CeruleanBlue

Oh yeah, you're probably right. So maybe it's open for passengers in the opposite direction as well?

I need to be in SF the week after so tempted to fly over with the Slush bunch if possible.... Will investigate if one-way is possible.

intuition

The inclusion of IB in the Japan joint business was approved. IB will start with three flights a week MAD-TYO on 2016 OCT 18.

The press-release carefully avoids mentioning any future frequency of Finnair's japan flights. The IB MAD-TYO will clearly be a "shorter route to Japan" than AY, and I assume the IB flight will be attractive to flyers in Spain, Portugal, italy, southern france and similar.

IB also has a network to south America, especially Brazil which has the greatest Japanese expat population in the world. However, the SAO-LON-TYO route is shorter than via MAD. MAD is shorter than via DOH though.

WilcoRoger

MAD-NRT: 6707 miles
MAD-HEL-NRT: 6710 miles

So clearly shorter by 3 miles, 15-20 seconds of flight time

Of course a direct flight is a direct flight (for ex-MAD pax), but

LIS-MAD-NRT: 7027 miles
LIS-HEL-NRT: 6971 miles

so routing via HEL comes out on top by 56 miles

However IB has much better feeders than AY from the peninsula (not to mention Latam), but for France and Italy it already involves backtracking.
And do Latam pax REALLY fly to Japan via Europe? I'd think they'd do Transpac.

It'll be price + total travel time for most pax.

intuition

Hehe, I mean for MAD:ers where travel time will be shorter due to no connection downtime. The AY option MAD-TYO is more than 2 hours longer travel time.

For connectors the options will be on par, but I assume a local flyer would choose IB over AY for similar reasons that Finns choose AY.

Also, a shorthaul to MAD and then a 13h flight is preferable to the AY alternative: 4h on narrowbody then a 9h longhaul. In this sense, HEL is to the Spanish what DOH is to Nordics - an untimely stop. (no other comparisons...)

intuition

No idea. If looking at prices, ME3 is leading.
If they use Japanese carriers, then yes, both JAL and ANA offers only NA connections. ANA offers a ORD connection which is almost a perfect great circle.

ffay005

This is getting weirder... Now AY has this page, clearly aimed at the Finnish market: https://www.finnair.com/fi/gb/slush2016-san-francisco

So it looks like they are selling HEL-SFO-HEL. But the booking engine still knows nothing about it.

clifford79

The terms and conditions say "Offer is only available for Slush 2016 participants, including visitors, speakers, investors, startup entrepreneurs and other partners.". So it looks like the offer is aimed at HEL-based participants, who want to throw in back-to-back TATL MRs immediately before and after the event by stacking HEL-SFO-HEL with SFO-HEL-SFO to maximize their AY A350 experience.

intuition

Finnair adds VST (Västerås) as a 3 weekly on 2016 SEP 15. 3 daily Mon through fri, 1 flight on saturdays and 2 flights on sundays.

Flights operated by 2N (Nextjet)

-- Added
The name might fool you, but they seem to operate a fleet of Saab 340 the route seems to be operated by BAe ATP, but they also operate a number of smaller Saab 340.

Purjelentaja

Not 3 weekly, but 3 daily on weekdays! http://www.finnairgroup.com/mediaen/...l_2275889.html

intuition

Fixed that!

Nextjet has free seating (ie no ASR) and buy on-board concept.

Courmisch

So really, this is NextJet adding Helsinki to their network:
http://www.finavia.fi/en/news-room/n...-and-vasteras/
Interesting that they don't stop in MHQ on the way

intuition

Absolutely, for re-fuelling and such!

intuition

New/altered frequencies summer routes for 2017;

Between April 11 and October 28, Finnair will fly four weekly flights to Reykjavik.

Finnair will also fly weekly to Corfu, Greece and Menorca, Spain on Sundays.

Between June 17 and August 12, Finnair will also operate a new weekly flight to Ibiza, Spain on Saturdays.

Finnair is also increasing its capacity in the UK market for the summer 2017 season as it will continue its Edinburgh route with up to 5 weekly flights. Additionally, Finnair’s morning flights to and from London will fly with the state-of-the-art A350 aircraft during the summer 2017 season.

As of March 27, Finnair will fly up to nine weekly flights between Helsinki and Dublin, operating a mix of A319 and E90 aircraft during the 2017 summer season.

Courmisch

So Finnair competing with FI? Do we know the weekly schedule? I'd assume two morning and two afternoon pairs.

The A350 to/from LHR, I guess it makes sense for the plane coming back from HKG, which would sit idle at HEL anyway. Still one widebody will sit idle between the Big Wave and the evening.

OH-LGG

From HKG or SIN.
Morning departure 831 to LHR and plane is back as 832 15:15 and ready for afternoon wave. No problem.