Hel-dxb
Feb 25, 2007 | 1:44 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Based in London but away ~4 months a year, often in Bali
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 322
Hel-dxb
I've spent a good while searching and the only posts I've found suggest that this economy only AY charter service is still running - if seasonally and only twice a week at those times. It's is listed on Finn Air site but I can't find anywhere listing the seasonality. Just by doing manual seaches on the finn air site it seems to run till april 1st (hel-dxb). Not sure when it starts up again.
Does anyone know when this route operates?
Does anyone know when this route operates?
Feb 25, 2007 | 2:18 pm
#2
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 19,593
You cannot fly on this route using any Oneworld product (excluded from OWE or GE tickets). You have to buy a charter product from AY (airfare + hotel packages). Also seat pitch is incredibly tight (something like 28 inches, makes regular Y look like F by comparison).
Feb 25, 2007 | 2:31 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Based in London but away ~4 months a year, often in Bali
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 322
You can book it on the finn air website without a hotel. Though they appear to penalise you for breaking the usual charter rule of sharing the same itin as your fellow passengers - usually 1 week.You have to book a more flexible fare (460+ vs 642+ euro for this march) if not going for a week. They may do the same for not taking a hotel.
Last edited by manar; Feb 25, 2007 at 2:32 pm Reason: added fare info
Feb 25, 2007 | 4:55 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: AA-EXP, LATAM Gold+, BA-Blues
Posts: 736
I have ticketed this route before as part of an XONEX, to maximise miles without running afoul of the limits on direct flights from UK to middle east, as in:
LHR-DXB-HEL-DXB-LHR
It's hard to do better than that in Europe, especially if you have reason to be in both HEL and DXB.
If it appears in the OneWorld timetable, it counts, even if it's operated by one of AY's charter-configured 752s.
AY also operates a plethora of other flights (with this same aircraft type) that don't appear in the OneWorld timetable, (Phuket, or Jaipur come to mind). It is these flights which are excluded from OneWorld products.
Hope this helps.
Checkerboard
LHR-DXB-HEL-DXB-LHR
It's hard to do better than that in Europe, especially if you have reason to be in both HEL and DXB.
If it appears in the OneWorld timetable, it counts, even if it's operated by one of AY's charter-configured 752s.
AY also operates a plethora of other flights (with this same aircraft type) that don't appear in the OneWorld timetable, (Phuket, or Jaipur come to mind). It is these flights which are excluded from OneWorld products.
Hope this helps.
Checkerboard
Feb 25, 2007 | 10:40 pm
#5
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 19,593
Maybe the rules changed (I haven't checked), or maybe it was a mistake. OWE used to exclude a range of AY flight numbers, and these were all Y only charter flights, but for interesting routes like HEL-LPA.
Feb 25, 2007 | 11:15 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Melbourne
Programs: QF
Posts: 45
Actually you can fly on the Finnair Leisure product on a xONEx ... if you want to.
We flew AY2707 HEL-RHO last year and it was all fine... certainly better than QF domestic Y. But then what isn't?
Having said that you may nto get any miles or status credits for the flight - I know with QF if you read the fin print AY flights over AY2000 or so are explicitly barred from any earnings, so only really useful if you want to go there rather than as a miles run (maybe AA is different though but I doubt it...)
We flew AY2707 HEL-RHO last year and it was all fine... certainly better than QF domestic Y. But then what isn't?
Having said that you may nto get any miles or status credits for the flight - I know with QF if you read the fin print AY flights over AY2000 or so are explicitly barred from any earnings, so only really useful if you want to go there rather than as a miles run (maybe AA is different though but I doubt it...)