AY Schengen lounge at HEL

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Jun 27, 2019, 8:39 am

#406

FFlash

Join Date: Nov 2013

Location: HEL

Programs: AY, SK, TK

Posts: 7,602

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Size

Spend some hours in the lounge, and it was quite interesting how a nice lounge with decent offerings (great cold smoked salmon) turned into a total zoo. And just before the crowds came in the salmon was gone. I never experinced at normal times (only when transiting) so it looks the lounge is quite decent if not totally packed.

True. It is a nice enjoyable Lounge at odd hours, but a messy Zoo at peak hours.
Zoo becomes when lots of Ay pax connecting and they just want to grab a bite being frugal. I wonder if AY in fact would Improve the concept ( and save money) if they offered a take-away snack for those quickhordes of grab-and-go frugals, tgereby improving the lounge quality by easening the burden and in fact also minimizing overheads involved in all visits vs takeaway bite. Win-win.

vulle, Steve_Hun and EuroFlash like this.

Jun 28, 2019, 2:58 am

#407

FFlash

Join Date: Nov 2013

Location: HEL

Programs: AY, SK, TK

Posts: 7,602

Again here. And odd hours, lycky me, since the atmosfere is fairly tranquil and food option renewed (improved) since last visits (which started to go downhill).
happy camper today. Just hate that walk from gate 5 = ”too late-to-be Lumo - no more nice BMW rides from stand arrivals”

FinExplorer and Dieselross like this.

Jul 19, 2019, 8:47 pm

#408

kanamurva

Join Date: Jul 2018

Location: Helsinki

Programs: AY+ Plat basic

Posts: 430

Greetings from the 0530 opening. They serve some smoked salmon which is damn good! Enough greasy and juicy. Easily top 10 % in salmons imo. Bravo!

Jul 22, 2019, 1:40 am

#409

ffay005

Join Date: Sep 2005

Location: HEL

Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels

Posts: 8,758

I'm currently in the Schengen lounge, and the food is absolutely terrible. Elementary school cafeteria style macaroni casserole, with even less meat than back in elementary school. Some kind of meatballesque lentil balls and cream potatoes.

I asked about some cheese or cold cuts, but no.

I'm glad I only have a two-hour flight and can have lunch on arrival.

Edit: lunch on board instead. Flight overbooked, got my first ever opup as AY Plat. The food is good, gravlax starter, chicken breast (no choice of mains) and apple pie. ^

FFlash likes this.

Last edited by ffay005; Jul 22, 2019 at 3:40 am

Jul 22, 2019, 8:16 am

#410

Furry

Join Date: Dec 2013

Programs: AY+ Plat, A3*G

Posts: 672

Quote:

Originally Posted by ffay005

Fully agree on the casserole - even when you could find some parts of meat or meatlike substance it was grey, tasteless piece of something. Usually I find the food in Schengen lounge quite nice but not at this time.

Apparentaly the lentil balls were finished by the afternoon and they had substituted veggie-option with basic vegetable meatballs tagged as ”falafel” 🤔 You know those traditional veggie balls without any spices and seasoning.

ffay005 likes this.

Jul 30, 2019, 10:42 am

#411

kanamurva

Join Date: Jul 2018

Location: Helsinki

Programs: AY+ Plat basic

Posts: 430

I'll be flying to TXL with a friend and 2 kids (5yo each, one mine, one friend's). Will we all be able to enter the shengen lounge with my gold? I've previously had no problems with a guest + my own kid but was wondering if the other kid would pose problems.

Is the situation any different in TXL lounge?

Jul 30, 2019, 12:40 pm

#412

miamiflyer8

Join Date: May 2015

Location: ATL/MCO

Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red

Posts: 5,665

Quote:

Originally Posted by kanamurva

Not a problem at HEL as the rules state one companion plus kids under 18.

TXL or any other outstation is tricky as the website doesn't clearly state if it's HEL only or other outstations, it only lists the exception "* Only one guest per passenger in the airport lounges in Miami and New York. "...

When I traveled as a group from TXL 4/5 of us had access and they reluctantly allowed a toddler with us so YMMV.

kanamurva likes this.

Aug 26, 2019, 2:00 pm

#413

ffay005

Join Date: Sep 2005

Location: HEL

Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels

Posts: 8,758

What kind of hot food do they have at the lounge this week? Flying at noon tomorrow, and I'm trying to decide whether to skip the lounge altogether (macaroni casserole) or have an early lunch there.

Aug 27, 2019, 2:39 am

#414

ffay005

Join Date: Sep 2005

Location: HEL

Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels

Posts: 8,758

Meat loaf and potato wedges. Quite edible. ^

Steve_Hun likes this.

Aug 27, 2019, 8:31 am

#415

Furry

Join Date: Dec 2013

Programs: AY+ Plat, A3*G

Posts: 672

Quote:

Originally Posted by ffay005

Meat loaf and potato wedges. Quite edible. ^

Plus falafel for vegans ^ Meat loaf was good.

florens likes this.

Sep 3, 2019, 1:34 pm

#416

Furry

Join Date: Dec 2013

Programs: AY+ Plat, A3*G

Posts: 672

Quote:

Originally Posted by ffay005

Meat loaf and potato wedges. Quite edible. ^

By the way same food this week, both in the afternoon and evening service.

Sep 3, 2019, 1:39 pm

#417

ffay005

Join Date: Sep 2005

Location: HEL

Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels

Posts: 8,758

Quote:

Originally Posted by Furry

By the way same food this week, both in the afternoon and evening service.

Yeah, I noticed that on Monday. But they had a different sauce this week!

Sep 6, 2019, 12:20 pm

#418

FFlash

Join Date: Nov 2013

Location: HEL

Programs: AY, SK, TK

Posts: 7,602

Tried areival loundging here.

”can I enter as Lumo on areival BP?
-erh, I dont know...to be honest (confused look)
”yes I have heard some contradicory sources so I just wanted to veridy what is the policy”
-wait a sec, I will check with our manager (goes off)
-(coming back) my manager is not here but yes it is confusing I dont know what is the policy
”no problem I just wanted to know the policy and I have some time to wait so I checked
-(waving again to another agent, and off she goes to chat and I see an accepting wave of hands) okay sir welcome in but we dont know the policy
”could U find out and tell me later so I know”
- yes I will try to find the answer

florens, spek and emulator like this.

Sep 6, 2019, 1:08 pm

#419

intuition

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: 14,183

I think Lumos are so important that they don't even have a policy. Any policy would just limit them in the above-and-beyond service they offer.

Next time, ask policy about complimentary shoe shine, back rub, gopher service and so on. Just pretend you heard someone else talk about such a policy and you might get lucky!

florens likes this.

Sep 6, 2019, 5:08 pm

#420

miamiflyer8

Join Date: May 2015

Location: ATL/MCO

Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red

Posts: 5,665

Quote:

Originally Posted by FFlash

Did you arrive on an AY flight? As it sounds weird to not allow a Lumo arriving on AY but instead allow them departing on non-OW carriers.
Instead of having complex rules for Lumo there would be just one policy: No bp required and Lumo may always enter upon presentation of physical card plus 4 adult guests and kids under 18. This way they could never screw up lounge entry.

To my knowledge there is no policy or law that forbids the traveling public lingering airside HEL so access on arrival shouldn't be an issue in that sense.