Finnair newbie questions thread (flame-free)
#2596
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Gold
Posts: 77
I had a trip with fully AY-marketed flights HEL-JFK-DCA. The JFK-DCA leg was on AA metal and AA canceled the flight (actually all JFK-DCA flights on that day) a couple months before the first flight of the trip. After contacting AY CS, I was given three options: 1) Fly one day earlier rerouted HEL-ORD-DCA, 2) Fly HEL-LHR-IAD with BA metal, or 3) Switch airports (JFK to LGA) at own cost and fly LGA-DCA.
Flying one day earlier was not an option, as was not flying LH with BA to IAD, so I had no other option than to accept the change from JFK to LGA.
So out of this I have two questions:
1) According to AY CS, I am not entitled to get a reimbursement for the taxi ride from JFK to LGA. Is this correct?
2) As the new routing resulted in less tier points since the new flight was not an AY codeshare and also booking class credited less on AA, can I request points to be awarded based on the original routing?
Obviously we are not talking about a huge difference in points since it is a short flight, but would like to understand this for future needs as the impact of such change would have been much greater on a longer flight.
Rerouting through LGA also caused an unexpected problem with checked luggage. I accidentally had bought a Light ticket, but at that time I did not think it would be an issue as I would have only one checked bag and as AY+Gold I have +1 bag for Light fares also. However, now that the bag could not be checked thru to DCA from HEL, AA was insisting at LGA that I pay $50 for the bag. In the end I did manage to negotiate the bag a free of charge, but I think that it was just sheer luck to get an agent who was willing and could override the computer that said no.
Flying one day earlier was not an option, as was not flying LH with BA to IAD, so I had no other option than to accept the change from JFK to LGA.
So out of this I have two questions:
1) According to AY CS, I am not entitled to get a reimbursement for the taxi ride from JFK to LGA. Is this correct?
2) As the new routing resulted in less tier points since the new flight was not an AY codeshare and also booking class credited less on AA, can I request points to be awarded based on the original routing?
Obviously we are not talking about a huge difference in points since it is a short flight, but would like to understand this for future needs as the impact of such change would have been much greater on a longer flight.
Rerouting through LGA also caused an unexpected problem with checked luggage. I accidentally had bought a Light ticket, but at that time I did not think it would be an issue as I would have only one checked bag and as AY+Gold I have +1 bag for Light fares also. However, now that the bag could not be checked thru to DCA from HEL, AA was insisting at LGA that I pay $50 for the bag. In the end I did manage to negotiate the bag a free of charge, but I think that it was just sheer luck to get an agent who was willing and could override the computer that said no.
#2597
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,662
I had a trip with fully AY-marketed flights HEL-JFK-DCA. The JFK-DCA leg was on AA metal and AA canceled the flight (actually all JFK-DCA flights on that day) a couple months before the first flight of the trip. After contacting AY CS, I was given three options: 1) Fly one day earlier rerouted HEL-ORD-DCA, 2) Fly HEL-LHR-IAD with BA metal, or 3) Switch airports (JFK to LGA) at own cost and fly LGA-DCA.
Flying one day earlier was not an option, as was not flying LH with BA to IAD, so I had no other option than to accept the change from JFK to LGA.
So out of this I have two questions:
1) According to AY CS, I am not entitled to get a reimbursement for the taxi ride from JFK to LGA. Is this correct?
2) As the new routing resulted in less tier points since the new flight was not an AY codeshare and also booking class credited less on AA, can I request points to be awarded based on the original routing?
Obviously we are not talking about a huge difference in points since it is a short flight, but would like to understand this for future needs as the impact of such change would have been much greater on a longer flight.
Rerouting through LGA also caused an unexpected problem with checked luggage. I accidentally had bought a Light ticket, but at that time I did not think it would be an issue as I would have only one checked bag and as AY+Gold I have +1 bag for Light fares also. However, now that the bag could not be checked thru to DCA from HEL, AA was insisting at LGA that I pay $50 for the bag. In the end I did manage to negotiate the bag a free of charge, but I think that it was just sheer luck to get an agent who was willing and could override the computer that said no.
Flying one day earlier was not an option, as was not flying LH with BA to IAD, so I had no other option than to accept the change from JFK to LGA.
So out of this I have two questions:
1) According to AY CS, I am not entitled to get a reimbursement for the taxi ride from JFK to LGA. Is this correct?
2) As the new routing resulted in less tier points since the new flight was not an AY codeshare and also booking class credited less on AA, can I request points to be awarded based on the original routing?
Obviously we are not talking about a huge difference in points since it is a short flight, but would like to understand this for future needs as the impact of such change would have been much greater on a longer flight.
Rerouting through LGA also caused an unexpected problem with checked luggage. I accidentally had bought a Light ticket, but at that time I did not think it would be an issue as I would have only one checked bag and as AY+Gold I have +1 bag for Light fares also. However, now that the bag could not be checked thru to DCA from HEL, AA was insisting at LGA that I pay $50 for the bag. In the end I did manage to negotiate the bag a free of charge, but I think that it was just sheer luck to get an agent who was willing and could override the computer that said no.
Normally if you deliberately purchased tickets involving JFK-LGA transfer then the cost isn't included, but since this is IRROPS then you should be refunded the cab or uber, given that HEL-NYC-DCA was the only option to DCA presented to you for your travel day. Technically speaking your desired destination was Arlington, Virginia and not Dulles VI with DCA being closest while IAD is 30 miles away. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Someone more knowledgeable than me will tell you about the ORC as I've never needed to deal with it before.
#2598
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,753
Normally if you deliberately purchased tickets involving JFK-LGA transfer then the cost isn't included, but since this is IRROPS then you should be refunded the cab or uber, given that HEL-NYC-DCA was the only option to DCA presented to you for your travel day. Technically speaking your desired destination was Arlington, Virginia and not Dulles VI with DCA being closest while IAD is 30 miles away. Correct me if I'm wrong.
OTOH, if the only option AY had presented would have included overnights or changes of airport, then AY would have needed to pay.
#2599
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Gold
Posts: 77
I was under the same impression but I was told firmly that for "basic economy" non-AA-elites will not receive the bag benefit. Whether this is actually true or not, I don't know, but from my experience one rarely succeeds in getting what they want in the US if one starts arguing with the person behind the desk. I don't know where the $50 came and could not find it from the price list either, but that is what the agent said, multiple times. Maybe she just tried to "make a point" that one should never buy an HBO fare.
#2600
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Gold
Posts: 77
DCA and IAD are considered the same city, as are eg. JFK and EWR or LHR and LGW. My understanding is that if AY presents an option (BA to IAD) and the customer rejects that, anything else that AY might agree on at their discretion will be negotiated case-by-case, and AY does not have to pay for taxis. Likewise, if AY and customer had agreed on an overnight transit, AY would not have paid for the hotel as AY presented other primary alternatives without overnight transit.
#2601
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,662
I was under the same impression but I was told firmly that for "basic economy" non-AA-elites will not receive the bag benefit. Whether this is actually true or not, I don't know, but from my experience one rarely succeeds in getting what they want in the US if one starts arguing with the person behind the desk. I don't know where the $50 came and could not find it from the price list either, but that is what the agent said, multiple times. Maybe she just tried to "make a point" that one should never buy an HBO fare.
Just escalate and ask for a supervisor, if they're not budging have them pick up the phone and call further. Usually at that point they roll their eyes and relent.
#2602
Join Date: Jun 2015
Programs: AY+, SK EB
Posts: 2,962
#2603
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Gold
Posts: 77
She was wrong, NOWHERE does it say about non-AA elites not getting bags on BE fares. For transatlantic BE the charge is $60 for the first bag for those without status, not $50. I think she simply made up her own rules and manually entered the $50 amount in there to rip you off.
Just escalate and ask for a supervisor, if they're not budging have them pick up the phone and call further. Usually at that point they roll their eyes and relent.
Just escalate and ask for a supervisor, if they're not budging have them pick up the phone and call further. Usually at that point they roll their eyes and relent.
#2604
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,662
#2605
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,662
Yeah, I was taken by surprise and even though I felt like she was wrong I took the soft skills route just in case I was actually wrong. She showed the monitor showing "NIL" bags and complained that the computer won't let her check the bag in without a fee. Then after a long discussion she asked for my physical AY+ card (I told her the number is on the booking but she said she needed the card as she "had to remove it from the booking and add it again") and vigorously typed on the keyboard for a while and finally got the tags printed.
#2607
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: Finnair (AY) Platinum, Air France Silver, Tallink Club One Silver :)
Posts: 1,655
#2608
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP. HHonors Diamond
Posts: 185
Generally do not like to reply to myself, but my first Finnair flights were quite nice.
I am in Dallas, so it is most always AA/BA via London to Europe (minus anywhere AA flies directly). I started off at LAX and did LAX-HEL-WAW and back, with a one way from LAX-DFW at the end.
I was surprised how good the food was on the short HEL-WAW flight. Had a Pineapple chicken on the way back that was really tasty. It was a bit of a walk through HEL from between gates, but the airport was very nice and so much easier than LHR.
The Business Class seats on the long haul were comfy, the flight attendants were fantastic. I thought the seats were similar to the AA 777 configuration, much better than the old BA 747 seats (have not flown their new configuration). Anyway, I pretty tall 6' 2" and was able to stretch out and slept well, They could have a little more of a privacy screen, but that is a minor complaint
My first time drinking Bilberry juice and the cocktail, which I enjoyed. Ate my first Reindeer, very pleasant flight overall and when possible will be flying via HEL instead of LHR. Even though the flight route took be a bit out of the way, when you factor in not having to transfer at LHR, the overall travel time was at worse the same, probably a bit shorter with 1/10th of the hassle.
The only small complaint was the in flight entertainment content was a bit lacking compared to BA/AA .. but that is not really that big of a deal, had plenty to watch on my tablet. I did like the flight schedule (meal times, etc) and the cameras.
The glasses were really cool, sent a picture to my wife, they are neat looking.
I only spent 20 minutes in the lounge on my way there, thought it was perfectly fine.
Overall, I was impressed.
Last edited by jcrossen; Nov 25, 2019 at 9:33 am
#2610
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,662