I have previously gifted Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire tiers due to my BA GGL status, United Premier Golds for being a Million miler with the airline, and Hilton Honors Diamonds for reaching 100 nights in a calendar year, but this was my first time gifting Finnair Plus Gold (Oneworld Sapphire), as I missed granting it in my first Platinum membership year.

You can access Finnair Plus here.

The gifted status is valid for the month it is processed by Finnair + the following 12. You should only process the tier upgrade to a friend or family member when they are about to get something out of it.

Finnair Plus Shop:

The gifted Gold status form can be found in the Finnair Plus Shop. You only need to know the recipient’s Finnair Plus number.

You press confirm, and Finnair starts to process the payment of zero euros.

And soon you get the confirmation.

I ordered the gift on Sunday evening, and my friend’s account was upgraded on Monday morning.

The best part is that it also comes with four European upgrades that can be converted into a single long-haul one.

Conclusion

The four European upgrades are perhaps worth 400 euros. The Finnair Plus Gold status benefits (Oneworld Sapphire) are also helpful (lounge access, onboard, and checked luggage allowance). The value depends on how much my friend flies on Oneworld airlines.

The ability to Gift BA Gold (Oneworld Emerald) is a terrific GGL member benefit. You can also gift two BA Silver tiers (Oneworld Sapphire).

Finnair’s new Economy Superlight ticket won’t allow a regular-size overhead bin bag, but one that you can fit under your seat. Depending on their status, Finnair Plus and Oneworld elite members can still bring a bag onboard and check a bag (read more here).

You can access Finnair’s page for these changes here.

Finnair’s Reasoning For These Changes:

Finnair addresses the excess carry-on baggage issue with the new Superlight ticket type and changes to baggage allowances

Finnair introduces changes to its ticket types and baggage allowances on 1 June 2023. A new Superlight ticket replaces Economy Light on journeys within Europe. A key driver for the change is the need to reduce the amount of carry-on baggage onboard.

“The target of the changes we are now making is smoother boarding, on-time departures, and travel comfort onboard our flights for everyone. Excess carry-on baggage on board is a known issue, impacting both punctuality as well as travel comfort, and we are also getting regular feedback on this from our customers and personnel,” says Valtteri Helve, Head of Product Offering at Finnair.

“To support smooth boarding and on-time departures, we are also enhancing the monitoring of carry-on baggage at airports. Excess carry-on baggage, including excessively large carry-on bags, will be moved to the cargo hold at a cost,” he adds. “I encourage everyone to check what the baggage allowance of your ticket is – it is less expensive to buy extra baggage as a travel extra beforehand than at the airport.”

The Light ticket – with a small bag and a carry-on bag included – continues to be available for long-haul journeys as well as for Business Class on European flights. Classic and Flex tickets are available for both long-haul and short-haul journeys in all travel classes.

“Our different ticket types come with different flexibility for reservation changes and services included. Classic is the most popular ticket type and includes a small bag, a carry-on bag, and a checked bag, together with the possibility of travel date changes. Superlight and Light are for travelling light and affordably on a set schedule. Flex is the most flexible ticket type and includes a small bag, a carry-on bag, and a checked bag, flexibility for reservation changes, and you can select standard and preferred seats complimentary. You can always further tailor your trip with our travel extras,” says Valtteri Helve.

Main Changes:

• The Superlight ticket replaces Economy Light on journeys within Europe. This applies to new tickets purchased as of 1 June. The Superlight ticket includes one small bag (40cm x 30cm x 15cm) that is placed under the seat and nothing extra. You can purchase a bigger carry-on bag (55cm x 40cm x 23cm) as a travel extra.
• The baggage allowance for Business Class travellers for both European and long-haul journeys decreases. The Business Light ticket includes one small bag and one carry-on bag, while Business Classic and Flex tickets also include one checked bag.
• All special baggage, such as golf bags, skis, or heavy bags, are to be purchased as travel extras. This means that you can have only standard-size and -weight bags as part of your checked baggage allowance.
• In connection with the overall baggage allowance changes, there will be some changes to the baggage-related Finnair Plus tier benefits.

At the same time as the baggage-related changes, we are making changes to the seat selection practices. With a Superlight, Light, or Classic ticket, you can choose your preferred seat by purchasing it in advance, and if you do not wish to do that, we will choose a seat for you. This means that complimentary seat selection is no longer available during check-in for these tickets. Finnair Plus members continue to have their current advance seat reservation benefit.

The changes that come into force as of 1 June also support Finnair’s strategy implementation through more effective operations, punctual departures at airports, and developing the offering of travel extras.

Finnair Plus Gold, Platinum, and Platinum Lumo, and Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members can check a bag even on these Economy Superlight fares and take a normal-size carry-on onboard and a small bag that fits under the seat if their combined weight is 8 kilos or less.

Non-elite members can only choose their seats on FLEX fares. However, even on Classic fares, the system will automatically assign a seat (read the middle one on the back of the plane) unless the passenger pays to choose one.

Conclusion

This is not about boarding the plane faster or ensuring space for all onboard bags, but rather merchandising and collecting cash for bags and seats.

The combined limit of 8 kilos for the onboard bag(s) is minimal. For example, my computer bag alone that can fit under the seat is 10 kilos.

Finnair threatens on the release to have better surveillance of bags in the boarding area for compliance. They probably need to hire more gate employees to check ticket types, bag sizes, and weights to ensure this is followed.

Unfortunately, even non-light business class tickets only include one checked bag (previously two) + extra allowance for Finnair and Oneworld elite members.

It seems that there will be a fee to select your seat in all other than FLEX type of fares regardless of the cabin. If a family or passengers traveling together prefer seats next to each other, this will likely require an additional payment.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the new Superlight ticket, and how does it differ from Economy Light?

The Superlight ticket replaces the Economy Light ticket on Finnair journeys within Europe. This applies to new tickets purchased on or after 1 June 2023. The Superlight ticket includes one small bag that is placed under the seat (40cm x 30cm x 15cm) and nothing extra. You can purchase a bigger carry-on bag (55cm x 40cm x 23cm) as a travel extra when travelling with the Superlight ticket. Finnair Plus Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum Lumo members have this bigger carry-on bag as a tier benefit when travelling with the Superlight ticket.

The Light ticket, which includes a small bag and a carry-on bag, continues to be available for long-haul journeys and for Business Class journeys within Europe. This also means that when your European flight is connected to a long-haul flight, your journey is considered a long-haul journey, and therefore Light ticket is also available for the European leg of the journey.

How can I compare different ticket options?  

Which ticket you should choose depends on your needs. Different ticket types come with different flexibility for reservation changes and services included.

After purchasing your ticket, you’ll see the services included in it in Manage booking and Finnair app – and you can always further tailor your experience with our travel extras.

What changes with the baggage allowances for Business Class?

The baggage allowance for Business Class travellers decreases, for both short-haul and long-haul journeys. When travelling in Business Class, you can bring one carry-on bag (55cm x 40cm x 23cm) and a small bag (40cm x 30cm x15cm) weighing a maximum of 8kg together. Business Class Classic and Flex tickets will also include one checked bag. You can buy extra checked bags as a travel extra.

All special baggage, such as golf bags and skis, and heavy bags up to 32kg, are available only as travel extras.

What are the size and weight limits for checked baggage?

The maximum measurements for a standard-size checked bag are 90cm x 75cm x 45cm, and the maximum weight is 23kg.

Can you explain what kind of carry-on baggage different tickets include?

Superlight ticket includes only one small bag (40cm x 30cm x 15cm) that is placed under the seat and nothing extra. You can purchase a bigger carry-on bag (55cm x 40cm x 23cm) for your Superlight ticket as a travel extra. Finnair Plus Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum Lumo members travelling with the Superlight have a carry-on bag as a tier benefit.

All other tickets include one carry-on bag and a small bag that is placed under the seat weighing a maximum of 8kg together. This also applies to all Business Class travellers, when the ticket is purchased on 1 June 2023 or later.

Where can I check my baggage allowance?

You can check the baggage allowance included in your ticket from your e-ticket, Finnair mobile app, or Manage booking service.

Where can I buy a carry-on bag as a travel extra?

We encourage you to purchase any travel extras in advance before you travel. You can purchase carry-on bags as travel extras when booking your tickets or afterwards in Manage booking or via Finnair app. When purchasing a carry-on bag as a travel extra at the airport, the price is higher.

Can I buy extra carry-on bags with other tickets?

You can buy carry-on bags as travel extras only when you have a Superlight ticket. We need to limit the amount of carry-on baggage onboard, as the storage space tends to get very full.

How will you ensure people don’t bring oversized carry-on bags with them anymore?

Our ground crew at the airport check-in and gate areas will monitor that the baggage allowance is followed. To support smooth boarding and on-time departures during the peak summer travel season, we will enhance the monitoring of carry-on baggage at airports from May 2023. Excess carry-on baggage will be moved to the cargo hold at a cost.

How can I choose my preferred seat for my flight?

When you have a Superlight, Light or Classic ticket, you can choose your favorite seat for your flight by purchasing it in advance when buying a ticket or afterwards in Manage booking or Finnair app, or otherwise, let us choose a seat for you. This means complimentary seat selection is not available during check-in with these ticket types when the ticket is purchased on 1 June 2023 or later. With Flex tickets, you can select standard and preferred seats complimentary also before check-in.

We do our best to offer seats next to each other to travellers on the same reservation, but this is not always possible. If you want to select your preferred seat or make sure that you are seated next to your travel companion, you can purchase a seat in advance. Our system assigns children under 12 to sit next to at least one adult on the same reservation. If the system fails to find seats for the children next to a familiar adult, we will fix it in customer service or at the airport.

What if I purchased my ticket before 1 June?

The Superlight ticket will be available as of 1 June 2023. If you have an Economy Light ticket for a European flight purchased by 31 May 2023, you will travel with your original ticket and services included in it.

The updated services included in the different ticket types are valid for tickets purchased from 1 June 2023 onwards. If you bought your ticket before 1 June 2023, your ticket includes the services that were valid at the time of the purchase, regardless of your travel dates. However, we have made some changes to our inflight services already as of 19 April 2023 on all flights.

Award prices are increased by 20% to 33% (long-haul economy stays the same), and fuel surcharges are introduced to all award flights (effective miles increase is significantly higher). There are also changes to luggage allowance for elite members.

You can access Finnair’s page for these changes here.

Luggage Allowance Changes From June 1, 2023:

Complimentary carry-on bag

Finnair Plus Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum Lumo members can take one complimentary carry-on bag (55cm x 44cm x 23cm) on short-haul flights when travelling with an Economy Superlight ticket that otherwise would only include a small bag. This applies to bookings made on or after 1 June 2023.

What is Economy Superlight?

We are introducing a new Superlight ticket type that replaces the Economy Light on short-haul flights (flights within Europe) for tickets purchased on or after 1 June. Superlight includes one small bag that is placed under the seat (40cm x 30cm x 15cm) and nothing extra. Read more about Superlight.

50% discount on extra bag for Silver members

As of 1 June 2023, Finnair Plus Silver members no longer have an extra checked bag of 23kg as a tier benefit but can purchase it with a 50% discount. The discount applies to all bookings regardless of the booking date.

The discount only applies to purchases made through Finnair digital channels or customer service for Finnair operated and marketed flights. The discount is not available for purchases at the airport.

If you have booked your flight before 1 June 2023 and you are a Silver member at the time of travel, you are still entitled to one extra bag free of charge.

No complimentary sports equipment for Gold members

Finnair Plus Gold members no longer have complimentary sports equipment, such as skis or a golf bag, included in their tier benefits when flying on or after 1 June 2023. However, you can always purchase all special baggage as a travel extra.

You can purchase bags and other travel extras when booking your tickets or later in Manage booking or Finnair mobile app.

Heavy bag charge for Platinum and Platinum Lumo members

Finnair Plus Platinum and Platinum Lumo members can no longer take heavy or oversized bags with them free of charge. If your bag weighs 23–32kg or exceeds the standard size of 90cm x 75cm x 45cm, you will need to pay a heavy or oversized bag charge. This change applies to bookings made on or after 1 June 2023.

If you have booked your flight before 1 June 2023 and you are a Platinum or Platinum Lumo member at the time of travel, you are still entitled to take heavy or oversized bags with you free of charge.

It is unclear if the checked luggage allowance is removed for Gold, Platinum, and Lumo members on these Economy Superlight tickets and what the allowance is for Oneworld Emerald members, who are eligible for one additional bag on alliance flights.

We have received the following clarification from Finnair regarding the checked luggage allowance (the bolded is the tier benefit):

Finnair Plus:

• Silver: small bag, carry-on bag
• Gold: small bag, carry-on bag, checked bag 23kg
• Platinum: small bag, carry-on bag, checked bag 23kg + sport equipment (e.g. skis or golf bag)
• Platinum Lumo: small bag, carry-on bag, checked bag 23kg + sport equipment (e.g. skis or golf bag)

Oneworld Elite Benefits:

• Oneworld Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald members can also take one complimentary carry-on bag on flights when travelling with Economy Superlight ticket.

Total allowance when travelling with Economy Superlight:

• oneworld Ruby: small bag, carry-on bag
• oneworld Sapphire: small bag, carry-on bag, checked bag 23 kg
• oneworld Emerald: small bag, carry-on bag, checked bag 23 kg

The page refers removal of the allowance of Silver members that will be eligible for a 50% discount on extra bag charges from June 1.

The complimentary special baggage allowance (ski, golf & snowboard) is removed for Gold members but is still in place for Platinum and Platinum Lumo.

Platinum and Platinum Lumo members are losing their heavy bag charge waiver (23 to 32 kilos).

Upgrade Pricing Changes

The number of Finnair Plus points required for travel class upgrades changes on June 15, 2023.

Upgrade Pricing Until June 14, 2023

Upgrade Pricing From June 15, 2023

Award Pricing Change + Fuel Surcharge Introductions June 15, 2023

Finnair will change the number of points required for award flights on June 15, 2023, and introduces fuel surcharges (double whammy).

Note that Northern Europe includes: Bergen, Copenhagen, Gdansk, Gothenburg, Krakow, Oslo, Reykjavik, Riga, Stockholm, Tallinn, Tromsø, Vilnius, Visby, Warsaw, and all flights within Finland.

The Rest of Europe also includes Tel Aviv.

Award Pricing Until June 14, 2023

Award Pricing From June 15, 2023

Fuel Surcharge Per Segment:

These fuel surcharges are per flight segment. Finnair Plus award in business from Europe to Asia and back suddenly costs 270 euros in junk fees in addition to the higher point requirement.

UPDATE: Finnair’s Email To Members About Program Changes:

Conclusion

We have been in touch with Finnair to get clarification on Finnair Plus Gold, Platinum, Platinum Lumo, and Oneworld Emerald member luggage allowance on these Economy Superlight flights, and we will update the piece when we hear back. We received clarification from Finnair and have updated the piece.

The increase in Finnair Plus points for award flights is not awful, but combining this with a significant additional cash outlay on awards effectively becomes a 30% to 40% devaluation.

You have to keep in mind that Finnair Plus points are in kilometers and not miles. One mile is 1.609 kilometers (to get an idea between point and miles requirements among different programs).

Finnair Plus points are not useful for partner awards but have been good value for flights on their own metal, which has now been significantly devalued.

Remember to email or message us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with your airfare-related questions or discoveries!

fare: FINNAIR (AY) INN0S0CM BKK to bcn

• Booking class: I
• Price: from $2,201 ($2,137 base fare + taxes & surcharges).
• Day/time restrictions: -/-
• Advanced reservation/ticketing restrictions: -/-
• Minimum stay: -/-
• Maximum stay: -/-
• Stopovers: 1 free stopover permitted in HEL.
• Cancellations: ticket is non-refundable.
• Changes: changes not permitted.

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Finnair provides customer support through a chat on its website in English and six other languages, handled by its customer contact center in Sofia, Bulgaria.

You can access Finnair here.

The issue on hand is that the Sofia center is capable of providing customer support in English, but all the other languages are going through a machine translation that often yields incorrect words used and understanding lost.

Phone support in Finnish is provided by contact centers in various regions in Finland.

Conclusion

When I spoke with one customer service rep recently, there was a rooster sound in the background, and when I talked to a Hilton Diamond desk employee, she answered the call in El Salvador.

It is widespread for companies to provide English-language customer support from various countries, although the Philippines must be the most common.

Not sure how well Bulgarian translates to other languages through English? The Finnish language is especially particular; these machine-learning translators don’t often work well.

Finnair’s WhatsApp support for Platinum and Lumo members must be based in Finland because I have not come across incorrect or misunderstood words.

Accor ALL members that have selected Finnair Plus with their preferred partner will earn double points for stays that are booked by April 17.

You can access this offer on Accor’s website here and Finnair’s partnership page here.

READ MORE: Accor ALL Rate & Bonus Points Offers

Note that you must change your Accor ALL earning preference from points to miles AND have Finnair Plus selected as your preferred partner. You must also enable the automatic conversion of points to partner points/miles.

Accor ALL – Finnair Plus conversion ratio is 1:1, unlike with most airline partners (Finnair used kilometers instead of miles)

Remember that all your existing ALL points are also converted to Finnair Plus points when you enable the automatic conversion.

You can earn the bonus of double miles for a maximum of THREE TIMES during the promotional period.

Conclusion

You always have to be very careful with these Accor’s airline promotions, especially if you have any existing points sitting in your ALL account, as they will be converted to partner points/miles but without any bonus.

Also, you have to make sure that you make the bookings during the eligible period.

Terms and conditions of this offer:

1. General ALL – Accor Live Limitless terms and conditions apply to the Finnair Double Points offer and you must be a member of ALL – Accor Live Limitless to benefit from it.

2. This offer entitles members of ALL, regardless of their membership status, to multiply the Reward points they earn by 2 when staying at any hotel that has enrolled in the ALL – Accor Live Limitless loyalty programme.

Points are earned based on the value of points credited to the member by the hotel following an eligible stay, in accordance with the ALL – Accor Live Limitless general conditions of use and based on Classic status.

On completion of the stay, points will be credited to the member’s account in two separate transactions:

1/ the points corresponding to the value of points that the ALL – Accor Live Limitless member would have been awarded had they not subscribed to the offer will be credited to the member’s account in the first transaction; and

2/ the additional Reward points earned by subscribing to the offer will be credited to the member’s account in the second transaction, corresponding to the number of Reward points the member is still owed in order to have been credited the total number of Reward points multiplied by 2 on completion of the two points credit transactions.

For example, a member of ALL – Accor Live Limitless who earned 250 Status points and 250 Reward points for an eligible stay will receive:

An additional 250 Reward points for offers multiplying the points X2

3. In order to benefit from this offer, the member must have activated Finnair Plus as their preferred automatic conversion option ahead of the stay. This option should remain activated until the member receives the points (Rewards points and Status points) related to his/her stay on his/her ALL – Accor Live Limitless membership account.

4. This offer is valid for a member’s stay from 07/03/2023 to 07/07/2023 in one of the participating hotels worldwide, and booked between 07/03/2023, through 11:59 p.m. Central European Time (CET), 17/04/2023.

5. The stay must be a minimum of 1 night.

6. This offer can be used only 3 times per member during its validity period.

7. Any consecutive stays (check-out and check-in same day) in the same hotel, will be considered as a single stay. This single stay will be eligible once on the Finnair Double Points offer.

8. For the purposes of this offer, a stay is understood to be one (1) booking by a member of ALL for one or several rooms. In other words, bookings that include more than one (1) room will be counted as just one (1) stay. The earlier check-out date is counted while the credit of Reward and Status points is calculated.

In other words, a member of ALL – Accor Live Limitless will receive eligible points and nights for the room which he/she vacates first.

9. To be eligible for this offer, stays must be booked directly via Accor (via the official Accor websites, the Accor All mobile apps, the ALL call centre, directly at a hotel) or through a traditional travel agency whose booking system is automatically connected to the Accor booking office. Stays booked via a reseller, tour operator or third-party online travel agent (such as expedia.com, booking.com, etc.) will not be eligible for this offer.

10. Members must provide their ALL – Accor Live Limitless Loyalty card number when making the reservation, and present the card at the hotel reception desk at check-in.

11. Reward points are credited to the member’s account within 10 days of the member checking out and converted within 6 weeks into Finnair Plus according to applicable conversion rule.

12. This offer cannot be combined with other current promotional offers or advantages and does not apply to groups.

If the stay meets the terms and conditions for several offers, only the Reward points linked to the most generous offer (meaning that allows you to earn the highest number of Reward points) will be credited to your account.

13. Stays at onefinestay are not eligible for this offer.

14. This offer is subject to availability. General sales terms and conditions apply for reserved public rates specific to each hotel.

15.Accor, participating hotels and/or partners of this offer accept no liability for non-performance or unavailability of the offer due to an external and unavoidable event that makes performance by Accor, participating hotels and/or partners of this offer impossible or disproportionately burdensome. Customers or members will not be entitled to any compensation and the benefits of the offer (particularly Reward points) will not be issued/credited if the offer cannot be implemented in these circumstances.

16. Please specify the reference 014203 in all your communications with call centres or customers care services related to this offer.

The most significant change appears to be the switch from champagne to sparkling wine in short-haul business. However, please let us know if you have spotted any other major changes.

You can access Finnair’s page for the F&B concepts here.

Most Relevant Part:

Service on European flights

In Business Class on European flights, the meal service depends on the route. Please remember to inform us about special diets in advance via Manage booking. On short flights, we offer you a sandwich with a selection of beverages. On longer flights, we provide a hot main meal, something sweet and beverages. Champagne is replaced by sparkling wine.

On European flights, we offer complimentary water and blueberry juice in Economy Class. You can pre-order meals for most European flights via Finnair app – and purchase snacks and drinks from the onboard menu.

There is no meal service on very short flights, as the short flight time does not allow it.

We contacted Finnair to find out what sparkling wine business class passengers can expect on short-haul flights, and it is Bernard-Massard Cuvée de l’Ecusson from Luxembourg.

Finnair is trying to cut costs which is the reason behind these changes:

“Changes in our in-flight services are part of the many actions we are taking to restore Finnair’s profitability,” explains Eerika Enne, Head of In-flight Customer Experience at Finnair.

Conclusion

Champagne has been one of the differentiators between economy and business on short-haul flights when the actual seat is exactly the same.

Based on my observations on Finnair’s European business, champagne has been the favorite choice of many, if not most, passengers.

I doubt that Finnair would lose many passengers due to this change, but some may opt for flying in economy instead.

Remember to email or message us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with your airfare-related questions or discoveries!

fare: FINNAIR (AY) INN0S0CM BKK to par

• Booking class: I
• Price: from $2,303 ($1,991 base fare + taxes & surcharges).
• Day/time restrictions: -/-
• Advanced reservation/ticketing restrictions: -/-
• Minimum stay: -/-
• Maximum stay: -/-
• Stopovers: 1 free stopover permitted in HEL.
• Cancellations: ticket is non-refundable.
• Changes: changes not permitted.

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fare: Finnair (AY) TKN4T1S5 CHI to CPH

• Booking class: T/Y
• Price: from $986 ($879 base fare + taxes & surcharges).
• Day/time restrictions: -/-.
• Advanced reservation/ticketing restrictions: reservations required at least 14 days before departure.
• Minimum stay: until the first Sunday after arrival at turnaround.
• Maximum stay: 12 months.
• Stopovers: unlimited stopovers permitted at $800.00 each.
• Cancellations: ticket is non-refundable.
• Changes: changes permitted for reissue/revalidation.

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fare: FINNAIR (AY) INN0S0CM BKK to LON

• Booking class: I.
• Price: from $2,306 ($1,991 base fare + taxes & surcharges).
• Day/time restrictions: -/-
• Advanced reservation/ticketing restrictions: -/-
• Minimum stay: -/-
• Maximum stay: -/-
• Stopovers: 1 free stopover permitted in HEL.
• Cancellations: ticket is non-refundable.
• Changes: changes not permitted.

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Finnair flight attendants had a flash strike in November (read more here) that resulted in cancellations and delays.

You can access Finnair here.

There has been news coming out of Finland that the airline and its cabin crew union have reached an agreement that still needs to be accepted by the leadership on both sides, but this is likely a done deal.

Finnair long-haul flight attendants have agreed to lower salaries for two years, decreased overnight payments, and pay reductions on flights longer than 14 hours. Finnair, on the other hand, won’t proceed with the outsourcing.

Conclusion

It was a strategic mistake for Finnair’s cabin crew union to let outsourced flight attendants work on some Asian flights.

Anyone could have guessed what the airline’s plan would have been a few years down the road.

I am glad that they have reached an acceptable solution for both parties.

The airline previously ended these sales on short-haul flights, and now they are also entirely axed on long-haul ones.

You can access Finnair here.

Finnair’s Announcement:

Finnair discontinues in-flight and pre-order retail sales

We are discontinuing both in-flight and pre-order retail sales of cosmetics, accessories, gifts and other retail products this spring. Our customers can continue pre-ordering meals and buying snacks and beverages on board. Finnair Plus members can also continue to buy Finnair Plus awards and products as well as home delivery products from Finnair Shop as before.

In-flight sales will end on all our flights on 28 February 2023, but pre-orders are delivered for flights until 18 April 2023.

“Onboard and pre-order shopping has become a less important service among our customers”, says Valtteri Helve, Head of Product Offering at Finnair. Already in spring 2020, we announced that we discontinue in-flight sales on our flights within EU as part of our goal to reduce the overall weight of the aircraft, and now it is time to take the next step. Food and beverage sales on flights will continue, of course, and we will continue to develop our service.”

During the final discount campaign, which launches 1 February 2023, customers can buy products onboard or pre-order items with a significant -40% discount. In-flight shopping is available on our long-haul flights, and flights to the Canary Islands, Dubai, Egypt, Iceland, Israel, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom. Customers can pre-order products for all flights with a duration of over 2 hours. Travel retail is not available on our Doha route.

“Together with our partners, we have been able to offer a wide range of products, and many Finnish brands have also been well represented on our flights”, says Tiina Tissari, Vice President Customer Experience and Products at Finnair.

Conclusion

I was just on an ANA flight within Asia, where they announced an hour before landing that the in-flight sales would cease in about 10 minutes.

These duty-free sales are still a thing with Asian clientele, but many airlines have decided they no longer want to be in this segment.

I have a few fond memories of in-flight sales back in the 1990s, but I cannot recall when was the last time I bought anything.

But why do we need to continue walking through a “shopping mall” at airports to reach the departure area? Unless you know the shortcut, you often need to pass through the endless alcohol and perfume offers with often highly inflated prices.

Remember to email or message us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with your airfare-related questions or discoveries!

fare: FINNAIR (AY) INN0U6CZ LON to BOM

• Booking class: I
• Price: from £1,386 (£1,134 base fare + taxes & surcharges).
• Day/time restrictions: -/-
• Advanced reservation/ticketing restrictions: -/-
• Minimum stay: 6 days.
• Maximum stay: -/-
• Stopovers: 1 free stopover in HEL.
• Cancellations: ticket is non-refundable.
• Changes: not permitted.

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The airline was founded as Aero Oy (and hence the two-letter code AY) that was used until 1953, when Finnair branding took over.

You can access Finnair’s page for their 100^th anniversary here.

Finnair has already released a three-minute video to celebrate this occasion.

Conclusion

I imagine we will see centennial-related promotions later in the year closer to the November 1 date.

Finnair is the sixth oldest airline (that has continuously operated since its founding), and only KLM, Avianca, Qantas, Aeroflot, and Czech Airlines (one plane) are older.