subechin

Hello,

I have been following this board for a while and was reading stuff here from time to time but since I was always amazed how nice the people here are and how great the community seems to be I was thinking to give it a try and Join.

So if anybody cares then I would like to introduce myself, if not then please skip this part

I live in Japan Osaka and my closest airport is KIX. I recently joined Finnair Plus after some thoughts of which program to join as it seemed the best option for me.

I use Finnair to fly to Europe 4 to 5 times a year plus I fly domestic with JAL 1 or 2 times a month. By the criterias I will very likely reach Gold Status within the next Year but having read soem stuff here in the Forum it seems that Platinum is the real way to go. So about that I have some questions if no one minds

Naturally without much hassle I can reach Gold or the 46 flights needed for it. With going through a little hassle I can also make Platinum or the 76 flights for it as I have OW carrier JAL here and Domestic flights counting as well So the question is, is it really worth to aim for Plat and are the Perks really worth it compare to Gold (besides feeling good to have the highest Status) I heard even FA treat you different, do they know the status of who flies with them ? I fly half the time Business and the other half Eco.

At last, does it make a difference how I earn the 76 flights for Plat or the 46 for Gold ? I mean do you think that Finnair is keeping track or makes a difference of how you earned it ?

I probably make around 20 or so flights on Finnair a year and the others on JAL Domestic or Cathay to HKG from time to time. Surely for Finnair a Plat who has flown 76 times with them a year is better than someone who earned more than half of the tier flights on other OW carriers but do they make any difference here, perhaps internally ? Like good Plat and bad Plat ?

Sorry of the question is stupid. I just got hooked with the whole milleage thing and it quickly became my biggest hobby.

SPBanker

Hello subechin, and welcome to FT and AY+ Forum! For me Platinum is much better than Gold.

1) You can gift Gold card.
2) More upgrade vouchers and 50,000 point upgrade for long-haul r/t.
3) First lounges are usually much nicer than business class lounges. (I don't know about KIX.)
4) FAs treat you better (works at least on AY, CX, AA, JL), they know your status.

As for getting it, remember that you can exchange award points 3:1 to status points.

remymartin

Nothing really that much to add apart from the welcome. Welcome to FlyerTalk (from Lurking) and particularly to the Finnair Plus subforum, subechin!

ff_flyer

Just adding one point here:
..
5) "easier" to maintain your status with +25% tier points bonus for Plats.

WilcoRoger

As you fly a lot on AY, the perks of Plat vs Gold are considerable, both on AY and on your domestic JL flights. So if you wouldn't make it by points or legs, it's really worth to exchange redeemable point to status points (3:1) Even more so, if your European flights are mainly in Y - the upgrade vouchers are really valuable.

Ah, and ようこそ!

Steve_Hun

And there is no difference between "good platinum" and "bad platinum". If there would be, I'd know This is my first year being Platinum and the majority of my points last year I earned on CX, while at the end of my tracking period I've exchanged 150K award points into 50K tier points, to make it to Plat. (which BTW, I haven't regretted for a second) So I'm definitely not one of the "good platinums" , but I have not experienced any negative side effect of that. (If anything it made me even more focused for this year on how I can maintain the tier - this is a loosing battle for my wallet )

PS. welcome to the Finnair forum on FlyerTalk!

intuition

ハじめまして!

It does not matter how you make platinum when it comes to everyday life. Staff in lounges and on the plane does only know your status, not how you earned it. (This is kind of the point with the tiers - someone in head office decided the tier rules so all staff in the field does not have to do their on measure-up of customers.)

The only situation where I can think it matters how you made plat is in targeted offers and events. Sometimes the loyalty department does targeted events and offers and they of course have access to all members flights & points and can choose to target platinums with many AY flights.



I would say that treatment onboard is not that much different as a platinum, at least not when flying business class. JL actually did abandon all status recognition onboard a few years ago, so it is unlikely you would feel the difference. Apart from the "emerald beep" at boarding pass scanner.


I think one of the major things with platinum is access to First lounges (but there sadly is none at Kansai IIRC).
But it also helps in everyday life, like when you want to upgrade a flight, when there is a disruption, when bags get lost. More so when you fly AY, but JL and CX are also good airlines when it comes to treat the alliance members well.

ffay005

Welcome to FT, Subechin! The AY board is amazing. I've received so much help from ppl here, and I've tried to cintribute where I've could to give back, too.

I'd say that Platinum is worth it, especially since you will fly AY longhauls. You get three longhaul upgrades instead of one (worth an extra 100.000 points), and those upgrades do clear more easily.

You get 1.25 points instead of 1.15 as Gold for every 1 point you earn.

You do get better service on board, including in longhaul J. They are less likely to refuse those small extra services that you may want to ask for, and they will make sure your choice is available etc.

Moreover, when things go wrong, they will take better care of you. Your phone calls will be answered, you will be called back etc.

It's an expensive hobby and game, and once you get hooked, there's no turning back

MagmaH

Hello fellow expat in Japan.

I would say going for Finnair Platinum is totally worth it. When you go from zero to Platinum, you will basically earn 7 long haul upgrades. 1 long haul upgrade when you get gold, three more when you reach platinum, and by then you will have earned about 150 000 points, which is worth three upgrades. And this is just when you each platinum. By the time you reach platinum you will probably be close to the next period. As soon as you roll over to the new period, you will get three more long haul upgrades. So shortly after the first year you will have made more than 10 long haul flights in business.

Also, when you fly JAL there is a high chance of getting upgraded. I got upgraded to business when flying to Beijing recently, because me and my travel partner could not sit next to each other in economy. Same thing happened on the way back, when lining up to board the plane in HKG the JAL staff approached me and told me they moved us to Economy Premium.

Last time I flew AY to HEL from NRT, the JAL staff at check in desk upgraded me and my girlfriend because her seat got taken. The girl at the check in desk called her boss and was very worried that they might offend a OneWorld Emerald member. Solution: Upgrade.

I discussed the perks with a friend who just became Diamond at SAS, and I must say, Finnair Plus is so much better.

WilcoRoger

My few experience with JL totally supports the above - ICN-NRT op-up to C at the gate.

SPBanker

Just to clarify, this is for family members on the same flight when you have paid C ticket.

remymartin

Wonderful fast track stuff in Japan when flying JL Y as an emerald

subechin

I really don't know what to say. So many replies and so kind answers. This forum is awesome and I hope to become a part of it that can help others soem day as well

From what I saw in the Finnair website I never felt that the difference between Gold and Plat is so big but after reading this all.....there is no other way then getting Plat for me. I have to do it somehow

As for the Bad and Good Plat, I guess it really does not matter then and I do not need to be worried. After all, even with taking short cuts and flying some Domestic routes on JAL, becoming Plat is a big money investment and takes a lot of effort and time for most people and so I think (and the Airlines to do) that everyone who goes through the trouble really deserves it

As for JAL, I already asked that on another Thread but I am still unclear on which Domestic flights are counting towards the Tier Goal of 76 for Plat. All of them or just some Booking Classes as this seems to be a but unclear

At last, I live very close to KIX (can see the planes starting from my house), so anyone want to meet up is always welcome. I am mobile and self employed (which means I have free time....lol) and it would be fun to meet people with the same hobby.

Thanks again to all of you ^ You are amazing.

remymartin

Hey,

Have you seen the "Helsinki-meetup" thread? You can add your flight dates there to catch a chance to meet a fellow FTers at the airport!

Jainzar

Any booking class that earns points will count as segment. So e.g. award flights will not earn segments. Just read the earnings table before booking a flight. When you have done it a few times you likly know the table by heart.