miamiflyer8

It amazes me when a piece of plastic is more legit than ink on paper or pixels on a screen.

Purjelentaja

Some of the people working there are totally in wrong profession, with attitude not suitable for any customer service position. I ran into one last Friday when using the new priority channel for the first time. Unfortunately it seems that Finavia couldn't care less of customer service skills of the staff they have there.

intuition

Today I used the upstairs security for first time ever (I rarely start a journey landside HEL, and when I do, there are usually no lines downstairs). Some impressions:

It was so empty it felt like I woke the staff up! I had my bag going into the x-ray before they even thought of asking if I had any liquids or a was wearing a belt. Some of the staff arriving to the station only after my bags were out on the belt again, walking around trying to look like they were doing some important inspection of machine.

After security there is a coffee machine and it was a mess - around 8 paper cups left, some with coffee in them. Maybe the machine was semi-broken and people just left cups of undrinkable coffee. Or maybe the sleepy security staff had something to do with it ...


It is strange they didn't connect this security with the silverwings lounge. All they need is a walk bridge over gate 22. And it would work perfectly with the way the lounge entrance is laid out nowadays.

miamiflyer8

I also think it's very funny to come down the escalator only to walk up again to the same level.

intuition

There are a few lounges around the world that has such cool features (separating J pax from most of the terminal zoo). I come to think of one NZ lounge where lounge has a direct path to gates, ie you never have to enter terminal again.

For AY it would have made perfect sense to connect security to the lounge but maybe there are construction limitations in the building for such a walkbridge.

miamiflyer8

Turkish has a special security and immigration check point for Business and Elite Plus customers at IST that leads directly in to their awesome lounge. If only AY had this for the Premium Lounge...

intuition

They could remodel the non-schengen bus terminal building to a security and connected it with the west exit of train station, the two hotels and P5, feeding long haul pax this way.

Excuse me for saying it myself, but isn't that a marvellous solution?

And yeah, I know, it will never happen.

Justinus

So has AYs OW partner Qatar Airways in Doha! Impressive to arrive to the Doha airport and be escorted through the private line of security and passport control and then directly to the Al Safwa First Class lounge, one of the top lounges in the world (no access for OWEs though, if not flying First Class). ^^

The same at arrival: for Business and First Class pax a beautiful arrivals lounge and separate passport control inside the lounge. ^^

I just mean that AY could perhaps learn from all these kinds of solutions before building the new terminal with an oldish concept of lounge...

remymartin

So do some airports in Japan (e.g FUK), ba JFK T7 and LHR T5 F.

OH-LGG

You forget Finland is a socialist country and public services like security and immigration cant be faster or smoother for elites because we dont have or dont recognize any elites.

R2

Many airlines do this for their First Class (not Business) pax at their home airports. Try Air France at CDG, very impressive indeed!

intuition

Getting walked can be rather unpleasant and boring thing too. It is not about the walk but about the distances. I wouldn't say being walked in DOH is very attractive. At DOH transfer security is a mess even at priority lines. True, you can go straight to lounge from security if you arrive on the right side, otherwise you need to go down to main hall, cross it and up again to lounges. Walked from lounge is even worse; walked down into central hall, cross it, up again to train, walked onboard the train, off it again, down to gate level and finally down to departure level - that does not give me a special feeling.

Compare any such walk with the suggested and imaginary HEL experience where you would go upstairs to prio security, from there walk straight into lounge (if they just fixed that walk bridge). When leaving lounge, take elevator straight down to 23B and board. 99% of your airport time would be spent in lounge, as opposed to DOH where the walker will pick you up 30-40 minutes before gate opens.

intuition

This is what I am talking about - airports where there is a well thought out priority line that minimizes the distances:
Arrive at airport at a priority section where entrance doors leads directly to priority checkin, from checkin go straight to prio security via a bypass, from security go straight to lounge via bypass, and optionally go straight from lounge to gate, without going back to departure hall. (last part is of course difficult with larger airports)

miamiflyer8

The EK First Lounge in Dubai offers boarding directly from the lounge, but of course these extreme measures only happen in the UAE.

miamiflyer8

I guess that's true. But if it cannot be faster for elites then why do Priority Security lanes exist at HEL?