Finnair newbie questions thread (flame-free)
Dec 5, 2019, 4:50 am
#2626
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum (OWE), SK G(*G), BW Diamond
Posts: 810
Thenagain, there is a risk that if a BP shows different status than physical card, the lounge agents might be tempted to see lounge half-full instead of half-empty...
Dec 5, 2019, 4:55 am
#2627
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: Finnair (AY) Platinum, Air France Silver, Tallink Club One Silver :)
Posts: 1,655
"Normally" when you drop out of the tier that grants benefit, card validity also means how long you can use tier benefits. I actually then called AY and answer is that as long as card is valid, benefits apply at the airport but all on-board benefits seize to exist (i.e. seat booking, plat-drink etc.).
Thenagain, there is a risk that if a BP shows different status than physical card, the lounge agents might be tempted to see lounge half-full instead of half-empty...
Thenagain, there is a risk that if a BP shows different status than physical card, the lounge agents might be tempted to see lounge half-full instead of half-empty...
Dec 5, 2019, 9:07 am
#2629
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Helsinki
Programs: AY+ Plat basic
Posts: 430
If we are talking about the SEB MC as tier card, that is always valid like 2 months longer than the actual tier. When there still existed diners club, I entered Aspire lounge with my gold DC but actually silver tier: I received a bill of that lounge access later so the gold card wasn't meaningful there.
Dec 12, 2019, 12:06 am
#2632
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: AY+ Platinum / FlyingBlue Gold
Posts: 835
same as platinum here. Flight late January HEL-AMS. They moved the curtain faaar back and at the same time offer instsnt shorthaul upgrades
Dec 12, 2019, 6:46 am
#2633
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, LH, Accor, IHG, Scandic, Tallink
Posts: 161
Just got a SMS from AY, saying that X points have been credited on my tax free purchase, and I’m having total XXX points. Haven’t got such a SMS before. I wonder if this is a new practice.
Dec 12, 2019, 7:02 am
#2634
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Helsinki-Vantaa APT, Finland
Programs: AY LUMO
Posts: 6,055
Dec 17, 2019, 5:20 pm
#2635
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,737
Would anyone have exprience of the following:
Travelling RGN-HKG on CX and HKG-HEL on AY. Separate tickets. Layover in HKG 13 hours. Would CX be able to issue BP for HKG-HEL at RGN?
Travelling RGN-HKG on CX and HKG-HEL on AY. Separate tickets. Layover in HKG 13 hours. Would CX be able to issue BP for HKG-HEL at RGN?
Dec 17, 2019, 9:45 pm
#2636
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: AA PPro, TP Gold, UA Silver, Bonvoy/Hilton Gold, Global Entry
Posts: 296
The FA reassured me that we'd make up time, and I'm counting on that, but what would likely happen if I misconnect?
I feel as though their first instinct would be to rebook me on AY77 the next day. Would I be able to negotiate my way into being rebooked on to BA or QR, so that I can get to Tokyo as quickly as possible? What would be my first port of call once I land at HEL? Thanks in advance!
Nevermind, ETA was updated in flight and it now looks like I'll make the connection!
Last edited by JMBResona; Dec 17, 2019 at 10:00 pm
Dec 18, 2019, 12:05 am
#2637
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Keskellä metsää
Programs: Onko teillä S-etukorttia?
Posts: 916
RGN propably isnt the greatest airport in the world when it comes to doing something "out of the ordinary", i would checkin and have mobile bp for HGK-HEL flight and try to use that to get luggage checked through, and you can use that at HKG to use transfer security.
If they cant check you luggage to HEL, and thats what you are after, just collect them at HKG and go to AY checkin, looking at the times of RGN-HKG flight, it should be open for the previous flight (to HEL) when you are in HKG.
Dont know if this actually makes any sense, its too early.
Dec 18, 2019, 3:41 am
#2638
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: 14,167
IME
KA/CX CAN-HKG + AY HKG-HEL: CX checks bag to final, even when stopover was ≈26h. Can't recall if they printed BP in CAN, but I think so.
AY HEL-HKG + CX/KA HKG-CAN: AY "NO WAY WE ARE HELPING YOU!" Go landside, pick up your bag and re-check it.
Dec 18, 2019, 6:33 am
#2639
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,737
Thanks! I won't have any checked luggage, so it's mostly about being able to either sleep as long as possible before my HKG-HEL flight, or if I wake up really early, which often happens to me in Asia, being able to go airside before the AY desks open at HKG. I'll spend the night close to the airport, with nothing else to do but enjoy the Pier.
Jorma, your advice about the AY check-in desks being open the night before is great. I should be landside at around 10 pm, coming from RGN, so if I haven't received a self-printed BP or a CX-printed AY BP, then I'll just go to AY check-in and see if they can print one for me.
Intuition, my flight is actually KA-operated, too. Let's hope they have competent staff at the world city of RGN
Jorma, your advice about the AY check-in desks being open the night before is great. I should be landside at around 10 pm, coming from RGN, so if I haven't received a self-printed BP or a CX-printed AY BP, then I'll just go to AY check-in and see if they can print one for me.
Intuition, my flight is actually KA-operated, too. Let's hope they have competent staff at the world city of RGN
Dec 18, 2019, 3:03 pm
#2640
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MCO
Programs: Hilton Diamond, AA PP
Posts: 541
That's a lot of flights! But you're actually not even going landside at JFK. You can walk straight to your Finnair gate, and they don't even have scales there, so don't worry. You need to approach the podium, though, so that Finnair can check your entry requirements and perhaps print you a BP on AY paper.
Glad to hear that the seat assignments work. That's an improvement ^ The WAW plane will board by group numbers, and if you don't have status, you'll be in the last group as they board non-status Y pax from the back. No idea whether the flight will be full, but I guess this is a situation where you should hope for a stand departure. If they use buses, they often don't care about boarding groups, and you just need to stay close to the door and walk quickly to the plane...
Glad to hear that the seat assignments work. That's an improvement ^ The WAW plane will board by group numbers, and if you don't have status, you'll be in the last group as they board non-status Y pax from the back. No idea whether the flight will be full, but I guess this is a situation where you should hope for a stand departure. If they use buses, they often don't care about boarding groups, and you just need to stay close to the door and walk quickly to the plane...
JFK does have scales at the gate, and we were forced to gate check (at no cost) our rolling bag as it weighed over a certain amount (which was a very low allowance). It created a bit of a scramble as I had medication and other necessities packed in there and had to remove them into my smaller personal item (which was very small and it was hard to fit it all in.) They printed out our boarding passes on Finn Air stock. Fortunately all three of the checked bags come off the belt in WAW.
We got off the flight in HEL and proceeded through immigration and then to a holding area where we boarded buses and were driven back around the airport next to the gate we had previously landed at to board our flight. There was no calling of zones, everyone just got on the plane and took their seat. We boarded through the rear door from portable stairs on the tarmac. The flight to WAW was very comfortable and I want to think we were served a choice of juice or water.
The flight from JFK to HEL was on a A330-3. We were in 21 L and J. I'd never recommend these seats. "J" was perhaps the narrowest seat I've ever been seated in. The legroom was great, but the remote protruded into my hip/thigh for eight hours. I am not a large person, but this seat wouldn't have been comfortable for a super model. If they can't figure out a way to remove the 2" protrusion, they should stop selling it as economy comfort, as it was anything but. Also the bottle of Champagne I'd ordered a month in advance as a surprise anniversary present to my husband was never loaded onto the plane by catering, and that was quite disappointing. Fortunately we had a large early dinner at JFK prior to boarding, because the food in economy was pretty well inedible. We had also purchased some pastries at Au Bon Pain for breakfast, which was a good call, because that was pretty dismal as well.
Would I fly them again? Yes and no. I would not fly them on a long haul. I would however, readily fly them for a short haul. In that respect they were as good as pretty much anyone.