Derek S.

Flew into Helsinki via Finnair the other day and it was a disaster. Due to the ongoing labor dispute with the pilots, my flight was cancelled and I was rebooked on a flight, arriving into Helsinki 2.5 hours later. Received a couple text messages along with e-mails the night before informing me of my cancellation along with my reroute. Boarding the flight was automated using the gates the cabin crew on board were uniformed and some more experienced. Flew out on a 20 year old E190 and was surprised that the condition of the plane was still decent, including the seat cushions and the overhead lockers. There was no wifi on board and we were up on the sky in no time and started our landing after 10-15 minutes. Cabin crew came by to offer water or blueberry juice and came by shortly to collect rubbish while wearing disposable latex gloves. Landed into Helsinki ahead of schedule and I was surprised that the captain didn't inform passengers about the local time along with time change. Baggage claim arrived within 10 minutes of arrival.

Karen V.

It was a very relaxing non-stop flight from DFW to Helsinki. The schengen flight from Helsinki to Kraków was great as well. It was the gate attendant's confusion about the gate change and details of the flight at Helsinki's airport that brought it down a star. First of all, I must give you a few tips regarding the Finnair process in Dallas. You will get boarding passes for this flight from American Airlines at your point of origin. These will be exchanged for Finnair printed tickets when you arrive at your gate in DFW. They will make announcements about that an hour before boarding. Finnair only accepts passes printed by Finnair. We were fortunate to arrive early before the announcement. There were long lines once everyone got the memo. Here's another good tidbit for business class passengers. Finnair grants you priority access to the Capital One Lounge. We were aware of this, but had read that they have a waiting list. We decided to use the AA Flagship instead since we had a good experience with it in Chicago. I've never been to Capital One before, but I can tell you that I was unimpressed with the Flagship Lounge at DFW. Take that advice for what it's worth. We'll try Capital One next time. The long haul flight was 5 stars all the way. I really love the Airbus A350-900 business class seating, although there are some differences from those in Boeing aircraft. The seats are like comfy lounge chairs, but they don't recline. You'd think it's a bad thing, but it's not. You just lay back into it. I know, it's hard to explain. There's personal handbag storage under the foot rest that can be used for takeoff and landing. The only negative is that those in the middle row of our cabin didn't have overhead storage bins. That means they had to use the ones across the aisle for their carry-on luggage. We didn't have that issue with the window seats. Keep that in mind when selecting your seating arrangement in the priority cabin. The lie-flat seats are much more comfortable than others. The entertainment is better, and I love the flight camera feature. You can actually see the plane take-off and land using their forward cameras. So cool!! The food was hit and miss like most airlines. The salmon & veggie entrée was delicious. The chicken mousse appetizer just isn't my thing. The cocktails, tea, and juices were excellent. It was my first time trying their signature blueberry juice and Northern Blush cocktail. It was such a great experience. I wish I had tried all of them. They have a mocktail selection as well. There's mood lighting at night that mimics the northern lights. The amenity kit didn't look like much, but we found out via the entertainment screen that you can request lip balm, lotion, toothbrush & shaving kits. There are SEES' products in the lavatory, which appears to be much roomier than others. You'll receive Karl Fazer truffles at the end of each flight. It's that little personal touch that separates the European airlines from the US ones. The schengen flight from Helsinki to Kraków was a smaller Embraer plane. Service was just as great. The highlight was the warm cinnamon rolls. The only negative is that the overhead bins are small. You'll have to check-in your standard sized carry-on at the gate. We were expecting this. Bring a smaller European sized carry-on or a larger personal handbag if this is an issue for you. I will definitely choose Finnair whenever flying directly to Helsinki in the future. It was a memorable experience for us. My husband was quite impressed as well. It seems like a longer way to get to Poland, but it really isn't. It was smoother getting there than returning via Frankfurt. It's a great option when heading to Eastern Europe.

Joel H.

My wife and I flew Finnair coming home from Poland. A quick stop in Helsinki for a transfer then on to our very large Finnair for the ride to JFK. Once again, outside of the fact that there is virtually no leg room in the economy class seats, everyone was extremely nice to us every step along the way. It started at the beginning when I asked the rep at the gate if my wife and I could pre-board and without any hesitation he made that happen. The plane is huge so we walked to the back where we were and settled in. That's when I realized that if the seat in front of me reclines, they will be in my lap, again. I realize that we're in coach but do the seats have to be so uncomfortable while you or your neighbor gets comfortable? Flight was extremely smooth with meals and snacks being served promptly so we could relax. Again, the flight attended ask the passenger in front of me to keep their seat up while I was eating.. That helped. The rest of the flight was smooth and there was plenty of entertainment. I was surprised that again, was no complementary Wi-Fi and it was not cheap to buy. But, there was a good selection of entertainment which kept me busy throughout. I guess these transatlantic flights operate much differently than a local flight. Easy flight, plenty of food and beverages to go around. Extremely easy trip through customs with my Global Entry and "poof" you're back home. KUDOs to the team at Finnair.

Robert G.

This is an update for Finnair based on a round trip flown within the last year from the U.S. to Italy, given that they are a One World partner of American Airlines. With that said, Finnair comes into 6 U.S. airports - 3 of them regularly and 3 of them seasonally. To regulate operations, all of them appear to be American Airlines/One World hubs to make for smoother connections. I had only experienced Finnair out of New York-JFK aboard their older Airbus 330, on which I like the seating layout in economy. On the trip for this update, I flew to and from a seasonal airport and a regular airport - SEA and DFW, respectively - to connect within the U.S. I also flew on the Airbus 350 - for the first time - in both directions. I'll start out with what I didn't like. The Airbus 350 is a much-lauded newer aircraft. Its metrics, in my opinion, might work better for its operators than for passengers in the economy cabin. The HEL-SEA flight, flown during its short seasonal window, was completely full and it felt a little cramped, even with regard to legroom. Finnair does not "neck down" the aircraft seating toward the rear, so it's consistently 3-3-3 abreast. SEA isn't really an AA (that would be American Airlines) hub, but Alaska Airlines is part of One World and domestic connections are likely to be with them. What was remarkable and weird about this flight is that it connects Northern Europe to the Northwestern U.S. in about 8:45 (quicker than the scheduled time) and does so directly over the top of the world per the flight monitor. On the A350, one cannot regulate their own fan/temperature and, with it being completely full and flying in daylight throughout the trip, I felt that it didn't dissipate the collective body heat as well as it could have. On the return trip through AA's main DFW home, only the fact that the Finn A350 wasn't full provided some relief from body heat and the lack of space, because you could raise an armrest and stretch out diagonally. I also didn't like that they have seemingly gone to one meal choice and it's vegetarian. I don't mind vegetarian entrees as long as they aren't one of a few things, with one of them being eggplant. I also worried about the seasonings and preparation. As a side item, their small quinoa salads are fine, even bordering on tasty. Also, they have gone very IKEA and are serving most items in meals in the economy cabin in recyclable cartons and with wooden utensils. I applaud all the hippie dippy, granolafied sustainability, but there is a happy medium. Their meals were 3-star situations. Thankfully, the free blueberry juice keeps flowing. The airfare for this "open jaw" was good. However, I've also seen it where some flights down to major European airports bounce around in price, even compared to adjacent days, and can get pricey. It's better to book the passage all the way through or, if offered, as a stopover. It's also easier to redeem One World points on them when it's cold outside or, at the very least, during shoulder season. Also, fares do go down in the colder months. I'm not going to 3 stars for the reduced comfort in economy and the food, but will remain at 4 stars, albeit a low 4 stars. There are a few reasons for this. Finnair always imparts the feeling of being well run, which it is. The other is that, even with a full flight, Finnair flight crews remain just as polite and helpful as if the plane was half full. While they are technically not Scandinavian, they remain more Nordic than Teutonic and that, to me, means that there will be a slight "difference" which you might perceive. They are domiciled at Helsinki-Vantaa, one of the better airports in Europe which has even worked well when the weather was not cooperating because, at the 60th parallel, they have all this dialed. Lastly, the interface via their website and their app are among the cleanest and easiest to use than those of many airlines. Finnair is proud of their Airbus 350 and why shouldn't they be? It's sleek, up to date, and efficient. I haven't warmed up to it, being more fond of their "comfortable as an old shoe" Airbus 330s. A few airlines, such as TAP-Portugal, have moved up to the latest Airbus 330-900neo instead of the Airbus 350, but I'm not the one with the pencil. However, Finnair is a fine outfit and, depending on the pricing (or redemption), season, and schedule, I would not hesitate to fly with them in the future.

Rene C.

I recently flew Finnair back from Helsinki to SFO. Of course after a long trip through the Baltic's I was tired and ready to come home. Shortly after nestling into our seats, the cabin crew came around and offered up some delicious pre-departure drinks. Of course my wife and I went straight for the champagne which was amazing. This was just the beginning of a wonderful and enjoyable trip back to San Francisco. From the first minute after take off to landing, the Finnair staff made sure we were taken care of. The food was absolutely fresh and yummy and the drink more than satisfying. I love the fact that SFO now has another "One World" member option out of SFO. Finnair offers some excellent connections via their manageable Helsinki hub. And flying Finnair is a great experience, their crews do an amazing job and making sure you are comfortable the entire journey.

Paul P.

Goog service for fair prices.I flew a few times on Finnair during the last years / on Airbus A320 (1x), A321 (1x), A321Neo (3x), A350 (2x) and Embraer 190 (2x). Try the blueberry juice which is very delicious. Flights within Europe: They fly mainly Airbus and to smaller destinations the Embrarer. The leg room is great and you can easily compare this kind of space to the 90s and early 2000s. I m 1,90m tall and I really appreciate the seating. For an extra fee you can book an exit-seat. To my oppionion this is not necessary as the seating on the regular seats is already great. If you have the chance you should try to take those flights on the Embrarer. Those planes only fit around 90-100 people, there is even more leg-room on the regular seating and it seems to be more comfort travelling with less people in one plane. Long-Haul-Flights: The seats are good. You get more space than on other airlines like KLM, Aeroflot, Emirates, Air France, Air China. I like to compare Finnair to airlines like Lufthansa or British Airways. The enterteinment-system is great. Big selection on movies, documentaries, series in different languages (e.g. English, Chinese, Finnish, Swedish). But not to the bad-side: The food. Sorry, it can be so boring and so flat beside. I would give only 2 stars for the food if extra rating for the food had been possible here. But beverages like the famous blue berry juice are great.