Last edit by: Steve_Hun
Beware of codeshares!
If you decide to book a codeshare, no matter how seamless the airlines’ marketing departments make it sound, the following will apply:
Points and miles accrual:
Sometimes, a codeshare might be a good alternative pointswise.
Please note that the calculator at AY.com doesn't work for codeshare flights. You can select "Finnair Codeshare" as carrier, but it does not recognize status bonuses or ticket types (Basic/Value etc) even though you will get status bonus when crediting to AY+, and to some codeshare destinations, AY ticket types are available.
If you’re on AY flight number, you will always earn AY+ points, regardless of carrier. In the 100 % category you earn 1 point / km. In J, you earn the usual 200 % regardless of carrier. You will also earn the usual status bonus.
In some cases (seemingly in cases where the destination is served by both AY and partner metal), you may earn points according to zones.
If you’re on AY flight number and your flight is OW-operated, you will earn points/miles in all OW programmes according to said programme’s AY earning table.
If you’re on OW flight number and AY metal, you will earn AY+ points or points/miles in all OW programmes according to said programme’s earning table of your ticketed airline.
However, if you’re on *A flight number and AY metal, you will earn zero points in any programme (CA, TP). QUESTION: Is this really true? If you’re on HEL-PEK and CA flight number, will you at least earn points in the CA programme? Or in the TP programme for HEL-LIS?
Seat assignments:
Hit and miss depending on the airlines involved, the agent you talk to and other random criteria. Often, it won’t work at all, but sometimes a good agent manages to assign a seat. (At OLCI, will you be given a random seat, or is there a choice? Are many seats blocked at T-36?)
Economy Comfort on longhauls:
Not available to codeshare pax. Not for free for Platinums, and not against a charge for anyone. (Are these seats blocked at OLCI?) Sometimes, Y+ seats are sold at check-in, the gate or on the plane before departure. These are most likely available to codeshare pax. Can anyone confirm?
Pre-order meals in J:
Not available at MMB. A good agent will be able to assign a meal if you call (maybe chat, too).
Special meals (Y or J):
Works normally, however, one might need to contact CS.
Pre-order inflight sales:
Works normally.
Upgrades:
Not available on codeshare. You will need AY metal and AY flight number. The only exception would be a paid upgrade at the airport. See https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/finnair-finnair-plus/1842907-big-upgrade-thread-all-you-need-know-about-ay-upgrades.html for details.
OLCI:
Used to be problematic but this is mostly solved. You can OLCI at AY.com for AY-operated flights regardless of the flight number. The AY system recognizes all sorts of booking references and you may enter eg. your AA record locator on the AY check-in page.
What about AY flight numbers on other carriers? Do all carriers allow OLCI and recognize the AY/Amadeus booking ref?
Lounge access:
If you’re on OW metal and OW flight number, no problems. You may enter based on OW status or J ticket.
If you’re on AY flight number but non-OW metal, or if you’re on non-OW flight number and AY metal, you may or may not have lounge access. A list would be great.
- French domestic flights operated by AF, with AY flight number, will gain lounge access at CDG (what about other French airports?)
Schedule changes:
When the operating carrier makes a schedule change or cancellation, the ticketing carrier should be the one that you deal with. But this is not always the case, and airlines seem to accuse one another, and sometimes no one takes responsibility if the alternative you are presented with is not satisfactory.
IRROPS:
No experience. For last minute IRROPS, the operating carrier shuld be responsible.
If you decide to book a codeshare, no matter how seamless the airlines’ marketing departments make it sound, the following will apply:
Points and miles accrual:
Sometimes, a codeshare might be a good alternative pointswise.
Please note that the calculator at AY.com doesn't work for codeshare flights. You can select "Finnair Codeshare" as carrier, but it does not recognize status bonuses or ticket types (Basic/Value etc) even though you will get status bonus when crediting to AY+, and to some codeshare destinations, AY ticket types are available.
If you’re on AY flight number, you will always earn AY+ points, regardless of carrier. In the 100 % category you earn 1 point / km. In J, you earn the usual 200 % regardless of carrier. You will also earn the usual status bonus.
In some cases (seemingly in cases where the destination is served by both AY and partner metal), you may earn points according to zones.
If you’re on AY flight number and your flight is OW-operated, you will earn points/miles in all OW programmes according to said programme’s AY earning table.
If you’re on OW flight number and AY metal, you will earn AY+ points or points/miles in all OW programmes according to said programme’s earning table of your ticketed airline.
However, if you’re on *A flight number and AY metal, you will earn zero points in any programme (CA, TP). QUESTION: Is this really true? If you’re on HEL-PEK and CA flight number, will you at least earn points in the CA programme? Or in the TP programme for HEL-LIS?
Seat assignments:
Hit and miss depending on the airlines involved, the agent you talk to and other random criteria. Often, it won’t work at all, but sometimes a good agent manages to assign a seat. (At OLCI, will you be given a random seat, or is there a choice? Are many seats blocked at T-36?)
Economy Comfort on longhauls:
Not available to codeshare pax. Not for free for Platinums, and not against a charge for anyone. (Are these seats blocked at OLCI?) Sometimes, Y+ seats are sold at check-in, the gate or on the plane before departure. These are most likely available to codeshare pax. Can anyone confirm?
Pre-order meals in J:
Not available at MMB. A good agent will be able to assign a meal if you call (maybe chat, too).
Special meals (Y or J):
Works normally, however, one might need to contact CS.
Pre-order inflight sales:
Works normally.
Upgrades:
Not available on codeshare. You will need AY metal and AY flight number. The only exception would be a paid upgrade at the airport. See https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/finnair-finnair-plus/1842907-big-upgrade-thread-all-you-need-know-about-ay-upgrades.html for details.
OLCI:
Used to be problematic but this is mostly solved. You can OLCI at AY.com for AY-operated flights regardless of the flight number. The AY system recognizes all sorts of booking references and you may enter eg. your AA record locator on the AY check-in page.
What about AY flight numbers on other carriers? Do all carriers allow OLCI and recognize the AY/Amadeus booking ref?
Lounge access:
If you’re on OW metal and OW flight number, no problems. You may enter based on OW status or J ticket.
If you’re on AY flight number but non-OW metal, or if you’re on non-OW flight number and AY metal, you may or may not have lounge access. A list would be great.
- French domestic flights operated by AF, with AY flight number, will gain lounge access at CDG (what about other French airports?)
Schedule changes:
When the operating carrier makes a schedule change or cancellation, the ticketing carrier should be the one that you deal with. But this is not always the case, and airlines seem to accuse one another, and sometimes no one takes responsibility if the alternative you are presented with is not satisfactory.
IRROPS:
No experience. For last minute IRROPS, the operating carrier shuld be responsible.
Current disadvantages on code share flights
#136
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2
Posts: 3,620
#137
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,745
#138
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
#139
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: C2
Programs: AY ex-Lumo, TK Elite, BT VIP, ITA Executive
Posts: 1,157
#142
Ambassador: Finnair
Join Date: May 2003
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Lumo, BA Silver, HHonors Gold
Posts: 4,267
I'm somewhat confused about these ongoing issues and questions around OW seat assignments with AY codeshares. The strange thing is that for my recent (AY codes, AY tickets) codeshares with BA there is a different record locator for BA, the AY one won't work. For another booking where mix of 3 = AY/AA/BA (again, all AY coded) there's then the 3rd for AA, as always. Maybe my memory is fading too fast but I remember in the past the same PNR worked for both AY & BA. Anyway, as long as one has got the correct PNRs, the seat selection is very smooth. AY chat is very quick way of obtaining the correct PNRs when needed. The automatic links never seem to work so but entering the _correct_ PNR manually = always works.
#144
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,745
Has anyone booked QR metal flights with AY codes? I am thinking of doing this as it is several hundred euros cheaper (in Y) than with QR codes.
Does (free) seat selection work on the QR-operated legs if I have an AY flight number?
Does (free) seat selection work on the QR-operated legs if I have an AY flight number?
#145
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Plat Lumo, SK Gold
Posts: 954
When QR operated the HEL flights themselves, there was no issue at all selecting the seats. The AY PNR worked in QR MMB and seats could be selected just like it would be a QR booking. Also selecting PE seats on the ex-CX 77W's was complimentary as OWE. AY-ticketed customers on QR could also access Plaza Premium in HEL (which I enjoyed when the Plat Wing was still closed).
Once there was a schedule change, when QR reduced their frequencies to HEL, and I got auto-rebooked on the flight from DOH to HEL 24 hours later with a 26 h layover in DOH. AY WhatsApp was able the change all of my flights (I moved the whole trip by one day), but they said that QR is stingy in changes like this and they have to contact the "other department" to check if the change can be done. They got back to me a few hours later and I got the flights I had asked for.
I'm right now having the first trip where the HEL flights are operated by Finnair. I bought the ticket right after the AY co-operation was announced, so the systems hadn't yet been updated with the new flights and I could select seats for the whole itinerary on QR MMB (with the HEL flights still showing the seat map of a QR 788). After the HEL flights were changed to AY in the systems, I went to AY MMB and selected seats for the AY flights. I then waitlisted for an upgrade on the inbound AY flight. Then there was a minor inconvenience: QR changed the schedule and aircraft type on one of their flights, making me lose my pre-assigned seat. The flight time was moved by 3 hours, moving it from right before midnight to shortly after midnight. Well, AY systems decided to keep me on the same flight of my original booking date, i.e. moved me to a flight taking place 21 hours earlier (as the system thought it's the same flight I booked, it's still AY6xxx on Feb x'th) and giving me a 27 h layover in DOH. AY WhatsApp was able to move me to the flight with the same flight number 24 h later. I have a Y Flex ticket and to my surprise the agent informed me that the flight is now 20 euros cheaper, so she refunded me the difference. I tried then going to QR MMB to select seats on the new flight. I could see the seat maps for the QR flights, but saving the seat selection was not possible. I don't know whether it's because some of the flights are AY operated or because I have a waitlisted upgrade on the last flight. Well, I contacted AY WhatsApp to assign me my preferred seat (which I had looked up on the seat map in QR MMB) and they could do it.
Last edited by r2d2; Feb 8, 2023 at 3:54 am
#147
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,745
I went ahead and booked flights to SEZ. All with AY codes. For the QR legs, I was able to assign any seat, including extra legroom seats, for free, on the QR website.
#148
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Plat Lumo, SK Gold
Posts: 954
Enjoy SEZ!
I'm getting off-topic here, but out of interest I checked what the flights to SEZ cost nowadays from HEL. Seems that the prices on AY start from about 1000 e. As a comparison, I went to SEZ in March 2019 with Mrs. r2d2 and I just checked that the flights on BA were 922 e total for the two of us. Back then I regretted buying that fare, because a few weeks later they sold the same flights in J for about 1200 e pp.
I'm getting off-topic here, but out of interest I checked what the flights to SEZ cost nowadays from HEL. Seems that the prices on AY start from about 1000 e. As a comparison, I went to SEZ in March 2019 with Mrs. r2d2 and I just checked that the flights on BA were 922 e total for the two of us. Back then I regretted buying that fare, because a few weeks later they sold the same flights in J for about 1200 e pp.
#149
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,745
Thanks! 1200 in J would have been a steal! Yeah, I paid 1003 EUR. Y Classic. I think the price is okay considering current price levels, and the QR leg is only 4+ hours so Y will be just fine. One can always hope that there are few OWEs on this route and that Y is heavily overbooked
#150
Join Date: Feb 2023
Location: WAW
Posts: 7
After booking a WAW-JFK in eco with AY via AA website, I went to AY app to make seat reservations. The flight was scheduled with A350, however the seat map in app and on the website clearly showed A330 layout.
AY’s CS agent I contacted via live chat feature confirmed that the leg is indeed flown on A350 and offered make a seat selection for me. According to him, the issue was caused by booking via AA.
He asked me, whether I fancied an extra legroom seat, I however opted for a regular window+middle seats since I couldn’t justify a ~200€ fee. Surprisingly I ended up with row 41 booked and an invoice for a regular seat.
I hope it was AY’s courtesy and not an agent’s mistake.
Funnily enough, the equipment got eventually changed to A330, but the seat reservations remained, and the row 41 is the exit row there as well.
AY’s CS agent I contacted via live chat feature confirmed that the leg is indeed flown on A350 and offered make a seat selection for me. According to him, the issue was caused by booking via AA.
He asked me, whether I fancied an extra legroom seat, I however opted for a regular window+middle seats since I couldn’t justify a ~200€ fee. Surprisingly I ended up with row 41 booked and an invoice for a regular seat.
I hope it was AY’s courtesy and not an agent’s mistake.
Funnily enough, the equipment got eventually changed to A330, but the seat reservations remained, and the row 41 is the exit row there as well.