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Experiences of AY flights during COVID-19

Experiences of AY flights during COVID-19

Old May 19, 2021, 4:03 am
  #1141  
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,668
Originally Posted by OH-LGG
LHR T3 is still very quiet.
Are you there? Any lounges open? Are you flying back to HEL tonight? What kind of paperwork did AY require to let you board? E90 or Airbus?
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Old May 19, 2021, 4:14 am
  #1142  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Helsinki-Vantaa APT, Finland
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Posts: 6,043
No I not there. but I've been monitoring LHR departures and no departures or arrivals in T3.

And no signs of opening:
All flights at Heathrow are now operating from Terminals 2 and 5 following the temporary relocation of airlines from Terminals 3 and 4. Rail operations will continue to serve Terminals 2 and 5; but are suspended to Terminal 4.
All about opening it was hphp.
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Old May 19, 2021, 5:50 am
  #1143  
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: London
Programs: finnair plus platinum
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Timeline has now been pushed back with early June considered a realistic restart.

London Heathrow Terminal 3 reopening pushed back to June - Executive Traveller
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Old May 21, 2021, 9:33 am
  #1144  
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: TK *G, BA Gold
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The Guardian reports that T3 will be dedicated to red list arrivals ...

Heathrow airport is reportedly to open a terminal dedicated to arrivals from red list countries from 1 June to ensure greater distance between arrivals from countries where there are higher levels of Covid infection and those returning from green and amber list locations.LBC reports that it understands it will initially be housed in Terminal 3 but would later move to Terminal 4
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Old May 21, 2021, 4:44 pm
  #1145  
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+ Plat
Posts: 112
I had a disappointing boarding experience today, HEL-ZRH. While waiting for Group 3 to be able to board, I saw one of the gate agents forcing everyone to show their Covid test results and the QR Code to enter Switzerland, which resulted in a very lengthy boarding process. I assume she didn't care whether it was printed CDOK on the boarding passes, as everyone had to show it. The Norra flight was about 70-80% full.
Luckily the 2nd gate agent trusted the CDOK print and I went for that lane
If they will continue with this process during the summer holidays, good luck with on-time boarding...
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Old May 25, 2021, 3:47 am
  #1146  
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
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Estonians are probably gonna avoid AY as much as they can after widely-publicized "sleeping on the HEL floor without even getting wate" experiences when 11.45 pm flights to TLL were cancelled.

https://majandus.postimees.ee/723487...a-ooseks-loksu
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Old May 25, 2021, 4:04 am
  #1147  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Helsinki-Vantaa APT, Finland
Programs: AY LUMO
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Postmees story is behind the wall but that case was here already:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33212187-post1117.html

And last weekend it was repeated. 6Y flight from HRG couldnt land in TLL and was diverted to HEL. Passengers had long night in HEL terminal without exit.
Also AY TLL late night service was delayed until next morning.
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Old May 25, 2021, 9:33 am
  #1148  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2
Posts: 3,619
Should the affected passengers sue the Finnish government in EUCJ or somewhere? What's the legal basis for denying entry to evidently distressed EU citizens?
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Old May 25, 2021, 11:32 am
  #1149  
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Social media is more efficient.
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Old May 25, 2021, 12:20 pm
  #1150  
 
Join Date: May 2017
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Originally Posted by Courmisch
Should the affected passengers sue the Finnish government in EUCJ or somewhere? What's the legal basis for denying entry to evidently distressed EU citizens?
There is a provision in the Schengen rules to deny entry to someone who poses a health risk, but it's untested if this allows you to deny entry to Estonians en masse or if this has to be individually assessed. I'd imagine that a bunch of Estonians who spend one night in a hotel at the airport pose very little risk to the health in Finland.

The affected passengers can't sue the Finnish government in the European Court of Justice. Instead, they would have to go through the Finnish courts if they want to sue. The Finnish courts could then refer the case to the European Court of Justice. However, it is unclear how the courts would rule on this.
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Old May 25, 2021, 2:30 pm
  #1151  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum (OWE), SK G(*G), BW Diamond
Posts: 803
Just flew 2h ATR flight, that was something. Military exercise block middle part of Finnish airspace and flights from the North went on easterly route.
On a good side, these were award flights, very easily booked online and with a cost of 33e+15k of points that are otherwise worth nothing, very cheap.
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Old May 27, 2021, 10:43 am
  #1152  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Helsinki-Vantaa APT, Finland
Programs: AY LUMO
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More E90 fun coming:



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Old May 31, 2021, 2:36 am
  #1153  
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Programs: Finnair Platinum, IHG Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium Elite
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Trip report:

HEL-AGP, 30th May on AY 1671

Airport pretty busy. Platinum check-in desks are open, but thats as far as it goes for any type of loyalty treatment. No priority security, Finnair lounge still closed. Boarding the aircraft is done in groups still starting from the back of the plane (A321-231). The flight itself was pretty full, service in economy basically the same as the service on a Norra ATR flight to RVN...

Disembarking was done row by row, and before baggage claim there was checkpoints to scan your QR code that is required by Spanish authorities.

It was pretty funny that I asked the FA mid-flight about something and after she answered she blurted out "oh and by the way welcome back nice to see you" as some sort of Plat greeting
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Old May 31, 2021, 8:53 am
  #1154  
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Espoo
Programs: AY
Posts: 152
HEL - PVG. May 27th
Airbus 350

Considering all check in need to be done over the counter, I was a bit late arriving in the airport, but surprisingly even 1.2hr was sufficient to do all check-in coz the airport was really empty. Check-in included verifying green code for entering China which generated based on your covid test results.

I waitlisted the upgrade but was unable to clear T37. I decided to ask over counter when check in, the lady blurted out there was vacancy but later confirmed J was full. I couldn't figure out why the plane would be this full when right now entering China is super troublesome and foreigner visa is restricted.

Lounge was closed as expected. But Tax free, and some essential shops were opened, though they closed early at 5pm.
Very few ppl during the check-in and security, but when I finally reached boarding gate there were already significant amount of passengers waiting in line for boarding, like showing up from no where.

Later I had a chat in the flight with pax sitting next to me, and got told that 95% of pax in this route nowadays are from UK transfer via HEL, as all UK-CN routes are suspended from China side since January due to the diplomacy conflict....So UK pax going to China either take LFH via Frankfurt (cheaper but very often get cancelled) or take Finnair via HEL. That explained the full J and almost full Y that day. The transfer UK pax all have to stay airside overnight in vantaa airport while taking necessary covid test. They were supplied with basic blanket and pillow from Finnair though.

​​​​​​And during the day time, Finnair broadcasted several times to sell the last J seat to them and it was taken in the morning already. So I guess that was the one mentioned from my check-in counter.

On board experience was almost same as before Covid era. But there were no supply for blanket and pillow for hygiene reason. Not sure if that is case for J .

Arrival in China side was first waiting in seat for staff measuring the temperature first. When everybody temperature was cleared, then disembark row by row. In the land side there were several check points which verify your code and handing out the covid test appliances. Then all ppl went through separate booths for nose and throat sampling. After that ppl were separated based on their final destination after arrival, (nowadays each airline company only have one route to China per week), and sent to quarantine hotel for 14 days.
Frankly speaking, I was cautious for the procedure after arrival in China since I read that the whole process was quite unpleasant and sometimes even unreasonable. But at least in PVG, the whole process was very smooth, staff were very polite and efficient, even taking the nose sample was much more gentle than in Terveystalo.... It was about 2 hrs in total for clearing all things before going to the quarantine place.

Now sitting in a four star hotel in Shanghai, I will try to enjoy the quarantine confinement for the next two weeks.
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Old May 31, 2021, 9:21 am
  #1155  
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Posts: 8,668
Lo and behold – OLCI actually worked! I'm flying HEL-ARN 01JUN. As of today, Sweden abolished all additional travel requirements for pax from Finland (and the Nordics). Yesterday, when I did OLCI, the system refused to issue a BP but now it's there.
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