Iberia wetlease MAD-HEL-MAD

Old Mar 7, 2019, 4:43 am
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Iberia wetlease MAD-HEL-MAD


IBERIA OPERATES MADRID FLIGHTS APR 1, 2019 – MAR 30, 2020

Mar 7 2019
We have leased an Airbus A321 aircraft from our oneworld partner Iberia for our Madrid route from Apr 1, 2019 to Mar 30, 2020. The Iberia aircraft covers a temporary shortage of aircraft as our operations continue to grow.With the leased aircraft, the flight deck crew comes from Iberia, while the cabin crew is Finnair’s. However, during the first operating month of the lease, the flights will be operated with Iberia’s cabin crew, and there will be one Finnair crew member on board to support the delivery of Finnair's customer service concept. The crew serves customers in English and in Spanish. Finnair’s service concept is followed on the flights.When buying tickets through finnair.com, the operating airline is shown on the ‘Select Flights’ page. If you already have a booking for our Madrid flights between Apr 1, 2019 and Mar 30, 2020, we’ll inform you about the changed aircraft via SMS and/or e-mail. Please go to Manage booking on our website or Finnair App and check that we have your current contact information. If you wish to change or cancel your flight due to the change in the operating carrier, we ask you kindly to contact Finnair Customer Service. We are also at your service via chat on finnair.com, on Twitter @FinnAirHelps and in our Facebook opens in a new window pages.

https://www.finnair.com/fi/gb/flightinfo
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 5:09 am
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Interesting news! I have always wondered that the MAD route must be a very poor route from aircraft utilization perspective. Even if they don't currently use the same aircraft every day the route still ties an A321 for almost 24 hours of which the aircraft is in the air for only about 8 hours. So makes sense to use IB aircraft as IB can still use the aircraft on other routes in MAD in the morning before MAD-HEL and in the evening after HEL-MAD. But apparently Finnair still wants to sell it as an AY flight and not ask Iberia to fully operate and just put AY codeshare on it. And doesn't MAD and BCN flights already operate with Spanish cabin crew so basically all that is left is AY catering onboard?

Also seems like AY is really getting short of aircraft (or expanding much more rapidly than earlier planned) with so many leased aircraft operating for the summer. E190 from Wideroe, A320 from GetJet and now A321 from Iberia. Anything else I missed? Edit: And of course some leased ATRs for Norra!
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 6:28 am
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This is something I would have expected to happen years ago, for reasons Haapalainen already mentioned. Actually, I would have expected AY and IB to reach an agreement where the route is handed over to IB, with AY buying a quota of seats, thus ensuring profitability for IB.

The Asian strategy with its efficient plane utilization creates awfully bad plane utilization on these longer Euro routes. LIS is another example.

The only downside: IB's seat pitch is absolutely terrible. Make sure you book exit seats!
Edit: My experience is from A319. If seatguru is anything to rely on, IB A321 looks better, at least for the first few rows.
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 7:51 am
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Originally Posted by ffay005
The only downside: IB's seat pitch is absolutely terrible. Make sure you book exit seats!
Edit: My experience is from A319. If seatguru is anything to rely on, IB A321 looks better, at least for the first few rows.
Seat pitch is terrible and the service attitude of IB crews is just not existing. I avoid IB whenever I can.
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 8:34 am
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I'm not so sure about crew attitudes, although my experiences are limited. When IB operated the HEL-MIA route, I had a wonderful FA taking care of me in J. We spoke Spanish, which probably helped even if my Spanish is terrible.

I've flown MAD-ORN and MAD-PRG recently, but don't have any recollection of CC attitudes, negative or positive. Probably there was no interaction between me and the crew as they don't have any catering in Y (apart from paid items).
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 9:47 am
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I've had pretty bad attitude on several sh J and Y last summer. I also had attricious service on JFK-MAD in Y.
Years ago I very much enjoyed HAV-MAD-FRA in J. These are but golden memories.
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 12:03 pm
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There will only be IB Cabin crew during april anyway. After that, only Finnair crew (as well HEL based as Spain based Finnair employees, as the Spain based crew soon will become AY employees)
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 1:03 pm
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Originally Posted by haapalainen
Also seems like AY is really getting short of aircraft (or expanding much more rapidly than earlier planned) with so many leased aircraft operating for the summer. E190 from Wideroe, A320 from GetJet and now A321 from Iberia. Anything else I missed? Edit: And of course some leased ATRs for Norra!
You missed TF. TF operates a few HEL-BMA/UME flights for AY.
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 1:04 pm
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Originally Posted by remymartin
I've had pretty bad attitude on several sh J and Y last summer. I also had attricious service on JFK-MAD in Y.
Years ago I very much enjoyed HAV-MAD-FRA in J. These are but golden memories.
Notoriously hit or miss service IMO.

At best I got in style ”todo lo que quiera” as answer for drink availability while other times awfully grumpy and indifferent attitude which I don’t understand how can they be spanish really.

”ei jatkoon” - lo siento.
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 1:38 pm
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Originally Posted by haapalainen

Also seems like AY is really getting short of aircraft (or expanding much more rapidly than earlier planned) with so many leased aircraft operating for the summer. E190 from Wideroe, A320 from GetJet and now A321 from Iberia. Anything else I missed? Edit: And of course some leased ATRs for Norra!
Ot it¨s just cheaper to let NötKött from Lithuania operate routes.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 1:56 am
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Only flown IB on FRA-MAD and OSL-MAD (quite a while ago, also operated by I2 I think), and can confirm very mediocre experience in Y. Easily prefer AY/SK/LH/DY(considering the price)
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 2:44 am
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Why would anyone on FT fly MAD-HEL when there is perfectly good MAD-LHR-HEL option available?
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 2:58 am
  #13  
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As others have said, I avoid IB at any cost, even when flying J the experience is just meh.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 3:42 am
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Originally Posted by florens
As others have said, I avoid IB at any cost, even when flying J the experience is just meh.
Indeed, the only time I remember being happy to fly IB, 340 J from GIG during the ash chaos in 2010...extremely happy to get across to Europe as most of the flights were cancelled to Europe..luckily the ash never really reached Spain..
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 7:21 am
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Originally Posted by FFlash
At best I got in style ”todo lo que quiera” as answer for drink availability while other times awfully grumpy and indifferent attitude which I don’t understand how can they be spanish really.
The last time I flew HEL-MAD on AY with the Spanish crew, they refused me another G&T (in J) 45 minutes before landing with "We'll land soon, no drinks anymore". And it's not like J was full or anything - I recall there being only a handful of pax. Got kinda pissed off with that.

Then again I did fly HEL-MIA in J when IB operated the route for AY and that was a super nice flight with excellent service.
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