Finnair (AY) Award Availability
Nov 7, 2018, 11:08 am
#61
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Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
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So I'd say finding AY availability from SEA will be very hard indeed. Even harder than SE Asia.
Has anyone managed to find any award space for those dates?
Nov 9, 2018, 8:32 pm
#67
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So... is it just me, or, are these redemption rates kind of high for what is a really, really, really crappy airline?
I'll save my miles for CX and JL premium cabins, I think. Cheap cash rates to Europe are easy to find on discount airlines (Finnair isn't really discount in price... just in quality)
Having said that, if you really need to get from SFO to HEL (which I do, occasionally) Finnair does have a seasonal direct route that saves a lot of time. But every other option is just so much better... just not direct.
I'll save my miles for CX and JL premium cabins, I think. Cheap cash rates to Europe are easy to find on discount airlines (Finnair isn't really discount in price... just in quality)
Having said that, if you really need to get from SFO to HEL (which I do, occasionally) Finnair does have a seasonal direct route that saves a lot of time. But every other option is just so much better... just not direct.
Nov 9, 2018, 9:08 pm
#68
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For that matter, what are your choices for Asia-Europe with AS miles? CX out of HKG IF you can find it (you often can't) is your other choice, but you don't get to go anywhere other than HKG, and your choices in Europe are OK, but limited (AY has access to second and third tier cities CX will never serve).
Anyways, Condor would be charging me $1700 o/w FRA-SEA on dates I need to go one way from Europe to Seattle on. Not affordable to me right now, thanks.
Nov 9, 2018, 10:05 pm
#69
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Where exactly does AS have amazing airlines for USA-EU premium cabin award redemptions? I mean, DE? BA? AA? I guess if you want to hand over six digits of AS miles you can fly EK J or EK F, but that's a lot of cheddar and a significant detour to DXB (unless you can make the fifth freedoms to MXP/ATH work I guess).
For that matter, what are your choices for Asia-Europe with AS miles? CX out of HKG IF you can find it (you often can't) is your other choice, but you don't get to go anywhere other than HKG, and your choices in Europe are OK, but limited (AY has access to second and third tier cities CX will never serve).
Anyways, Condor would be charging me $1700 o/w FRA-SEA on dates I need to go one way from Europe to Seattle on. Not affordable to me right now, thanks.
For that matter, what are your choices for Asia-Europe with AS miles? CX out of HKG IF you can find it (you often can't) is your other choice, but you don't get to go anywhere other than HKG, and your choices in Europe are OK, but limited (AY has access to second and third tier cities CX will never serve).
Anyways, Condor would be charging me $1700 o/w FRA-SEA on dates I need to go one way from Europe to Seattle on. Not affordable to me right now, thanks.
On the US-Europe flights they have lie flats, but they are SUPER narrow... the width of an economy seat. I could not lie down on my back because my shoulders were wider than the seat.
Intra-europe is even worse. "Business Class" is not even a different cabin. It's just the front few econ rows with no one in the middle seat. It's literally an economy seat.
Again, my only point is that, for that many miles, I expect a premium product. 70k miles is a lot.
Nov 9, 2018, 10:44 pm
#70
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It’s the same price you would pay in UA miles flying LO/SK/SN J. Or LH. Not exactly world-beating J.
The thing is that the aberration is AS pricing for CX/JL J/F, not for Europe (though AA to Asia 1 isn’t terrible). In 2018 it’s six digits for F across an ocean one way in a lot of programs. In 2011 I did an RTW in F for 120k miles, with a stopover. AS pricing for CX hasn’t changed much at all since 2012 (Australia went up 10k miles in F), but everyone else is blowing up their chart. Enjoy it while it lasts.
The thing is that the aberration is AS pricing for CX/JL J/F, not for Europe (though AA to Asia 1 isn’t terrible). In 2018 it’s six digits for F across an ocean one way in a lot of programs. In 2011 I did an RTW in F for 120k miles, with a stopover. AS pricing for CX hasn’t changed much at all since 2012 (Australia went up 10k miles in F), but everyone else is blowing up their chart. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Nov 10, 2018, 9:48 am
#71
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I agree that a devaluation is probably coming. But until then, 70k AS miles has a lot of value.
I guess it also depends on how many you have. If you have so many that you can't spend them all then I guess getting any value at all is worthwhile.
Have you flown Finnair? You refer to it as a "premium cabin". While it does, indeed, have a "business class" label on it... it's not premium in any sense of the word. If it's your first time, you might be disappointed.
By the way... I've also flown IcelandAir to Helsinki ("Saga"... their business class). That's 55k miles and, while it's not a lie-flat, IMO it's a much better product than Finnair. The seats were wide and very comfortable. I would choose that over Finnair in a second (even paying a bit to reposition within Europe if I had to -- I don't know where you're leaving from)
I guess it also depends on how many you have. If you have so many that you can't spend them all then I guess getting any value at all is worthwhile.
Have you flown Finnair? You refer to it as a "premium cabin". While it does, indeed, have a "business class" label on it... it's not premium in any sense of the word. If it's your first time, you might be disappointed.
By the way... I've also flown IcelandAir to Helsinki ("Saga"... their business class). That's 55k miles and, while it's not a lie-flat, IMO it's a much better product than Finnair. The seats were wide and very comfortable. I would choose that over Finnair in a second (even paying a bit to reposition within Europe if I had to -- I don't know where you're leaving from)
Nov 10, 2018, 10:55 am
#72
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I’m flying them on an A350/E90 BKK-HEL-HAJ. Not bookable on CX.
Their A350 in J is the same seat as other airlines like QR use, reverse herringbone lie flat with aisle access. I don’t get the impression they are the worst airline ever from trip reports. I believe this was written by FT member @MatthewLAX.
https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea....-class-review/
I guess I’ll find out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Their A350 in J is the same seat as other airlines like QR use, reverse herringbone lie flat with aisle access. I don’t get the impression they are the worst airline ever from trip reports. I believe this was written by FT member @MatthewLAX.
https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea....-class-review/
I guess I’ll find out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Last edited by eponymous_coward; Nov 10, 2018 at 11:01 am
Nov 10, 2018, 11:03 am
#73
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,841
I agree that a devaluation is probably coming. But until then, 70k AS miles has a lot of value.
I guess it also depends on how many you have. If you have so many that you can't spend them all then I guess getting any value at all is worthwhile.
Have you flown Finnair? You refer to it as a "premium cabin". While it does, indeed, have a "business class" label on it... it's not premium in any sense of the word. If it's your first time, you might be disappointed.
By the way... I've also flown IcelandAir to Helsinki ("Saga"... their business class). That's 55k miles and, while it's not a lie-flat, IMO it's a much better product than Finnair. The seats were wide and very comfortable. I would choose that over Finnair in a second (even paying a bit to reposition within Europe if I had to -- I don't know where you're leaving from)
I guess it also depends on how many you have. If you have so many that you can't spend them all then I guess getting any value at all is worthwhile.
Have you flown Finnair? You refer to it as a "premium cabin". While it does, indeed, have a "business class" label on it... it's not premium in any sense of the word. If it's your first time, you might be disappointed.
By the way... I've also flown IcelandAir to Helsinki ("Saga"... their business class). That's 55k miles and, while it's not a lie-flat, IMO it's a much better product than Finnair. The seats were wide and very comfortable. I would choose that over Finnair in a second (even paying a bit to reposition within Europe if I had to -- I don't know where you're leaving from)
I guess everything is subjective. No way do I think FI > AY in business. I've flown the Finnair 350 and 330 several times, and I'll take it any day over BA, DE, or FI in business. I rate AA slightly better, and EK significantly better on the 380. Also, your intra-Europe complaints are understandable, but that's the norm.Partner options to Europe are very weak with Alaska.
Nov 10, 2018, 12:43 pm
#74
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I flew in business class direct SFO-HEL, 2 summers ago. I don't remember what plane it was and I certainly don't know what seat it was. It's a seasonal route (summer only). Maybe they have a better product on other planes? Or maybe I'm just less tolerant of narrow seats than others. My shoulders are broad, though not ridiculously so. A 42-inch suit is a perfect fit for me. I really feel that I should fit in a business class seat without having to rotate to my side.
Also, when the seat is flat, there is a high, solid center console where the middle seat would be if it was economy, so there is no room for overhang. It's like you are in a box... you either fit or you don't. If you fit comfortably (width-wise) in an economy seat you will be fine. If you encroach onto the armrest in an econ seat, you won't fit.
Also, when the seat is flat, there is a high, solid center console where the middle seat would be if it was economy, so there is no room for overhang. It's like you are in a box... you either fit or you don't. If you fit comfortably (width-wise) in an economy seat you will be fine. If you encroach onto the armrest in an econ seat, you won't fit.
Last edited by VegasGambler; Nov 10, 2018 at 1:07 pm
Nov 10, 2018, 12:55 pm
#75
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That’s the A330. They’re using Thompson Vantage like LX on their older A340s and AA/DL on the 763/764. It can be a bit confining for some; I didn’t mind on AA’s 763 or the LX A340 (I flew the last A340 out of BKK, it went 77W the next day- I did have a “throne” seat though).
https://thepointsguy.com/2016/10/fin...siness-review/
https://thepointsguy.com/2016/10/fin...siness-review/