This is no way, AY - things to improve [feedback thread]
Feb 24, 2016, 10:23 am
#122
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: Finnair (AY) Platinum, Air France Silver, Tallink Club One Silver :)
Posts: 1,655
Same reception area, but different entrance. If you turn right from the reception, you get to the normal, non-Schengen J lounge. If you turn left, you'll end up in the premium lounge.
Feb 24, 2016, 10:38 am
#123
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: 14,174
Once I was last in line of 4-5 people waiting to get checked in at HEL lounge on a day when no directions were given.. The first guy went to the left (I assume he was plat and knew where to go). The next three guys also all went to the left and I'm pretty sure they were not tier members. The agent just gave each of them a long look like "hey, you were supposed to go to the right, I hope you can feel my evil eye burning your back"...
By the way, don't be fooled by the name "preimum". It is not much better than the regular one.
In fact, I was surprised by your first post, as I never have seen anything as filling as pizza slizes on offer in the "premium" lounge. Just fancy cold cuts, soup and roasted potatoes.
Last edited by intuition; Feb 24, 2016 at 10:55 am
Feb 24, 2016, 10:54 am
#124
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: Finnair (AY) Platinum, Air France Silver, Tallink Club One Silver :)
Posts: 1,655
Last April I had really nice chicken kebabs in the premium lounge for lunch, but that was the last time a warm dish that "solid" was offered, whenever I was there.
Feb 24, 2016, 11:59 am
#125
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: 14,174
One saturday in november I spent 5 hours or so in the "preimum" lounge and at no time were there any hot food on offer. Lunch and early afternoons (similar timeframe as shareholder posted initially) are especially meagre.
The ordinary J lounge isn't that bad. (I can name a few BA first class lounges that are far worse.) If you hold premium expectations on the premium lounge though, you'll surely be disappointed.
Feb 24, 2016, 12:03 pm
#126
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 286
Also generally the hot food in the VIA Lounge is more varied, I´ve seen both chicken, meatballs etc there, thats never been seen on the left side...
Feb 24, 2016, 5:37 pm
#128
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Plat Lumo
Posts: 1,519
And yes, BA F lounges suck.
Feb 25, 2016, 12:45 am
#129
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: 14,174
Haha, yes I do love Finnair - but only when they depart and arrive on time, if I'm routed on a A350 with only 20 seats in J-cabin, preferably equipped with the vantage pro XL super duper seats (properly fixed to the airframe), departing from anywhere where there is a CX or QF first lounge, the purser greats me by name and manage to have an intelligent and/or amusing conversation with me while the perfectly cooked reindeer magically appears somewhere between smoothly mixed G&Ts. If there also is a true double-tier-points offer, the ticket was well below 1500€, they put me in boarding group 0 (which probaly includes personal jetbridge and rose petals) then colour me impressed and call me a fanboy!
Feb 25, 2016, 6:43 am
#131
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: Finnair (AY) Platinum, Air France Silver, Tallink Club One Silver :)
Posts: 1,655
Well done AY - positive feedback / thank you thread
or
AY+ elite (unofficial) "soft perks"?
Feb 25, 2016, 11:35 am
#132
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: oneworld, * Alliance, Marriott Bonvoy, HHonors, WoH
Posts: 2,120
Maybe but as I read from page 7 where a few posts is written about newspapers and recognition I posted it here,it is kind a thing to improve.But it match to AY+ elite (onfficial) soft perks as well because it is a random thing as I understood.
Feb 25, 2016, 6:04 pm
#133
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Atlanta, GA / San Francisco, CA
Programs: BA Gold, TK Elite Plus
Posts: 1,150
Sitting in the lounge by gate 37, I can't help but regard this as one of the worst international OW lounges around. The food selection (at 2p) is atrocious with meagre salad makings, soup and slices of pineapple pizza! No cookies or biscuits or rolls, just flat bread. The beer taps are either empty or not functioning properly only yielding foam (I'm a graduate of the Guinness pour school). The hard liquor is inaccessibie behind a bar, and the wine selection hardly worth mentioning. Nothing has improved since my last visit. And I thought AY used to have real J seats on its intra-Europe flights instead of the fold down middle seat table variety. Maybe AA isn't that bad afte rall?!
The beer taps foaming is user error. I don't know why they install these taps (I'd prefer them to have Japanese style automatic pour machines. Seeing people struggle with them is kinda funny though). But used correctly they will not foam.
Since Malev packed up, no OW airline in Europe has "real J seats" short haul.
Feb 26, 2016, 7:19 am
#134
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,598
Now I am assured that Finnair revenue management is utterly ***rded.
I had a SAS Plus refundable ticket CPH-HEL and I wanted to refund it and buy a one-way AY ticket (same price) 2 hours before takeoff. First of all, the AY website gave an error stating that the ticket has to be bought 4 hours before flight. Then called Plat line who confirmed this time window and said I need to call them. Okay then they told me that there would be the telephone booking fee, which I said are you serious you collect a telephone booking fee just because the website does not allow to book? yes. Then I asked nicely if they exempt from a Platinum whose pratriotism is to cancel a SAS ticket in favor for AY and be voided from the telephone booking fee. Consulting with supervisor. Came back with simple NO.
I ended with no thank you no, I will fly SAS after all. Not because I had lost some 35€, but for the principle.
This is THE thing AY needs to improve, get a bit smarter, take some "pelisilmä" hey. I have numerous cases like this that Finnair has either lost revenue opportunity or let me down with bad customer experience. Great going "^^"
I had a SAS Plus refundable ticket CPH-HEL and I wanted to refund it and buy a one-way AY ticket (same price) 2 hours before takeoff. First of all, the AY website gave an error stating that the ticket has to be bought 4 hours before flight. Then called Plat line who confirmed this time window and said I need to call them. Okay then they told me that there would be the telephone booking fee, which I said are you serious you collect a telephone booking fee just because the website does not allow to book? yes. Then I asked nicely if they exempt from a Platinum whose pratriotism is to cancel a SAS ticket in favor for AY and be voided from the telephone booking fee. Consulting with supervisor. Came back with simple NO.
I ended with no thank you no, I will fly SAS after all. Not because I had lost some 35€, but for the principle.
This is THE thing AY needs to improve, get a bit smarter, take some "pelisilmä" hey. I have numerous cases like this that Finnair has either lost revenue opportunity or let me down with bad customer experience. Great going "^^"
Last edited by FFlash; Feb 26, 2016 at 8:43 am Reason: just editing....
Feb 26, 2016, 7:45 am
#135
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Asia
Programs: AY Gold (OWS), SK Gold (*A Gold), airBaltic VIP, Hilton Gold, PP
Posts: 377
AY made a big mistake with this Premium Lounge. It should be far larger and truly premium - with access only to OWEs and AY Plats and Golds - and with true, warm food available all day long. And yes, it would need a separate entrance.