Jul 29, 2019, 7:58 am
Last edit by: Courmisch
Chinese carriers' current schedule to HEL (Nov 2019)
- Sichuan Airlines (A333):
- CTU 02:00 – HEL 06:00 15
- HEL 08:35 – CPH 09:10 15
- CPH 10:55 – HEL 13:35 15
- HEL 15:45 – CTU 05:00(+1) 15
- Juneyao Airlines (B789)
(long-haul marketed also by Finnair and China Eastern)- PVG 01:20 – 05:20 HEL 246 -28MAR20
- HEL 15:30 – 06:30(+1) PVG 246 -28MAR20
- PVG 00:55 – 06:00 HEL D 29MAR20-
- HEL 07:30 – 08:30 MAN 135 29MAR20-
- MAN 10:00 – 15:10 HEL 135 29MAR20-
- HEL 07:30 – 08:20 KEF 26 29MAR20-
- KEF 09:50 – 16:20 HEL 26 29MAR20-
- HEL 07:30 – 08:45 DUB 47 29MAR20-
- DUB 10:00 – 15:10 HEL 47 29MAR20-
- HEL 16:35 – 06:35(+1) PVG 13457 29MAR20-
- HEL 17:50 – 07:50(+1) PVG 26 29MAR20-
- Tibet Airlines (A333):
- TNA 16:05 – 19:30 HEL 1
- HEL 21:30 – 13:00(+1) TNA 1
Chinese carrier to Helsinki (again)
Apr 9, 2019, 1:26 am
#61
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland
Programs: AY+ Platinum, SK Gold, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, Radisson VIP
Posts: 6,531
Tibet Airlines avasi ensimmäisenä kiinalaisyhtiönä lennot Helsinki-Vantaalle - jo 44 viikkovuoroa Kiinaan | lentoposti.fi
Looks like flights in April and May are already sold out as far as I understand this.
Looks like flights in April and May are already sold out as far as I understand this.
Apr 9, 2019, 10:42 am
#62
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2
Posts: 3,620
Tibet Airlines avasi ensimmäisenä kiinalaisyhtiönä lennot Helsinki-Vantaalle - jo 44 viikkovuoroa Kiinaan lentoposti.fi
Looks like flights in April and May are already sold out as far as I understand this.
Looks like flights in April and May are already sold out as far as I understand this.
Apr 17, 2019, 4:45 am
#63
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,757
I'm starting to wonder whether the idea behind this schedule is to make a shortish fifth freedom tag flight from HEL to, perhaps, ARN, CPH, TXL or something similar. After all, HEL is their first longhaul flight. They could get two European destinations with just one flight if they had a tag flight from HEL. Maybe they haven't gotten the traffic rights just yet and are therefore not mentioning it, or maybe it's just a long-term aim.
Airlineroute tweets about another Chinese carrier's intentions to fly to HEL: "Sichuan Airlines has applied for 2 weekly Chengdu – Helsinki service from August 2019, Juneyao Airlines applied for 4 weekly Shanghai Pu Dong – Helsinki from Nov 2019. Both remarked as "exercising 5th freedom rights", and no elaboration on Juneyao's case"
The 5th freedom part is an interesting one, and one that we speculated about earlier.
Apr 17, 2019, 9:33 am
#64
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2
Posts: 3,620
So Sichuan is planning (half of) what Lucky Air gave up on? CTU is interesting insofar as that was probably one of the top candidates for Finnair to expand its network, don't you guys think?
Apr 17, 2019, 9:40 am
#65
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2
Posts: 3,620
On a side note, HU plans PEK-OSL and resumes XIY-CDG which looks like direct AY competition to me.
Last edited by Courmisch; Apr 18, 2019 at 3:40 am Reason: Corrected route
Apr 17, 2019, 10:21 am
#66
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,757
I know nothing, but my guess is daily in the summer and 4 weeklies in the winter.
Who gives permission for the 5th freedom flights? Finland and eg Germany, both? I wonder how protective our authorities are.
Who gives permission for the 5th freedom flights? Finland and eg Germany, both? I wonder how protective our authorities are.
Apr 17, 2019, 3:38 pm
#67
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: BGO (Temporarily HEL)
Programs: AY+ Gold, SK EBG
Posts: 400
Apr 18, 2019, 3:45 am
#68
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2
Posts: 3,620
Apr 21, 2019, 2:52 am
#69
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 38
Juneyao Business Class to Helsinki
For those of you interested in the Business class product to Helsinki, I reviewed Juneyao business class dreamliner last year on one of it's first flights between Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Flying Juneyao Business Class on the new Dreamliner in a Full Flat Bed - Ginger Around The World
To summarize: hard product was very nicely designed. I also tried the bed which felt comfortable but as it was just a 2 hour flight i cant tell you how it will feel on a long haul flight.
Soft product last year was not yet up to the standards but maybe I was spoiled having flown the new Singapore Airlines first class suite just before. They replied to my review to take the feedback and improve the service. It also improved on the return flight so I think not all crew was trained back then to match the soft product with the hard product. (It were tiny things that can be improved like asking if I wanted some more wine when the glass was empty. The crew was very friendly and trying their best, I think the language barrier is also a bit tricky sometimes.
Some photo's below (more in the blog post)
Flying Juneyao Business Class on the new Dreamliner in a Full Flat Bed - Ginger Around The World
To summarize: hard product was very nicely designed. I also tried the bed which felt comfortable but as it was just a 2 hour flight i cant tell you how it will feel on a long haul flight.
Soft product last year was not yet up to the standards but maybe I was spoiled having flown the new Singapore Airlines first class suite just before. They replied to my review to take the feedback and improve the service. It also improved on the return flight so I think not all crew was trained back then to match the soft product with the hard product. (It were tiny things that can be improved like asking if I wanted some more wine when the glass was empty. The crew was very friendly and trying their best, I think the language barrier is also a bit tricky sometimes.
Some photo's below (more in the blog post)
Apr 21, 2019, 3:09 am
#70
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: 14,180
Yup, the Thompson Vantage XL is the way to go.
From pictures one can see that picth isn't great but still looks so much spacier that Finnair cabin.
From pictures one can see that picth isn't great but still looks so much spacier that Finnair cabin.
Apr 23, 2019, 2:49 pm
#71
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,757
This is only a rumour, and my only source is a poster at Flightforum.fi, but what they're saying is that HO's HEL-PVG would remain a daily service during the winter, and that HO wants 5th freedom flights to MAN four times a week: https://www.flightforum.fi/topic/309...comment=762891
If this holds true, I guess I'll be visiting Manchester for the 3rd time in my life.
If this holds true, I guess I'll be visiting Manchester for the 3rd time in my life.
Apr 25, 2019, 11:47 am
#72
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2
Posts: 3,620
Apr 25, 2019, 1:27 pm
#73
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,757
Yeah, they'd need to alter their schedule. At least for the days when they continue to MAN. I'm a little surprised at MAN, I would have thought ARN, CPH, TXL or something.
Apr 26, 2019, 9:24 am
#74
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2
Posts: 3,620
For HEL-based fliers, I guess that (putting an end to) some short-haul AY monopoly route would be ideal.
By the way, it seems that the HO fare rules allow for flights within Europe only on AY/AY. I wonder if the motivation is political or commercial there...?