A long weekend in Tallinn with Finnair in J
Mar 10, 2017, 6:08 am
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
Cheers nequine - will try post more later!
^
Thanks for reading offerendum!Hehe, hence the blurry picture. 
Love the TR. Did one trip to Tallinn, but we did the helicopter transfer over, and the ferry back. The ferry was pretty bog standard, but the chopper was exciting.
Seems like Finnair has been using that glass design now for ages. I have a few at home.
Love the TR. Did one trip to Tallinn, but we did the helicopter transfer over, and the ferry back. The ferry was pretty bog standard, but the chopper was exciting.
Seems like Finnair has been using that glass design now for ages. I have a few at home.
I was so tempted to "borrow" a glass from the plane......!
Thank you Madone59 - high praise indeed!
Mar 10, 2017, 1:25 pm
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
After a long(ish) lie in the morning, I took a wander along the coast. It was really windy and, along with the cold, it was absolutely BALTIC!
I then wandered back to the hotel via the Old Town...
I got back to the hotel around 12. I had managed to get a late check out so went up to the room and had a coffee while taking in my last views of the city. Check out was pretty quick and I used my last free drinks voucher to grab a bottle of water. I jumped into a taxi and 10 Euros later, I was standing outside the small Tallinn airport. The airport is undergoing a load of construction work at the moment so looks like a dump from the outside. The inside is fine enough. I had bought some wine so checked my case in and went through Fast Track security. I say "Fast Track" but you go down a separate lane and get spewed into the normal security lines. It was probably as quick as the slow track lines. Anyway, after walking through the duty free shop and grabbing some sweets for work, I went upstairs to the lounge. The lounge is quite large for a small airport with lots of seating available, however, the decor is stuck in the 70s. There's also an outdoor terrace where you can catch a glimpse of planes either landing or taking off or where you can grab that last fag before boarding!
Food wise, there was a pretty decent selection of cold sandwiches, quiches, croissants, soups and other nibbles. There was an adequate selection of booze and a self pour beer tap.
I caught a glimpse of my aircraft landing from Helsinki and it then parked itself right outside the lounge.
Hello Norra!
After all the passengers and bags from the arrival were offloaded, an announcement was made that we were boarding. I finished off my beer and, by the time I got down to the gate, was one of the last ones to walk across the tarmac and onto the plane.
AY108, TLL - HEL, OH-ATM, ATR72-500
The same plane that took me from HEL to TLL a few days ago greeted me again.
I was certain that the seat map showed Row 18 as the exit row so grabbed that seat in advance. However, when I boarded, one of the cabin crew members told me that my assigned seat was broken and asked me to take the aisle seat. I said that was fine. The captain came over and said that he expected a lot of wind on the way to Helsinki.......great! Anyway, after a short wait for the last bags to be loaded, we pushed back, the props started whirring away and we took off for the short sub 20 min flight to Helsinki. Because of the short duration of this flight, there's no service of any kind on board.
As soon as we were up, we were coming down into a snowy Helsinki.
After a bumpy landing, we got the bus into the terminal and then I headed through passport control and into the Finnair Premium lounge. I love this lounge - some great comfy seats with views of the parking stands, excellent food and drinks selection. But first, a quick snap of this beauty!
I found one of the reclining comfy white chairs and went to the bar to get a glass of fizz in my favourite glasses!
Some tasty nibbles
Around 5pm, my flight showed as boarding. I went to the gate and had to wait ages before the bus took us out the the plane. Some good spotting on the way to our plane!
AY995, HEL - LHR, OH-LXK, A320
I lucked out and had the whole bulkhead row to myself which was great. There were 6 rows of business class today. We sat for a while while boarding completed. The captain came on to inform us that they just realised that one of the front tyres had a puncture so we had to have it changed before we could take off and that we could expect a delay of 30 mins.
This was where Finnair exceeded my expectations.
One of the business class cabin crew appeared with a drinks tray with champagne, water and juice. I grabbed a champagne and sipped it while waiting for the tyre to be changed.
Glasses were collected. New glasses were offered because "it is taking slightly longer than we thought to change the tyre". Small bags of pretzels were also offered. I imagine that the economy passengers were none too impressed - hah!!
Anyway, eventually, a van appeared at the side of the plane and I could feel some movement at the front.
Then door was then shut. The door was then opened and the captain went down, presumably to check the tyre. He came back onboard and the door was shut. Then we waited a while. Then more top ups were given.....
Bye broken wheel!
We ended up moving about an hour later than we should have. However, I was EXTREMELY impressed with how Finnair handled the delay. I very much doubt that any cabin crew on BA would have been so pro active as the Finnair crew were.
The sun was close to disappearing so we were up for a great sunset as we took off.
The baby who took me from LHR to HEL a few days ago was off to BKK.
Bye bye HEL!
After a 180 degree right turn, the airport came into sight to the right of the plane - it looked great.
Another great meal from Finnair - some salmon pate type thing and a chicken and mushroom dish - both were very tasty.
Finished off with a few whiskies.
Crew were excellent. Kept walking around the cabin and giving refills along with pretzels.
I was getting slightly worried about my connection at T5 bearing in mind that I had to connect from T3. We had to circle over London for a while before we landed at Heathrow but were rewarded with some great views of the city.
And a great Instagram shot!
An announcement was made that those passengers connecting to Aberdeen (3 of us) should see the member of staff at the aircraft door and get an Express Connection ticket thing. After landing, we took a while to taxi and once off the plane, I charged through to the bus across to T5. The express connection ticket did not much. We had to wait 15 mins for the bus to arrive and got to T5 at about 7.45pm - 40 mins before departure. I power walked to flight connections in T5 (where they told me that the flight was boarding) and went up to security. Security was quick enough and I ran down to A2. I guessed that there was no chance my case would make it but I just wanted to get onto the flight. When I got to the gate, it just said "Please Wait" - agh - the run was for nothing! I nipped up to the Galleries Club lounge and grabbed a drink while I waited and had a plate of pasta. After about 20 mins, the flight started boarding.
The ABZ flight was uneventful. I didn't take advantage of BA's lovely new buy on board menu and opted to listen to some music instead. After an hour or so, I was back into a rainy Aberdeen and, to my amazement, my case was first off the carousel!
I had a great weekend in Tallinn. It's a really cute city with some superb architecture. I have booked another trip back there in December to see the Christmas markets. I hope that the A350 is still on the LHR - HEL rotation when the next trip comes around!
Thanks for reading and for the new follows on Instagram!
I then wandered back to the hotel via the Old Town...
I got back to the hotel around 12. I had managed to get a late check out so went up to the room and had a coffee while taking in my last views of the city. Check out was pretty quick and I used my last free drinks voucher to grab a bottle of water. I jumped into a taxi and 10 Euros later, I was standing outside the small Tallinn airport. The airport is undergoing a load of construction work at the moment so looks like a dump from the outside. The inside is fine enough. I had bought some wine so checked my case in and went through Fast Track security. I say "Fast Track" but you go down a separate lane and get spewed into the normal security lines. It was probably as quick as the slow track lines. Anyway, after walking through the duty free shop and grabbing some sweets for work, I went upstairs to the lounge. The lounge is quite large for a small airport with lots of seating available, however, the decor is stuck in the 70s. There's also an outdoor terrace where you can catch a glimpse of planes either landing or taking off or where you can grab that last fag before boarding!
Food wise, there was a pretty decent selection of cold sandwiches, quiches, croissants, soups and other nibbles. There was an adequate selection of booze and a self pour beer tap.
I caught a glimpse of my aircraft landing from Helsinki and it then parked itself right outside the lounge.
Hello Norra!
After all the passengers and bags from the arrival were offloaded, an announcement was made that we were boarding. I finished off my beer and, by the time I got down to the gate, was one of the last ones to walk across the tarmac and onto the plane.
AY108, TLL - HEL, OH-ATM, ATR72-500
The same plane that took me from HEL to TLL a few days ago greeted me again.
I was certain that the seat map showed Row 18 as the exit row so grabbed that seat in advance. However, when I boarded, one of the cabin crew members told me that my assigned seat was broken and asked me to take the aisle seat. I said that was fine. The captain came over and said that he expected a lot of wind on the way to Helsinki.......great! Anyway, after a short wait for the last bags to be loaded, we pushed back, the props started whirring away and we took off for the short sub 20 min flight to Helsinki. Because of the short duration of this flight, there's no service of any kind on board.
As soon as we were up, we were coming down into a snowy Helsinki.
After a bumpy landing, we got the bus into the terminal and then I headed through passport control and into the Finnair Premium lounge. I love this lounge - some great comfy seats with views of the parking stands, excellent food and drinks selection. But first, a quick snap of this beauty!
I found one of the reclining comfy white chairs and went to the bar to get a glass of fizz in my favourite glasses!
Some tasty nibbles
Around 5pm, my flight showed as boarding. I went to the gate and had to wait ages before the bus took us out the the plane. Some good spotting on the way to our plane!
AY995, HEL - LHR, OH-LXK, A320
I lucked out and had the whole bulkhead row to myself which was great. There were 6 rows of business class today. We sat for a while while boarding completed. The captain came on to inform us that they just realised that one of the front tyres had a puncture so we had to have it changed before we could take off and that we could expect a delay of 30 mins.
This was where Finnair exceeded my expectations.
One of the business class cabin crew appeared with a drinks tray with champagne, water and juice. I grabbed a champagne and sipped it while waiting for the tyre to be changed.
Glasses were collected. New glasses were offered because "it is taking slightly longer than we thought to change the tyre". Small bags of pretzels were also offered. I imagine that the economy passengers were none too impressed - hah!!
Anyway, eventually, a van appeared at the side of the plane and I could feel some movement at the front.
Then door was then shut. The door was then opened and the captain went down, presumably to check the tyre. He came back onboard and the door was shut. Then we waited a while. Then more top ups were given.....
Bye broken wheel!
We ended up moving about an hour later than we should have. However, I was EXTREMELY impressed with how Finnair handled the delay. I very much doubt that any cabin crew on BA would have been so pro active as the Finnair crew were.
The sun was close to disappearing so we were up for a great sunset as we took off.
The baby who took me from LHR to HEL a few days ago was off to BKK.
Bye bye HEL!
After a 180 degree right turn, the airport came into sight to the right of the plane - it looked great.
Another great meal from Finnair - some salmon pate type thing and a chicken and mushroom dish - both were very tasty.
Finished off with a few whiskies.
Crew were excellent. Kept walking around the cabin and giving refills along with pretzels.
I was getting slightly worried about my connection at T5 bearing in mind that I had to connect from T3. We had to circle over London for a while before we landed at Heathrow but were rewarded with some great views of the city.
And a great Instagram shot!
An announcement was made that those passengers connecting to Aberdeen (3 of us) should see the member of staff at the aircraft door and get an Express Connection ticket thing. After landing, we took a while to taxi and once off the plane, I charged through to the bus across to T5. The express connection ticket did not much. We had to wait 15 mins for the bus to arrive and got to T5 at about 7.45pm - 40 mins before departure. I power walked to flight connections in T5 (where they told me that the flight was boarding) and went up to security. Security was quick enough and I ran down to A2. I guessed that there was no chance my case would make it but I just wanted to get onto the flight. When I got to the gate, it just said "Please Wait" - agh - the run was for nothing! I nipped up to the Galleries Club lounge and grabbed a drink while I waited and had a plate of pasta. After about 20 mins, the flight started boarding.
The ABZ flight was uneventful. I didn't take advantage of BA's lovely new buy on board menu and opted to listen to some music instead. After an hour or so, I was back into a rainy Aberdeen and, to my amazement, my case was first off the carousel!
I had a great weekend in Tallinn. It's a really cute city with some superb architecture. I have booked another trip back there in December to see the Christmas markets. I hope that the A350 is still on the LHR - HEL rotation when the next trip comes around!
Thanks for reading and for the new follows on Instagram!
Mar 10, 2017, 1:54 pm
#21
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Helsinki
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 406
Thanks for a nice report.
Its good to hear a positive review of Finnair for a change. Finnair, like BA, has gone through various "enhancements" in their in flight product. Still, on a good day with a proactive senior purser, intra-european business class flight with Finnair can be a very pleasant experience. Like mine today from Zurich to Helsinki. They should have kept the menus, though.
Its good to hear a positive review of Finnair for a change. Finnair, like BA, has gone through various "enhancements" in their in flight product. Still, on a good day with a proactive senior purser, intra-european business class flight with Finnair can be a very pleasant experience. Like mine today from Zurich to Helsinki. They should have kept the menus, though.
Mar 11, 2017, 8:42 am
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin
Posts: 3,060
Thanks for a nice report.
Its good to hear a positive review of Finnair for a change. Finnair, like BA, has gone through various "enhancements" in their in flight product. Still, on a good day with a proactive senior purser, intra-european business class flight with Finnair can be a very pleasant experience. Like mine today from Zurich to Helsinki. They should have kept the menus, though.
Its good to hear a positive review of Finnair for a change. Finnair, like BA, has gone through various "enhancements" in their in flight product. Still, on a good day with a proactive senior purser, intra-european business class flight with Finnair can be a very pleasant experience. Like mine today from Zurich to Helsinki. They should have kept the menus, though.
^ Thanks madfish - glad you enjoyed!
Agree florens - a nice way to get a few TPs
Thank you
Mar 11, 2017, 10:38 am
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: AA EXP/LTP, BA GGL/CCR/GfL, HH D/LTD, SPG/MR Plat/LTP
Posts: 10,075
Thanks for an enjoyable TR. Just like you, I'm amazed at the now renovated Tallin Old town architecture. It's a friendly and very wery welcoming city as well.
Thanks for sharing.^
Thanks for sharing.^
Mar 11, 2017, 11:38 am
#27
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Rhineland-Palatinate
Programs: *A Gold (A3), HHonor Gold
Posts: 5,682
Thanks for a very nice TR. Tallinn looks very nice and interesting. I am looking forward to be there in 8 weeks.
As for Finnair I find them enjoyable in J on short and long haul. Even economy is OK enough. HEL is a good transfer airport.
As for Finnair I find them enjoyable in J on short and long haul. Even economy is OK enough. HEL is a good transfer airport.
Mar 11, 2017, 11:39 am
#28
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Middle of Nowhere
Programs: Lowly BAEC Bronze, VS, IHG Platinum, HHonors Gold, Hotels.com Gold
Posts: 231
Excellent! Thanks for sharing. Particularly for the restaurant suggestions. I'm now looking forward even more to treating my OH on this little jaunt in June .
.
