HEL Premium Lounge [now closed]
Jan 19, 2019, 2:26 pm
#211
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: try to stay home
Programs: AY, M&M, BAEC ...and don t care of status anymore
Posts: 2,041
Jan 19, 2019, 3:02 pm
#212
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin
Programs: AA EXP +2MM- LT PLT! HH Diamond
Posts: 6,087
Jan 19, 2019, 3:59 pm
#213
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 452
Jan 19, 2019, 5:39 pm
#215
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: AY+ Lumo (LTG), LH SEN
Posts: 318
Jan 19, 2019, 7:32 pm
#216
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Austin
Programs: AA EXP +2MM- LT PLT! HH Diamond
Posts: 6,087
And. of course, you would need to clear immigration and customs to get into Finland, but that doesn't take more the 5 minutes normally. Customs is on an honor system..
Jan 19, 2019, 8:57 pm
#217
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 481
Because of the lounge situation I decided to make a booking at the following:
Restaurant Ask
hopefully the food is better than the lounge
Restaurant Ask
hopefully the food is better than the lounge
Jan 19, 2019, 10:32 pm
#220
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Stratosphere
Programs: AY Lumo, AF Platinum
Posts: 254
Sometimes I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. Which is not a bad thing, but is a little uncomfortable sometimes. I have gotten some nice little freebies from lounge attendants and flight attendants since Lumo was introduced, so its definitely not been a negative thing. However, you know you fly way too much when the border guards at HEL start recognizing you at passport control and ask how was your trip.
Jan 20, 2019, 12:36 am
#221
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
I have had several long layovers at HEL from NA to Asia, and I agree that 8 hours in the Finnair Lounge is too long. The current lack of showers (unless one clears immigration and goes to the Schengen lounge) makes the situation worse. I have spent a long layover in the city centre (there's a really convenient train connection), but recently I have added a connection through LHR, which doesn't really add time to the overall trip and allows me to spend the majority of my layover time in the much better lounges at LHR.
Jan 20, 2019, 1:43 am
#222
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 331
Yes, you have to pass the customs checkpoint, but assuming you don't have anything to declare and no customs officer wants to make random (or intelligence based) checks on the passengers on the green lane, you will barely notice that you go through customs on your way out of the airport airside.
Jan 20, 2019, 2:18 am
#223
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: 14,172
Are you speculating or piecing together from tidbits of leaked info?
Some of this does not make sense. Sure, 'sense' is not a mandatory factor in these matters, but...
Restricting ala carte to Lumo: There has been unrestricted ala carte before and it was not used much, so limiting it to one group of travellers will not make a big difference in usage.
Limiting the usage will also hurt cost efficiency. They still would have to have all the resources (staff, food items) standby, but just use them less.
And the numbers.
There are around 15 000 Lumo movements each year (100people x 150 segments). That makes 41 Lumo movements each day. All of these are not transferring in HEL. Let's remove 11 movements for direct flyers and non-HEL transfers. 30 movements left. If they are transferring that takes 2 movements each, so this is 15 people. Most of these are segment based Lumos, so they are transferring in the schengen side. Remove 10 and left is 5 Lumos each day to do non-schengen transfers. 2 of them are on a tight connection and have no time to visit lounge or to eat ala-carte.
I feel sorry for that unlucky chef-guy whose career ended up running a ala carte restaurant for 3 people.
Jan 20, 2019, 5:43 am
#224
Join Date: May 2017
Programs: AY Plat (OWE), TK Elite (*G), BT VIP, HH D, BW DS
Posts: 484
From June onwards, when both lounges are to open, only AY lumo/plat (not gold any more) in any class for AY flights (lumo likely also for other oneworld carrier flights) and OWE in business class only will qualify (not sure if AY flight required). In any case, inside the lounge some services will be upgraded for AY own lumos only.
Within the scope of the same hypothetical rules, wouldn't there also be an alliance rule against discriminating people flying OW partner metal? AFAIK, this is not done anywhere either, although I might be wrong on this one. The current situation probably passes the smell test because of the extensive renovation.
Is the Premium lounge capacity increasing btw? If not, restricting to Lumo/Plat/OWE might be a good move.
Last edited by SuloL; Jan 20, 2019 at 5:49 am Reason: Added thought about OW partner metal
Jan 20, 2019, 6:25 am
#225
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: 14,172
I wonder that too.
This, combining ticket and tier to determine lounge access, was one idea I peddled some 10 years ago. I always thought the lounge access were too generous towards the tier member vis ā vis the higher class flyers. So I am in favour of requiring business class ticket and elite tier for entry to a first class or corresponding lounge.
But I too think it would need alteration of OW rules. In any case it would be better for everyone if these things are regulated on allinace level and not per airline. It is already getting too messy with lounge exceptions and local "interpretations". BA is already discriminating non-BA flying elites, so if this is the path the alliance airlines are taking, better do it at the alliance level and be open about it.
This, combining ticket and tier to determine lounge access, was one idea I peddled some 10 years ago. I always thought the lounge access were too generous towards the tier member vis ā vis the higher class flyers. So I am in favour of requiring business class ticket and elite tier for entry to a first class or corresponding lounge.
But I too think it would need alteration of OW rules. In any case it would be better for everyone if these things are regulated on allinace level and not per airline. It is already getting too messy with lounge exceptions and local "interpretations". BA is already discriminating non-BA flying elites, so if this is the path the alliance airlines are taking, better do it at the alliance level and be open about it.