HEL Premium Lounge [now closed]
 

Hey I just got the message that the Premium lounge will be closed from Oct. to Feb.

"We are renovating the non-Schengen area lounge from October 2018. The food and beverage selection will be limited during the renovations. You can enjoy improved lounge services from May 2019. The Premium lounge will be closed from October 2018 and is estimated to be re-opened in February 2019."

The normal Non Schengen lounge will be renovated as well, since the lounge was already to small, is there an alternative to kill time at HEL. I have two longhaul flights coming up till 31. Dec. just wonder if there is anything AY do to compensate this.

https://www.finnair.com/DE/gb/information-services/at-the-airport/lounges?utm_medium=email&utm_source=membership&utm _campaign=fplus+Statement+G+y2018+m9+wk38+d18+DE+G B&utm_content=m35+finnair+is+improving+helsinki+ai rports+lounges&utm_term=2018-38-de-statement&ETj=5661376&ETl=396_HTML&sfmc_sub=299347 28&ETu=404238419&ETjb=562&ETmid=6230918

I wonder if they will have a private area for Lumo.

As noted elsewhere I am very annoyed by this. Unfortunately, it is during the time when I have most flights on AY via HEL. The 2 showers at the Schengen lounge simply won't be enough for all AY flights (+QR, BA and JL).

Wasn't the Premium Lounge opened sometime around 2015?
Why has it to be renovated for half a year after being in service for 2 years?

IIUC, they are expanding the lounge area to the "south". Meaning, new premium lounge will have a slightly new location.
I also do hope they are doing something about the number of toilets. Rebuilding toilet / kitchen areas and moving the wall to the south is probably an encroachment enough to force a close entirely.

Drinks are free, but most of time nobody works behind bar and you have to find staff to serve you drinks.

Did Premium already close on Oct 1st? They stated that showers and sauna will close on Oct 1st and Premium "from Oct to Feb"... If yes, has any Plat/Emerald already tried the Biz Lounge offering drink-wise?

"We are renovating the Non-Schengen area lounge starting in October 2018. The renovation will go on until May 2019 and then we can give you an even better lounge experience."

Maybe I'm reading it the wrong way but Finnair's english website describes AY lounges as 'Finnair lounge in the Non-Schengen area' and 'premium lounge'. Since AY is renovating the Non-Schengen area lounge (i.e. not lounges), it implies premium lounge is open? Well ... that's my hope anyway :D because I have several flights to/from Asia in the next couple of months. In the summer I usually go to the city when I have long transit but not in the winter.

Asking for premium price on something that would be free of charge otherwise (i.e. Napue in Premium lounge) is not really good for customer experience, could be naturally just lack of communication. For crows, status cant really help but if AY does not compensate in any way for the decreased service when in fact it would be trivial, that is just weak.

Will travel to LHR on 4pm flight in few weeks, is that the peak hours at non-schengen i.e. expect nothing but huge crowds?

I hope someone will realize and will arrange free premium drinks against eligible boarding pass, although...

The food selection sounds like the same stuff we could "enjoy" during the Schengen lounge renovation. I'd better be handed a restaurant voucher, but I assume AY will rather prefer me (us) limiting lounge time to an absolute minimum (read even less than some people usually aim for spending there).

Not much of food on offer, no premium drinks, no reason to visit. This is how they want it, right?