HEL Premium Lounge [now closed]
#316
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,649
#317
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+ Plat
Posts: 112
#319
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,668
A supercrowded lounge with barely any seats available, especially if you're not alone. An unstaffed bar. On a bad day, food as terrible as at an average elementary school canteen. Think fish soup mostly consisting of milk and potatoes. On a good day, the food might reach average workplace canteen levels, with chicken Kiev being my favourite.
Sorry to sound so negative, but the AY non-Schengen lounge really is a disaster. If you have PP, try the new Premium Plaza.
Sorry to sound so negative, but the AY non-Schengen lounge really is a disaster. If you have PP, try the new Premium Plaza.
#321
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: AY/Gold, SK/Basic
Posts: 14
#322
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: HEL
Programs: lots of shiny metal cards
Posts: 14,083
If you're metro-HEL based, I'd suggest to arrive as late as you can (or dare) - nothing worthwhile to do waiting for your flight. Shopping? Not much sense outbound. Lounge? Well, that's what this whole thread is about. If you're connecting in HEL, that's another story, you don't have much choice for timing. For HEL-FUK at 16:45 I'd arrive not earlier than 15:30. With your AYGold you can use the fast track security upstairs, the automatic passport gates are hardly ever congested and you'd still have time to witness the current state of affairs at the AY Business lounge.
#323
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: AA PPro, TP Gold, UA Silver, Bonvoy/Hilton Gold, Global Entry
Posts: 296
I have seven hours in HEL coming up. Going by this thread, am I right in assuming that the time is best spent outside the airport, in Helsinki?
Kinda bummed that the premium lounge is not yet open...
Kinda bummed that the premium lounge is not yet open...
#324
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,581
#325
Join Date: May 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Plat (OWE), SK EBG (*A Gold), KQ Plat (STE+), Accor Plat, Hilton Honors Gold
Posts: 3,154
Even if the premium lounge was on the level of Al Safwa or similar, I would rather spend a nice summer day in central Helsinki. There's a 30-minute train connection to Helsinki city centre that is very affordable.
#329
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,668
If you leave the city centre two hours before your flight, you'll be at HEL early enough to stop by at the lounge if you so wish.
#330
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: AA PPro, TP Gold, UA Silver, Bonvoy/Hilton Gold, Global Entry
Posts: 296
If you've never been to Finland, take the train or Finnair bus to the city centre and walk around, visit Senate Square, Market Square, the Esplanade, Aleksanterinkatu etc. It's a small city centre, really, so in a few hours you'll see a lot. You could also walk towards Ullanlinna and take a stroll there, it's a beautiful early 1900s Jugendstil neighbourhood.
If you leave the city centre two hours before your flight, you'll be at HEL early enough to stop by at the lounge if you so wish.
If you leave the city centre two hours before your flight, you'll be at HEL early enough to stop by at the lounge if you so wish.