for: 11,5 hours

SFO777

Your pics aren't visible, at least to me.
I would fix that problem before you go too far.

Madone59

WOW! You should call this the DVT Monster . Can't wait to read this - have a great trip ^

intuition

Thanks for heads up - will look into it.

Does others have this problem too? (Because I see them in different browsers and logged out too)

farbster

This is insane. Consider me subscribed

SFO777

Hmmm. Both Safari and Google Chrome, the only pic that is visible is the pasta pic.

stu1985

All pics visible for me on Safari.

Good start!

mrgreen

Great pictures!
Thanks for the detailed report

Hartsa

All pics visible on Firefox.

Wow, what a trip! This is a must to follow!

DHalltheway

+1

I see them all on Firefox

They remind me of my "treks" to the US for status requalification.

The most recent was SIN-NRT-IAH-SFO-EWR-MIA-EWR-SFO-NRT-SIN. Since it was a B fare round trip, I netted 40+ K PQM. It was also a lovely way to burn a 20% off coupon I got.

TheGreatTree

May I ask the date when you flew AY32 on OH-LTT?