Rifter

Finnair has limited number of destinations especially with 100% finnair plus points. I am thinking of LED-HEL-KIX-HEL-LED itinerary but skip the last HEL-LED leg and position to LED on separate flight. Has anyone done this? Would need some tips.

1) I guess the trip would need Russian transit visa. Otherwise Finnair won't let board the flight? I assume this is the case. Finnair reps didn't know. Russian visa center pages say no transit visa needed if remain in transit hall and connection is in 24h but gate personnel might disagree.
2) Is it possible to make same plane return from LED? Or does one need to take an earlier flight? Basically when coming out of plane are you directed away from the gate or can you hang around at gate and go back to the same plane?
3) Is it possible to leave bags in HEL while doing the LED trip and then check in the bags in HEL to KIX?
4) When returning, will there be any problems checking the bags from KIX to HEL (and not to LED). If any problems expected hand luggage is an option.

This craziness would grant me 20000 points and platinum this year but with a new destination ��. A bit desperate way to fight against JV pricing but on the other hand vacation time is limited.

ffay005

HEL has reportedly checked bags to final destination without problems, so you should be able to check your bags to Japan before you leave for LED, and bags won't go via LED. The other way, if you aren't spending the night at HEL, they will probaby force you to check all the way to LED.

intuition

IME, they will force you to that.
(Tried 2 times and has been told at "outstations" that bags must go on every plane you go on, ie no short checking or having bags stored at HEL when HEL is an intermediate airport.)

Im a new user

I think it's visa free if you fly XXX-LED-HEL where XXX is not HEL, so it might be achievable with three separate tickets:

1) HEL-ARN/TLL/RIX
2) ARN/TLL/RIX-LED - if you wanna do this on Oneworld, S7 operates ARN-LED twice a week (Sat & Wed) during half of the year.
3) LED-HEL-KIX

This might cause luggage problems for you with no visa.

Rifter

Thanks guys. Seems that better take only hand luggage! HEL-LED is on separate ticket and LED-HEL-KIX-HEL-LED on another ticket.

Interesting to see it they let me board if I print the Russian visa center guide and show the return on separate ticket.

Finnair seems to sell same plane returns HEL-LED-HEL so I guess short turn around is feasible.

Courmisch

If you don't intend to take the final HEL-LED, you should find an overnight connection. As far as I know, Finnair will happily sell any connection up to 24 hours + MCT.

Back to the general questions of Y earnings to Japan... with MSQ gone, there are not a lot of options for Value tickets. LED is definitely the closest. MSQ operated by B2 probably works too (and does not require a visa). There are also SVO and much further away, TLV, DXB and TSE.

There are other options to get more than 4000(+tier) points per way to Japan:

• HEL-FRA-NRT with AY code on the JL: >5000 points (+tier) at same price as direct flights.
• HEL-DOH-TYO with QR: >6000 points in most cases. 12000 points if you find a 100% earning code.
• HEL-*-HKG-TYO with CX Core fares: >14000 points depending on route but very slow.
• Direct flights in M code earn 100% but cost about 200 € extra
• Direct flights to Incheon or China in Value fare, then separate ticket to Japan.

It remains to be seen if HEL-CAN-TYO by CZ makes any difference, but I am not holding my hopes up. Not only has there been zero news of the codeshare agreement that supposedly starts in a month, but CZ is not in Oneworld, so tier points would most likely be precisely zero for the foreseeable future.

Im a new user

If your trip contains a domestic flight operated by JL and you can't get Value, then try to get that domestic flight on JL code (and everything else on AY code). Domestic JL flights seem to book into full Y, meaning 100%.And you could get a long connection in HEL on your way from LED to Japan if you wish to go landside to check in luggage at HEL.Some North American airports, such as JFK, also work, but it's difficult to get a Value fare for a positioning ticket to JFK.JL codeshares on KE from South Korea and on MU from China. It would be nice to know if those codeshares post to AY+, although they tend to cost more than JL code on a JL flight. AA's page on JL suggests that AA earns on all JL's codeshares regardless of metal and if AA's page is correct, then AY might also earn.

ffay005

Not at all, just start in DEL. So to fly HEL-NRT, you're now going to fly HEL-DEL-HEL-JFK-HEL-NRT-HEL-JFK-HEL-DEL-HEL. Isn't AY all about smooth connections to Asia?

Superrman

Points earning is better than HEL-TSE/DXB/TLV-HEL-NRT-HEL-TSE/DXB/TLV-HEL too

Jaenks

It is certainly not the cheapest OWE to earn but with lesser amount of flights.

Tips: LA intra Brazil. Tricks: 4 segment flights for 60€ per ticket. I figured out yesterday that I could do a segment runs in autumn(my new year starts in June) for AY Platinum(BA Gold period ends in March 2020 with soft landing to BA Silver) which cost me around 1300€ including 220€ for 4 AY segments that I will fly anyway in Europe. I will net a bit less than 30k points with those flights,375 points per segment by AY calculator.

r2d2

Unlike BAEC, AY+ doesn't have a requirement for taking AY flights (except for Lumo).

Jainzar

It is better to say that this is effectively not required. According to the T&C 4 AY flights are required (see 2.9).
https://www.finnair.com/fi/gb/finnai...air-plus/rules

Trav1970

Compared to the good old days, slashed point earnings on non-AY tickets also take care of this problem for AY quite effectively. Flying only non-AY flights earning the status is going to be more costly.

Im a new user

Eh, just book 38 HEL-ARN/BMA/TLL/OUL/XXX return trips at like 100 euros each. OWE for 3800 euros.

seldomrfly

Or 19 trips OSL-RIX. 114€/each. 😉