Feb 6, 2017, 2:07 am
Last edit by: lkrt
Here we try to keep an up-to-date list of who-goes-where. Finnair may have tuned the boarding groups since the first introduction, so some entries here are not confirmed.
Pre-boarding (those in need of assistance, UM, travellers with children of any age)
Group 1: J-pax, AY Lumo, AY Plat, Oneworld Emerald
Group 2: AY Gold, Oneworld Sapphire
Group 3: AY Silver, Oneworld Ruby
Group 4–5: Other customers, depending on seating
Assignment of group
Group is assigned based on ticket type and status of individual frequent flyer card attached to booking. All customers on the same booking are assigned the same group, i.e., based on the highest tier in the party.
The boarding groups are printed on paper boarding pass on every route with capital letters "GROUP 1". The group also appears on digital boarding passes.
Enforcement of Boarding order
Enforcement of groups is haphazard. Sometimes groups are called out, sometimes a call like "we invite our priority customers to board first or at any time". Groups are rarely checked on boarding though and on shorthaul no aids (like ribbons, signs) are used either. At HEL automatic boarding gates have been introduced which means "priority boarding" in now enforced.
Pre-boarding (those in need of assistance, UM, travellers with children of any age)
Group 1: J-pax, AY Lumo, AY Plat, Oneworld Emerald
Group 2: AY Gold, Oneworld Sapphire
Group 3: AY Silver, Oneworld Ruby
Group 4–5: Other customers, depending on seating
Assignment of group
Group is assigned based on ticket type and status of individual frequent flyer card attached to booking. All customers on the same booking are assigned the same group, i.e., based on the highest tier in the party.
The boarding groups are printed on paper boarding pass on every route with capital letters "GROUP 1". The group also appears on digital boarding passes.
Enforcement of Boarding order
Enforcement of groups is haphazard. Sometimes groups are called out, sometimes a call like "we invite our priority customers to board first or at any time". Groups are rarely checked on boarding though and on shorthaul no aids (like ribbons, signs) are used either. At HEL automatic boarding gates have been introduced which means "priority boarding" in now enforced.
Boarding groups - finally?
Sep 2, 2019, 4:59 am
#303
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+ Plat, EBG, FB Blue, Asante Platinum, AB Exec
Posts: 99
I haven't had much of these, but what I can remember is that boarding to bus waiting area is done by groups but then it means that you would have to stand in line by the door waiting for the bus for this to work. It usually still ends up in a sonnilauma when they open the doors to the bus.
Sep 2, 2019, 5:26 am
#304
Join Date: May 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Plat (OWE), SK EBG (*A Gold), KQ Plat (STE+), Accor Plat
Posts: 3,156
Sep 2, 2019, 6:33 am
#305
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,591
I haven't had much of these, but what I can remember is that boarding to bus waiting area is done by groups but then it means that you would have to stand in line by the door waiting for the bus for this to work. It usually still ends up in a sonnilauma when they open the doors to the bus.
Sep 2, 2019, 6:52 am
#306
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, GC Jade
Posts: 102
I haven't had much of these, but what I can remember is that boarding to bus waiting area is done by groups but then it means that you would have to stand in line by the door waiting for the bus for this to work. It usually still ends up in a sonnilauma when they open the doors to the bus.
Sep 16, 2019, 10:03 am
#309
Join Date: Aug 2019
Programs: AY+ Lumo, HH Diamond
Posts: 503
Groups typically enforced at MUC despite people loitering at the gate. I saw people with Group 4 blocking the entire gate unable to board and had to squeeze through the scrum.
Reminds me of the marshmallow experiment: have one immediately (instant gratification) or have two if willing to wait for 15 min. Clearly when it comes to boarding people prefer the former, which only calls for stricter enforcement.
Reminds me of the marshmallow experiment: have one immediately (instant gratification) or have two if willing to wait for 15 min. Clearly when it comes to boarding people prefer the former, which only calls for stricter enforcement.
Feb 24, 2020, 4:31 am
#310
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: Finnair (AY) Platinum, Air France Silver, Tallink Club One Silver :)
Posts: 1,655
Originally Posted by Finnair Customer Community e-mail
Hi!
We would like to thank all customer community members participated to our boarding study during January. For the boarding study we got record number of responses and there were over 700 participants to survey!
The information you shared with us in this study was extremely valuable. The detailed information concerning our own ways of conduct boarding with good and not-so-good examples and also sharing the information from the other airlines or even different industries. Some of the challenges we have in our knowledge already but we want to confirm that you, as our customers, see the challenge similar way. One the biggest theme in the study seem to be our lack of proper boarding control and enforcement i.e. group numbers consistently in all our stations. This is the issue we will certainly address with different ways.
We got many new ideas from your comments in the study which we will trial out during the spring time at Helsinki Airport. We will have series of boarding experiments where we will test different methods concerning the information given to customers and different boarding ways. The experiments will be conducted only on selected flights and those won’t be announced before hand to ensure the authentic test environment for trial. The following ideas from your comments in the study we will take in the experiments: a separate line for priority boarding through whole boarding and enhancing communication about boarding type (e.g. two-door boarding, bussing)
Once again we would like to say a big thank you for your participation and devotion to develop our services.
On behalf of Ground Experience team,
Timo, Hanne, Meri and Sami
We would like to thank all customer community members participated to our boarding study during January. For the boarding study we got record number of responses and there were over 700 participants to survey!
The information you shared with us in this study was extremely valuable. The detailed information concerning our own ways of conduct boarding with good and not-so-good examples and also sharing the information from the other airlines or even different industries. Some of the challenges we have in our knowledge already but we want to confirm that you, as our customers, see the challenge similar way. One the biggest theme in the study seem to be our lack of proper boarding control and enforcement i.e. group numbers consistently in all our stations. This is the issue we will certainly address with different ways.
We got many new ideas from your comments in the study which we will trial out during the spring time at Helsinki Airport. We will have series of boarding experiments where we will test different methods concerning the information given to customers and different boarding ways. The experiments will be conducted only on selected flights and those won’t be announced before hand to ensure the authentic test environment for trial. The following ideas from your comments in the study we will take in the experiments: a separate line for priority boarding through whole boarding and enhancing communication about boarding type (e.g. two-door boarding, bussing)
Once again we would like to say a big thank you for your participation and devotion to develop our services.
On behalf of Ground Experience team,
Timo, Hanne, Meri and Sami
Feb 24, 2020, 5:29 am
#312
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Switzerland
Programs: AY Plat (OWE), Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 3,037
This specific reply puzzles me: "One the biggest theme in the study seem to be our lack of proper boarding control and enforcement i.e. group numbers consistently in all our stations. This is the issue we will certainly address with different ways."
This can only mean 2 things:
1) The process has not been written down properly for gate agents to follow, and/or
2) Gate agents do not do their job properly as they are being paid to do
I'm a also a tad puzzled that no one from AY management (or whoever implemented the gate "rules") has had any random checks to make sure their process is in deed followed through, unless it's the same person in charge of point 1 from above...
Lots of other airlines have no problem in policing boarding procedures, so why cannot AY?
This can only mean 2 things:
1) The process has not been written down properly for gate agents to follow, and/or
2) Gate agents do not do their job properly as they are being paid to do
I'm a also a tad puzzled that no one from AY management (or whoever implemented the gate "rules") has had any random checks to make sure their process is in deed followed through, unless it's the same person in charge of point 1 from above...
Lots of other airlines have no problem in policing boarding procedures, so why cannot AY?
Feb 24, 2020, 6:32 am
#313
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,591
This specific reply puzzles me: "One the biggest theme in the study seem to be our lack of proper boarding control and enforcement i.e. group numbers consistently in all our stations. This is the issue we will certainly address with different ways."
This can only mean 2 things:
1) The process has not been written down properly for gate agents to follow, and/or
2) Gate agents do not do their job properly as they are being paid to do
I'm a also a tad puzzled that no one from AY management (or whoever implemented the gate "rules") has had any random checks to make sure their process is in deed followed through, unless it's the same person in charge of point 1 from above...
Lots of other airlines have no problem in policing boarding procedures, so why cannot AY?
This can only mean 2 things:
1) The process has not been written down properly for gate agents to follow, and/or
2) Gate agents do not do their job properly as they are being paid to do
I'm a also a tad puzzled that no one from AY management (or whoever implemented the gate "rules") has had any random checks to make sure their process is in deed followed through, unless it's the same person in charge of point 1 from above...
Lots of other airlines have no problem in policing boarding procedures, so why cannot AY?
Analogy: imagine do you have the energy and will to police kids in a cramped malspaced kindergarten? No way, you just want to slam them outdoors as fast as possible, just like at the airport
Feb 24, 2020, 6:59 am
#314
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,167
This specific reply puzzles me: "One the biggest theme in the study seem to be our lack of proper boarding control and enforcement i.e. group numbers consistently in all our stations. This is the issue we will certainly address with different ways."
This can only mean 2 things:
...
This can only mean 2 things:
...
So add infrastructure as one cause
And heck, if they can't make their own employees at Helsinki plat desk act like a normal human being, how could they manage gate-agents? So Add Finnair inability to lead and/or follow up on third-party staff performance in outstations.
Feb 24, 2020, 8:03 am
#315
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,737
While I appreciate the way they get back to you and let you know how they'll proceed, I find it surprising that this is written in such bad English. Don't they have anyone there to proofread what they send out?
I doubt Schengen boarding will get any better before they get more room. But hopefully the new check-in lobby will enable Finavia to move some of the shops and cafés further from the gates so they can actually introduce gate areas on the Schengen side as well. Now the "gate area" is basically just a podium and door sandwiched somewhere between a café and a clothing store.
I doubt Schengen boarding will get any better before they get more room. But hopefully the new check-in lobby will enable Finavia to move some of the shops and cafés further from the gates so they can actually introduce gate areas on the Schengen side as well. Now the "gate area" is basically just a podium and door sandwiched somewhere between a café and a clothing store.