klmml

Looking at HEL-OSL in the coming months, there are some weeks (e.g. week 8 commencing 22.2) where there is maybe one flight a day. Now, it happens that that week is the winter holiday for schools in southern Finland, but AY still have four flights a day. The following week it returns to the luxurious twice daily offering, but the week commencing 21.3 it's back down to once daily again.

My SK flights ex-HEL have been lightly loaded, compared to last winter on KF. I wonder if Finns are voting with their feet and moving over to AY.

Anyway, having not closely followed SK's withdrawal from Finland and abandonment of KF, it still strikes me that SK has pretty much given up on traffic from HEL, at least via OSL.

CPH-Flyer

Or have you Finns given up on SK and they have had to cut flights?
Even checking some weeks after I do not find more than 2 flights a day. But to be honest it is not a route I have flown in more than 4 years, so I don't know how recent the reduction is.

skba1

I fly quite often ARN-HEL or vice verse. On this route SK is almost always more expensive and has less good flight times. Needless to say useless for domestic connections, and the direct offers from ARN have mostly been cancelled or frequencies reduced to useless levels.

AY has overall more consistent service and better cabin IMO.

Discus

Also have in mind that Norwegian has a daily roundtrip as well.

FlyingMoose

Wouldn't surprise me if people simply prefer flying AY intra-Nordic. Better planes, service and staff, excelling in all areas. (And for Stockholm based customers, they fly from BMA which is well appreciated).

klmml

I would love to fly AY too, but I'm not usually coming from anywhere AY serves direct.

FlyingMoose

Outside of long-haul HEL is not a logical hub for most people. Unless you're transferring to a flight your local airport doesn't serve directly and you're avoiding a terrible connecting airport as a result.

For long-haul to Asia it makes sense for just about anyone in Europe. I'll use them for travel to NRT/PEK/ICN/PVG, especially now they have A350s in rotation.

SK reduced my AY travel with ARN-HKG by a fair bit, but AY is a decent airline where I have little to complain about. The only downside with HEL is that it is very inefficient when multiple longhaul flights arrive at the same time, which has lead me to miss connections a few times.

klmml

Sorry, I should perhaps have clarified - I'm thinking between HEL and places within Norway (AY only serves OSL and depending on their mood, TRD).

AY's afternoon bank is a real pain. Not only is it probably based on an unrealistic value for the MCT leading to much misery on bad days, but even on good days it puts acute pressure on their non-Schengen lounge complex.

However, I have had my fair share of squeaky-bottom connections in CPH and OSL, and I'd prefer 30 minute connections (assuming a later flight exists) than 3 hours waiting around, say, Heathrow when connecting with BA. And SK are good at informally holding flights if they think you can make it (in fact, IRROPS handling might be the one thing I feel has improved on shorthaul SK in the past year).