Finnair/AY award/redemption booking/ticket thread
Aug 23, 2018, 1:34 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,598
Finnair/AY award/redemption booking/ticket thread
Every time the same problem, where to post my issue related to awards? The current threads are so well dispersed that I make an attempt to consolidate hopefully the different topics into here.
Starting with something new again. They have recently introduced, or at least today was the first for me, a new system for waitlisted awards. I requested an award yesterday for a flight that was not available online, insisted today for looking at situation if it could clear and yes it did in a short time. What was new is that when they clear the waitlisted award, they send a link for paying the fees&surcharges by email, which is very handy so that you don't need to send or tell your credit card info by phone and moreover you get to know that now your flight has cleared finally. The downside can be that the link is only 5 hours active, so that if you don't check your email during that time, I don't know if you lose your ticketing or what.
Starting with something new again. They have recently introduced, or at least today was the first for me, a new system for waitlisted awards. I requested an award yesterday for a flight that was not available online, insisted today for looking at situation if it could clear and yes it did in a short time. What was new is that when they clear the waitlisted award, they send a link for paying the fees&surcharges by email, which is very handy so that you don't need to send or tell your credit card info by phone and moreover you get to know that now your flight has cleared finally. The downside can be that the link is only 5 hours active, so that if you don't check your email during that time, I don't know if you lose your ticketing or what.
Aug 23, 2018, 3:21 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: HEL
Programs: lots of shiny metal cards
Posts: 14,105
The payment link thing is not new and not reward related, but nice. I did revenue bookings with the online chat and it went the same way - and yes, the 5 hrs validity is too short IMO. Once I nearly "overslept" the validity, as it was late evening when I booked.
Aug 23, 2018, 3:23 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: HEL
Programs: lots of shiny metal cards
Posts: 14,105
As for the waitlist - I have noticed, that there are more flights with no online availability than before. A quick email usually takes care of it very quickly - since Lumo, I think I have 100% succes rate, even when I'm not in the booking, but my points/vouchers are used for booking/upgrade.
since they will do whatever for a Lumo 
Aug 23, 2018, 7:33 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: HEL
Programs: lots of shiny metal cards
Posts: 14,105
Aug 23, 2018, 9:38 am
#7
Join Date: May 2012
Location: GVA (HEL)
Programs: AY Plat (OWE)
Posts: 536
Every time the same problem, where to post my issue related to awards? The current threads are so well dispersed that I make an attempt to consolidate hopefully the different topics into here.
Starting with something new again. They have recently introduced, or at least today was the first for me, a new system for waitlisted awards. I requested an award yesterday for a flight that was not available online, insisted today for looking at situation if it could clear and yes it did in a short time. What was new is that when they clear the waitlisted award, they send a link for paying the fees&surcharges by email, which is very handy so that you don't need to send or tell your credit card info by phone and moreover you get to know that now your flight has cleared finally. The downside can be that the link is only 5 hours active, so that if you don't check your email during that time, I don't know if you lose your ticketing or what.
Starting with something new again. They have recently introduced, or at least today was the first for me, a new system for waitlisted awards. I requested an award yesterday for a flight that was not available online, insisted today for looking at situation if it could clear and yes it did in a short time. What was new is that when they clear the waitlisted award, they send a link for paying the fees&surcharges by email, which is very handy so that you don't need to send or tell your credit card info by phone and moreover you get to know that now your flight has cleared finally. The downside can be that the link is only 5 hours active, so that if you don't check your email during that time, I don't know if you lose your ticketing or what.
Nov 22, 2018, 2:52 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+ Gold
Posts: 428
Waitlisted award r/t to KTT today, some observations that were new to me:
1) award availability online for same dates was different when logged in as AY Basic compared to Plat. Basic had 5 flights to choose from, Plat had 8.
2) Ticket for lap infant cost 0€ together with award ticket. With paid ticket it cost 16.50€.
3) Good value IMO, 15000p + 32€ instead of 267€. Not flying myself, so no tier points lost either.
1) award availability online for same dates was different when logged in as AY Basic compared to Plat. Basic had 5 flights to choose from, Plat had 8.
2) Ticket for lap infant cost 0€ together with award ticket. With paid ticket it cost 16.50€.
3) Good value IMO, 15000p + 32€ instead of 267€. Not flying myself, so no tier points lost either.
Nov 22, 2018, 10:32 pm
#9
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
I guess most people don't do searches with multiple profiles, but it would be interesting to hear if this is widespread.
Nov 23, 2018, 2:23 am
#11
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
I can see some pros and cons with such a system. At first sight it looks advantageous to elites, but is it in the long run?
Let's say there are seats available on a route, and they only show them to elites. But no elite is interested in redeeming. A platinum basic wants to redeem but he cannot because seat is hidden. Seat is left empty on the flight and member still has all his points to burn.
If this happens frequently then lower tier members are accumulating points and has few options to redeem.
Similar case:
Some routes have high revenue demand and only few seats are released. With 1 seat avilable and a staggered access to seats, platinum basic will probably see 0 seats on that flight. So unless you are content on redeeming on DEL you may lose out.
It all depends if they release extra seats for higher tiers or if they just limit the current availability.
Let's say there are seats available on a route, and they only show them to elites. But no elite is interested in redeeming. A platinum basic wants to redeem but he cannot because seat is hidden. Seat is left empty on the flight and member still has all his points to burn.
If this happens frequently then lower tier members are accumulating points and has few options to redeem.
Similar case:
Some routes have high revenue demand and only few seats are released. With 1 seat avilable and a staggered access to seats, platinum basic will probably see 0 seats on that flight. So unless you are content on redeeming on DEL you may lose out.
It all depends if they release extra seats for higher tiers or if they just limit the current availability.
Nov 23, 2018, 1:02 pm
#15
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
I can replicate this on CPH-HEL, so it is not only domestic flights. There is a difference in what flights are available for a Plat and a basic.
However, for those flights that are available to both, the same number of seats (8!) are open to both a basic and a plat. This is me after only one try, but that strike me as odd. It seems they are not controlling number of seats per tier but only a binary choice if a flight is redeemable or not.
However, for those flights that are available to both, the same number of seats (8!) are open to both a basic and a plat. This is me after only one try, but that strike me as odd. It seems they are not controlling number of seats per tier but only a binary choice if a flight is redeemable or not.