Romanianflyer

New Year's Day. The time many of us might still be sitting with a big hangover from the previous night while others are contemplating their New Year's resolutions for 2019. I have given up on such resolutions long ago, although being off from work on the 1st of January and being a bit bored I was contemplating some other things. Where do I want to travel the upcoming year? What are my goals?

I'm lucky to have a flexible job, and most often I can easily get a few days off on a short notice, or even maximise my weekends by working the adjacent weekdays remotely. With the sole exception of the summer holidays, it is however generally difficult to plan too far ahead in advance, which is why I book most of my travels just a month or maximum two months out.

I have status with both Star Alliance and Sky Team. My re-qualification year for Air France/KLM Flying Blue platinum ends 31st August, while my gold status for Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles ends somewhere mid-October. And while I'm pretty confident I can easily regain both statuses just by taking work trips and a few holidays, I figured that a little Flying Blue XP boost couldn't do harm and would allow much more flexibility in the upcoming months when planning my holidays (especially as most of my travels are in Y).

Just like plenty of other frequent flying programmes, Flying Blue has devaluated quite a bit over the years. Last year's changes from a programme with pure mileage qualification to one based on a new concept called XPs had its pros and cons. Earning miles has become much harder when flying Air France or KLM, as earnings on these airlines are now entirely based on your spending. What once was maybe 12,000 miles for a return flight to South America could now easily be only 2,000 miles if your ticket happened to cost you just 500 EUR. This especially hits those flying economy hard. Luckily, mileage earnings when flying Sky Team partners are – rather bizarrely – much better as this is still based on a percentage and distance flown. Why in the name of all that is holy did the AF/KL management think it is a good thing is beyond me, as if I have the choice I would now of course pick any other ST airline over AF/KL as it credits more miles while earning the same number of XP.

That said, I think requalifying for your Flying Blue status has actually become much easier as this is now based on a point system called XP. Depending on the length and class of your flight (Y, premium Y, J or F) you get a certain amount of XP. If you can plan accordingly and manage to book multi-segmented flights, it can add up very quickly. To put it into perspective: you can often get a six-segment intra-European ticket in J for around 350-400 EUR if picking a destination where for example KLM flies to, but Air France doesn't. A routing OTP-CDG-AMS-AAL (and back) for example could net you 15XP per segment, and thus 90XP for the entire journey. Given the programme is now spending-based when flying AF/KL it makes of course for some lousy mileage earning, but it is great for your XPs. With the platinum requalification threshold being 300XP, one such a ticket already gets you about one third there.

For my mileage run weekend away I settled however on a four-segmented journey as it was more exciting given the choice of flights. A ticket to the Finnish capital of Helsinki (HEL). For 350 EUR I had four sectors (OTP-CDG-HEL and back) earning me 60XP, which is not bad on its own. The exciting bit here is that Air France doesn't fly to Helsinki and the flights there are actually operated by Finnair (you still earn full miles/XP if the flights are on AF codeshare numbers). Given the fact that I am a Oneworld nobody and never flew Finnair before, it was a great opportunity to try out a different airline!

On a map, the flights would thus look like this:



From Helsinki, I added a side trip by ferry to Tallinn in Estonia for maximum diversity. Sure, I have visited both cities before on a number of occasions (in fact: all European countries save Andorra, Liechtenstein and San Marino I have visited at least once) but I was looking forward to return as it has been a few years ago already. The 16 EUR for the return ticket by ferry was a steal.

Highlights to look forward to in this trip report include:

- Battling freezing cold temperatures in Helsinki
- Exploring the magnificent old town of Tallinn
- Two journeys on two different boats, the Silja Europa and Tallink Megastar, which are almost like cruise ships
- Copious amount of champagne
- The wonderful Air France lounge at the L gates of Terminal 2E

Tocsin

Sounds like another interesting trip, Romanianflyer ! The OH and I did a couple of trips to Tallinn from LHR via HEL a couple of years ago when business prices were really good - the AY meals were 'interesting'. Looking forward to your TR.

Romanianflyer

Oh it definitely was - and it had some interesting surprises as well!

As I already wrote in the introduction, I very, very rarely fly on any of the oneworld airlines - but even I have heard about the popularity of the TP run to TLL for UK-based BAEC frequent flyers I don't want to spoil too much, but I actually quite liked Finnair! But perhaps I was just lucky with the excellent meal they served me.

Romanianflyer

Part 1: Bucharest Otopeni Airport (OTP) and the TAROM business class lounge

The first Air France flight of the day out of Bucharest depart at the godawful early hour of 6.05am – which means that I have to leave for the airport at 4am from my home as early morning rush hour queues at Otopeni can be horrendous and airport bosses have not found out the concept of 'priority security' yet.

I have reviewed the TAROM lounge before here in a previous trip report. Shortly put: it beats waiting in the crowded gate areas with unworkable public wifi – but apart from that is nothing at all to write home about. While seating is OK, the drink options are mediocre and food options downright appalling (dry crackers and crisps, anyone?).

But what did I spot shortly before the end of the year? This Facebook post of TAROM talking about a lounge renovation! I didn't bother about the talk about an 'exclusive design'. Even though it looked like an improvement, it still seemed like your average European lounge. But what did my eyes see in those pictures? FOOD! Proper FOOD! Before the lounge was more akin to Romania in the late 1980s under Ceausescu – completely devoid of anything edible for the masses. My excitement grew even bigger when seeing the picture below being shared on social media. Are those Dutch 'bitterballen' being served in the lounge? OMG!


A TAROM promotion picture of the “renovated” and “exclusive” lounge. And are those bitterballen in the bottom right?

And with such a pompous opening with the British ambassador and Romanian Transport Minister in attendance, what could go wrong?

Well, TAROM's answer to that was basically: “Hold my beer.”

Back to my travel day.

Somehow queues were rather light today – which is unusual for an early morning at OTP. It meant I was in the lounge, which is located one floor up by escalator halfway in the terminal, in no-time. Apart from perhaps one or two other persons it was completely empty this early in morning. I could immediately notice some design changes, such as the wood being used to create different seating areas, new carpet, new seats etc. Even though 'exclusive' wouldn't be the word I would choose, it felt for sure like an improvement over the old seating and decor.

Once you enter the lounge you have a smoking area to the left inside a glass box, and the rest of the lounge to the right.


The escalators up to the TAROM lounge


The reception desk and the smoking lounge – the entire lounge is basically to my back


The buffet

On first sight the wooden decor pieces look nice, but I don't really get them and would have vehemently advised against it. Think of it. Who uses a lounge? It's either people travelling alone, or at most with a partner or perhaps their family of four. Why would you need a giant round table? You could have used the space much better to create individual or smaller tables/chairs for people to sit. One of the things people look for in lounges is privacy. If we want to stare at the shoddy dress and unzipped pants of our neighbour we might as well sit at a Ryanair gate in the terminal.



Take this picture below. Later on when the lounge was getting more crowded a couple sat down here. But that means that others are (rightly so) reluctant to sit there as well, even though most other seats were kinda occupied as well. It's a pointless waste of space.



At the other hand, I did find the proper working tables a plus – and they were actually quite comfy as well to sit behind/work at. There are also plenty of plugs (look at the floor – where there are covered plug boxes).



There were even some sort-of nap sofas! Although they could for sure use a bit more privacy being very exposed to the rest of the lounge.



So while we can say that the seating is a minor improvement, the same can't be said about the f&b options. It was EXACTLY THE SAME as it has always been before. Damn you TAROM social media reps by writing to your Facebook post “go check it out yourself!” when people asked if the food and beverages they showed off with at the unveiling were a permanent fixture or just only for the grand opening.

What this means? Well, the same as I've written about in my previous review of this lounge. For food there are salty peanuts, crisps, dry crackers and stale prepackaged chocolate cakes. Nothing more. To drink? Mediocre coffee from the machines, water and sodas, a Romanian beer, a very basic selection of booze, and a very mediocre white and red wine (which TAROM serves as well in business class – and bizarrely to economy passengers as well, which is saying a lot about its exclusivity, price and quality).

To say that I was disappointed is a mild understatement – although I should have known better and could have expected this all along. I just took a double espresso and a glass of orange juice – and got some work done. At least internet speeds are acceptable (especially compared to the dreadful public wifi in the terminal) and you can sit in comfort (most of the day, it's also very quiet in the lounge from own experiences). If you however leave aside seating quality and crowds/quietness, it's one of the worst European lounges I have ever visited.



I knew however that I should not complain too much about it today – as surely Air France would keep me well hydrated and with a full stomach?

Next up: Flying Air France in business class from Bucharest to Paris CDG

Romanianflyer

Part 2: Bucharest (OTP) to Paris (CDG) on Air France in business class
Flight AF1089 – Airbus A320 - Seat 1A – 350 EUR as part of CDG-OTP-HEL r/t
STD 6.05am - STA 8.20am (flight time 3h15m)

Ah Air France. I have flown quite a few intra-European trips on them in recent months in both classes – and I have to say that as an airline they have quite grown on me. Sure, there are many things not to like. For starters CDG remains a horrible airport to transit, and in business class on their narrow-body planes you will only find crap euro-business seats which are the same as economy but with the middle seat blocked.

There are however also many things to like about them. I think the airline has an excellent soft product (both in Y and J) and, this one might be an unpopular opinion, I have always found their flight attendants to be extremely friendly, helpful and service-orientated. Hell, at times I even find them quite amicable and charming. The French! I never knew that I would say this one day myself about the frogs.

I have previously reviewed two Air France sectors as part of this massive trip report – so let's see how on this adventure my two legs with the Frenchies would compare.

As always, priority boarding is quite neatly enforced at OTP even though there are no real dedicated queues (just make sure you stand near the gate when boarding commences).



I was the first to board – and would only be one of the two passengers in business class today. Economy on the other hand seemed to be packed on today's flight. I had assigned myself seat 1A for the trip, with the only other passenger being in 2F.



Service started off with a welcome drink. Those who have read my previous trip reports know by now that I won't say no to a glass of champagne, not even at 5.30am.



After take-off, menu cards were distributed, with the choice between a cheese omelet and pancake with raspberry compote. Even though I'm a fan of eggs for breakfast, I always end up being disappointed by it on a plane. My last two flights on Aeroflot in economy were no difference: they aced the pancakes while the eggs were rather bad. But as generally I prefer a hearty breakfast over a sweet one, I went nonetheless for the omelette au fromage.



Unfortunately, it was quite a disappointment and had a weird taste to it, as well as a lack of cheese. The meal came with some yoghurt, fresh fruit, a croissant and a bread bun – which were of decent quality. I had another glass of fizz and an orange juice to wash it away. Service was very efficient as the meal was finished less than 30-40 minutes in flight.



Despite the early hours the flight attendants were extremely hard-working and costumer-orientated. While I didn't find them overly friendly at all (I can't blame them this early hour!) they were checking on me and the other passenger every ten minutes or so, whether it was just to see if our glasses were empty in which case they would ask if I wanted a refill, or to ask in general if I was enjoying the flight and if there was something they could do for me. They also did an excellent job making sure the curtains remained closed with economy and to politely evict passengers from Y who wanted to make use of the loo in the front of the aeroplane. Even though the seat wasn't the most comfortable, the mini business class cabin was an oasis of calmness.

After the meal one of the flight attendants asked me if I wanted a coffee, which I gladly obliged. She also asked if I wanted another champagne top-up. Who am I to decline such a proposal?



About halfway through the flight the flight attendant brought out some chocolates, cookies and Fauchon sweets, which is a quality touch.





While the sun was rising somewhere over Southern Germany, I *might* have even had a fourth glass of champagne.





The sunrise turned out to be gorgeous and was simply on of the best I have ever seen from a plane window. The skies looked unusually blue in almost azure-green colours you'd rather expect from the Northern Lights. To see the bright lights of the city of Paris below wasn't too bad either.







We landed a good 20 minutes before schedule on Charles de Gaulle airport. In short, it was an extremely pleasant flight which went by fast. Even though the meal wasn't the best one I ever had, I can't blame the airline for it as continental breakfasts are much more difficult to do right on a plane. The service was the factor which stood out here. Even though I had better AF flight crews, the flight attendants working the flight were extremely efficient, helpful and pro-active, which are three factors perhaps more important than likeability when flying (although likeability and friendliness can make up a lot on bad service!).

Next up: Flying from CDG to HEL on Finnair in business class

Romanianflyer

Part 3: Paris (CDG) to Helsinki (HEL) on Finnair in business class
Flight AY1572 (booked as AF5002) – Airbus A320 - Seat 4A – 350 EUR as part of CDG-OTP-HEL r/t
STD 10.50am - STA 2.50pm (flight time 3h)

After disembarking the aircraft I had exactly two hours and 20 minutes to change terminals at CDG. All things considered, I wouldn't have wanted a shorter time given how chaotic at times the whole transit experience can be. Sure, I've made flights with an 1h20m change of planes at CDG in the past in which I had to change terminals, but you just know that the tiniest bit of delay, massive queue or illogical routing through the airport can seriously endanger making your connecting flight.

Of course this time turned out to be no difference. It all started quite logical: exit the plane, go through passport control and a security checkpoint, and I was at the intra-terminal bus to make my way to terminal 2D. There were some lovely sunrise views over the airport from the bus.



Somehow at 2D the pathway did not lead us straight into the terminal as the connecting door was closed but led us landside. This meant I had to go through security again annoyingly enough. Especially as I was wearing my sturdy winter boots which has lots of iron in them, it was not the most fun to do as it takes a while to take them off and on again. Luckily the priority line had almost no people in them and soon I was back airside at terminal 2D.

I have visited the terminal about a year ago when flying on Azerbaijan Airlines to Baku. There is only one contract lounge in this terminal called the Sheltair Lounge serving all airlines/cards. It is before passport control, so if you are heading out of the Schengen zone you need to take this into account (although I never found queues long once inside the terminal, and my flight to Helsinki would anyway be inside the Schengen zone). You can read my previous review of the Sheltair Lounge here.

To summarise – the lounge looks actually fairly nice given the lousy space they have to work with, and there is quite a good deal of privacy thanks to the smart layout. I wouldn't recommend spending lots of time in it as it's nothing to write home about, but it's actually fairly decent on a good day. However, today was definitely not a good day. The lounge was super crowded and only after 15 minutes was I able to select a decent seat. Food and beverage options are also decidedly mediocre to poor.



After a quick coffee and snack I decided it was better to hang out at the gate area to make a few snaps of the plane and to make sure I would be among the first to board.





Priority boarding (business class, OW emerald) were the first to be called, and I was the first to board. Even though euro-business class is nothing much to write home about, I am still always very excited to try out a new airline (heck, that's even party true when flying economy). The cabin looked very fresh, light and clean – partly due to the excellent colours chosen for the seats.



I moved into my original seat 3A – although after take-off I quickly moved to 4A after the gentleman in front of me immediately reclined his seat (I'm one of the few who wishes they'd fix economy seats and not make them recline at all). For business class passengers, Finnair puts Marimekko designed pillows and blankets on alternating rows – although if you are sitting in a row where they aren't put you can ask the FAs if they can bring another set.



Even though there are no pre-departure beverages on Finnair's short- to mid-haul flights, the flight crew was excellent from the start. The Finnair ladies were all in their late 40s or perhaps even 50s, but were all very charming and extremely friendly. During boarding they were eager to make a small chat with each passenger, telling jokingly that weather in Paris at 0 degrees was quite warm compared to the -20 degrees Celsius which would await us in Helsinki. Also the captain made a few weather related jokes and had a small talk about romance in Paris in that quintessential Finnish way of cold, understated humour. It's the small things by which you can instantly recognise you will have a great flight ahead, the simple joy the crew puts in their service, and this flight would be no difference.

The roll to the runway gave some nice views over some exotic planes, among which a Delta bird being de-iced and an Iranian Mahan Air Airbus A340.









The views over the frosty French countryside after take-off weren't too bad either.







As soon as the seatbelt sign went off, the crew jumped into action by closing the curtains to economy class. It was a very light load for today's flight, with perhaps half of economy class being booked and about a third of the seats in the four rows of business class.

Service began with drinks and some salty nibbles, as well as some newspapers for those who wanted a read. Naturally, I opted for some champagne – which in the case of Finnair is the eminently drinkable Joseph Perrier, which is served in small bottles. I do absolutely love the Finnair glassware – but that is of course a popular opinion you can read back in about every Finnair trip report there is on the net!





Meal orders were also taken during the serving of the drinks. Even though all drinks offered are listed in the menu (as they are the same for economy class, where it is BOB instead) I'm not sure anymore whether there were any menu cards for food. I doubt there were as in that case the unlikely situation would have happened that I forgot to photograph them – but I could be mistaken! In any case, the FAs explained all the lunch options, and I opted for the “spicy” chicken curry.

It was a lovely clear day for flying and even though we flew at cruising altitude you could easily recognise the cities below if you have a decent sense of geography (no IFE whatsoever on the Finnair narrowbody aeroplanes, so you have to rely on your own eyes and brains). The city of The Hague in the Netherlands with the Scheveningen Pier was clearly visible.



As were the canals of Amsterdam.



The curvature of the Dutch province of North Holland and the island of Texel were also easy to spot.



It did however take quite some time before the meal was being served, but we weren't left thirsty while waiting as the flight attendants made repeated runs through the business cabin asking if we might like a top up. And who am I to say no to a second mini bottle of champagne? The meal was served at each seat individually on a tray and came around midway through the flight. Immediately after serving the food, the FA came back with a breadbasket, from which I selected the typical Nordic rye bread. As a drink to go with the meal, I tried the white wine – which was OK.



I found the meal beautifully presented – and in fairness it tasted very good as well. Sure, it wasn't the best “curry” I ever head, nor was it at all“spicy” as it was described. It was however flavourful and filling, and the piece of chicken was quite big and tender. Also the starter and desert were decent. All combined, it was a good and very solid meal.

After the meal the FAs asked if I wanted a coffee or tea after the meal. Given the alcohol I already consumed I figured that a coffee and another glass of water wouldn't be a bad choice.



Shortly before landing, I also had some typical Finnish blueberry juice, which was tasty.



Soon we began our descent into a snowy Finland – which surely looked cold from the window.





We flew directly alongside Helsinki's Vantaa Airport before doing a giant U-turn to align for out runway.









Once we made the turn, the views back to the south-west from my window with the sun slowly setting were amazing.



We landed on time in Helsinki and had a short ride over the tarmac towards the terminal.





Unfortunately, we had a remote spot so it meant we had to be brought by buses to the terminal. Luckily, today's load was light and the everyone managed to disembark in no time. On the upside, a bus gate also means the opportunity to make a last picture of our Finnair Airbus A320.



Helsinki's airport is easy to navigate, and it's even more easy to reach the city by public transport. Deep underground is a suburban railway line from where there are frequent and decently priced trains departing to Helsinki's main railway station.



Within an hour or so after landing I set foot in Helsinki's magnificent railway terminal designed by Eliel Saarinen in a national romanticist style. It is conveniently located right in the heart of the city and most of Helsinki's major sights and hotels are walking distance away.





In short: It was a solid flight on Finnair. The flight attendants were extremely charming and eager to serve, repeatedly making runs through the cabin asking for top-ups. The food also did not disappoint at all. While the soft product is not as sophisticated as on board of Air France, I would fly Finnair again in a heartbeat as I'd rank them well above the European average.

Next up: Exploring the Finnish capital of Helsinki at -20 degrees Celsius

Fredrik74

Cool report. -20 is a little too low...

I don't understand why anyone would want to travel to Finland(or Sweden) in the middle of winter. Personally I'd like to travel to avoid it...

Hezu

If I understood the time of this trip correctly, the temperatures actually were not quite that cold, I checked the open data from Finnish Meteorological Institute for Helsinki Kaisaniemi weather station (in the heart of the city centre) and on January 2nd 2019 the temperatures were first in the morning just few degrees below freezing and went colder so that it reached -7°C in the night. Ok, that was not the whole picture: there was strong winds: gusts up to 18.3 m/s, so perhaps the situation might indeed felt similar to -20°C.
For example, there are few activities that you cannot do in warmer weather...

Romanianflyer

Thanks Fredrik74 - you are right that Summer is an altogether better time to visit as there is much more to see (and more daylight hours for lots more sightseeing time!) although somehow I like the winter charm with the snow and the lights etc. And I figured it wouldn't be that bad after last year's winter trip to Siberia, although I was wrong on that!

Not completely correct on the temperatures Hezu as I visited mid-January! (the beginning of January was when I booked my trip, I visited on the days around 20-21-22nd January)

https://www.wunderground.com/history...date/2019-1-21

Even though temperatures at Wunderground show -23 degrees Celsius at its lowest I would swear that my Android phone was even putting the coldest temperature at -30 at one of the days I was in town. You are absolutely right however about activities that one can do in winter but not in summer, although that didn't play a part in my decision on this trip (it did for example on a trip last month to Spitsbergen).

Dover2Golf

Excellent as ever.

Helsinki and for that matter Finland has become one of my favourites in the last couple of years never having been before. Helsinki is a very manageable city with high standards of most things and plenty of good walks even when the temp is way down - I enjoyed a walk around frozen solid lakes just last month. Beyond Helsinki it's an amazing country especially in summer and the lakes and forests are so clean and fresh and then of course there's the joy of a good sauna and jumping into an icy lake afterwards - unbeatable!

roadwarrier

Very iconic glasses, glad that they still use them. I still have a few in my collection .....

Enjoying your report as always, looking forward to the rest.

MaxVO

I love the Finnair signature drink too! Judging from the taste, I can confidently claim it's actually a juice blend, not pure blueberry. But still it's all the liquid I drink on AY flights.

Romanianflyer

Thanks Dover2Golf!

I agree that Helsinki is a very enjoyable city to walk, and this time I even managed to discover some completely new sides of town. I've been to the country in my teens a few times with my parents and I always loved the outdoors and the lakes as well.

Thanks very much roadwarrier. I was tempted to 'borrow' a few glasses as well, but in the end I managed to behave. I even decided to drink the blueberry juice without a splash of vodka which was tempting to order

I think you are right here MaxVO as the taste and even texture is a bit different when I tried it for example at hotel breakfast

greg5

Very nice Trip Report. I've done a couple of TP runs to HEL with one in January. Helsinki is also an amazingly beautiful city in the snow. With the right clothes, I had a great day on Suomenlinna with few other people around in -20C weather. In the evening there was LUX Helsinki with all sorts of lighted artworks. It was great.

lloydje33

Hmm Helsinki looks nice enough! I'm visiting the city in August so any recommendations are welcome.