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Finnair and TAP Portugal announced today the companies will start code-share cooperation on flights between Portugal and Finland. Cooperation begins on April 20, 2012, and customers can immediately make reservations on these new flights.

With this code-share agreement, Finnair’s code will be added to TAP’s direct flights between Lisbon and Helsinki. This is an attractive additional destination for Finnair customers, including customers flying to Europe via Helsinki from Finnair’s eleven Asian destinations.

Additionally, new connection opportunities between Helsinki and Lisbon will be made available through new combined code-share services over intermediate points in Europe, such as Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva and Zurich, with TAP code added to the flights between Helsinki and these cities, and Finnair code added to the flights to and from Lisbon.

In February, Finnair announced plans to renew its pre-flight services in order to offer smoother departures for its customers at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. In the future, customers are increasingly directed to check in prior to arriving at the airport or at the self-service check-in kiosks at the airport. This enables flexible departures and means less time in queues at the airport.

The changes related to these plans will be implemented gradually. The renovation work at Helsinki-Vantaa airport Terminal 2 begins after Easter and is planned to be finished by April 19. At this time, the number of self-service check-in kiosks has been increased from 10 to 16, and the service at economy class check-in desks continues as before.

In the next phase, on May 7, the number of economy class service desks will be decreased and bag drop desks increased significantly. Finnair’s customer service personnel will be available in the departure hall to guide and assist customers even better than before.

”We understand that using self-service check-in methods may be a big step for customers using them for the first time. However, all our self-service methods are easy to learn and we have plenty of personnel present to guide and help customers in the departure hall. No one will miss their plane for not being able to use the kiosks”, says Minna Toiviainen, Head of Finnair Ground Customer Service.

Customers should still be prepared for occasional congestion that the changes may cause in Terminal 2 departure hall in the beginning. It is therefore advisable to check in already prior to arriving at the airport if possible.

Finnair offers its customers several options for checking in prior to arriving at the airport. Customers may check in online or using their mobile phone, without queuing, at a time most convenient for them and as early as 36 hours prior to departure. Finnair Plus customers and others using the service receive a check-in suggestion text message before their trip. Checking-in at the airport using the self-service check-in kiosks is also easy and effortless.

Get to know different check-in methods by watching these instruction videos.

The Skytrax airline review site has renewed Finnair’s four-star status as part of their World Airline Star Rating programme. Finnair’s ranking is the highest in the Nordic countries.

The ranking is based on an unbiased evaluation of all services the airline has to offer.

Anssi Komulainen, responsible for Finnair’s customer service, says the company is very pleased with this acknowledgement.

– We have been working very hard to renew our customer service, and the whole service process is now working better than before. This great achievement is all thanks to our personnel.

Travellers also share Skytrax’s opinion – in 2010 and 2011 passengers chose Finnair to be the best airline in Northern Europe in the Skytrax World Airline Awards.

Skytrax has also granted Helsinki Airport a four-star status.

Finnair’s summer traffic schedule, coming into effect on 25 March, includes flights to some of our familiar summer destinations as well as more frequencies to other various destinations and an exciting new seasonal destination, Dubrovnik. In May, Finnair also starts year-round flights to a completely new Asian destination, Chongqing in China.

Finnair flights to Dubrovnik, situated on Croatia’s southern coast, will start on 2 April and they will continue until 27 October, when the summer timetable period ends. Our new direct route to Chongqing opens on 9 May; flights will be operated four times per week throughout the year. Finnair will be the first airline to operate non-stop flights between Europe and Chongqing.

Popular destinations back in the schedule for the summer are:

• Krakow, the old town of which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, from 9 April to 25 October
• Venice, perennial favourite and holiday destination, 29 March to 25 October
• Ljubljana, the jewel of Slovenia, 9 April to 25 October
• Bergen, the charming city on Norway’s west coast, from 20 May to 28 September
• Toronto, Canada’s biggest city and gateway to the fabulous Niagara Falls, 24 May to 10 September
• Chicago, launched last summer as a code share destination with American Airlines, 15 June to 27 October.

Extra frequencies will be added to the following flights:

• Flights to Tokyo are increased to 10 per week from 31 May onwards
• Flights to Vilnius are increased to 18 per week from 25 June to 12 August
• Flights to Barcelona are increased to 9 per week from 28 June to 10 August
• Flights to Budapest and Prague are operated twice a day over the summer.

Europe’s sixth biggest airline airberlin, along with its subsidiary airberlinNIKI, were welcomed into the oneworld global airline alliance on 20 March. Finnair and airberlin have cooperated on a code-share basis since 2010. The cooperation has opened up new destinations in German-speaking Europe and the Mediterranean for Finnair customers, and airberlin’s membership of the alliance will expand the network even further.

“Together with airberlin, Finnair will be able to serve its corporate and individual customers even better than before in the German-speaking central European home market as well as across Finnair’s extensive Asian network,” says Paavo Virkkunen, responsible for Finnair’s oneworld relations. “airberlin’s membership and commercial cooperation will deepen with the addition of codeshares and our mutual customers will gain better access to the international oneworld network.”

Following airberlin’s membership, the alliance network will extend to about 800 destinations in 150 countries. airberlin’s loyal customers will be able to earn points for flights taken on other alliance airlines, and vice versa.

At the end of March, we’ll restart flights to some of our popular summer destinations. We’ll operate flights to Bergen between 20 May and 28 September, Krakow between 29 March and 30 September, Ljubljana between 9 April and 26 October, and Venice between 30 March and 12 August. We’ll also open a completely new route to Dubrovnik on 2 April, with flights continuing until 27 October.

Our popular summertime flights to Toronto will be available between 24 May and 9 September. We also offer codeshare flights to Chicago between 15 June and 27 October in cooperation with American Airlines. Additionally, our new route to Chongqing will open in May; it will be operated throughout the year.

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Finnair has signed a codeshare agreement with Bangkok Airways. The new co-flights offer better connections to destinations in Thailand for passengers flying Finnair's direct flights to Bangkok, Hong Kong or Singapore.

With this new co-operation agreement Finnair will be able to offer its passengers new opportunities to visit two Asian destinations on one trip. Finnair is the only European airline that offers stopover possibilities in Hong Kong and Singapore when travelling to Koh Samui, Phuket or Chiang Mai in Thailand.

"Finnair's daily flights from Helsinki to Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong are now offering a smooth connection to Koh Samui. Our two daily flights to Bangkok also offer direct connections to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand and to Phuket in the south," says Hannu Sundberg, Director of Airline Partnerships.

The daily co-operation flights between Bangkok and Koh Samui, Bangkok and Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and Singapore, and Hong Kong and Koh Samui will have both Finnair (AY) and Bangkok Airways (PG) flight numbers.

Bangkok Airways is the only Asian airline that has won the Skytrax classification Best Regional Airline award for six years in a row.

Finnair will renew its pre-flight services in order to offer smoother departures for its customers. The aim is to offer passengers an enjoyable travel experience without queuing at the airport. Finnair aims to increase the number of self-service check-in kiosks and Baggage Drop desks considerably at Helsinki-Vantaa airport during the spring 2012.

Customers will be advised to check in at a time most convenient for them well in advance before departure either on Finnair’s recently renewed website, using a text message or at the self-service check-in kiosks at the airport, all of which will shorten the queuing time in the departure hall. Economy Class service desks will gradually be changed into Baggage Drop desks where the checked baggage can be left after the check-in. This concerns Economy Class passengers on both scheduled and leisure flights. The change is taking place gradually and we will disclose more information about the renewal schedule in March. We also aim to introduce more self-service check-in kiosks between April and June.

Customers can conveniently check in before arriving at the airport online or using the text message service at a time most convenient for them, up to 36 hours before departure. Also using the self-service check-in kiosks at the airport is easy and effortless, and personnel will always be around to make sure everything goes smoothly. Checking in for flights before arriving at the airport is very common with majority of airlines at present.

Check-in service desks will continue to assist customers with special needs and priority customers. You can also make changes to your reservation and purchase additional services at the check-in service desks.

Finnair’s oneworld partner Japan Airlines (JAL) will start flying from Tokyo to Helsinki four times per week beginning March 2013. Finnair and JAL have operated codeshare flights together for several years, and the new flight will deepen the cooperation. JAL is planning the timetables so that flights arriving in the afternoon in Helsinki will have optimal transfers to Finnair’s onward European connections.

In current codeshare arrangements between the two airlines, four flights operated by JAL to destinations in Japan (Haneda, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Okinawa) also carry Finnair flight numbers. JAL meanwhile has its own flight numbers for all Finnair flights between Helsinki and Japan (Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya) as well as for 11 onward Finnair flights to European destinations.

“We wish JAL a warm welcome in Finland,” says Finnair President and CEO Mika Vehviläinen. “We are happy to expand our well-functioning cooperation and to strengthen even further our position in Asia.”

By selecting and paying for your preferred seat in advance, you can add comfort and peace of mind to your travel experience. You can still choose a seat free of charge at check in, though your choice may be limited. The online check-in opens 36 hours before departure.

Learn more about Select Your Seat Service

Finnair offers a completely new exclusive service concept at the terminal 1 of Singapore Changi Airport. The new dnata Premium Check-in Lounge opened its doors on February 1, 2012. The lounge, intended to help busy passengers find some peace of mind, can be found behind check-in rows 5 and 6, and it features a private entrance to passport control. The service is for Finnair business class customers, Finnair Plus Platinum-, Gold- and Silver members as well as for oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members.

India's Kingfisher Airlines and oneworld agreed to put the airline's entry into the alliance on hold to give it time to strengthen its financial position.

"We’re continuously developing our network, which means evaluating the profitability of each route individually and our network as a whole," says Gregory Kaldahl, SVP of Resource Management. "This decision has been made after a long and thorough assessment, and we’re of course sorry for all the inconvenience this causes to those customers who have been using our service to these cities. Nevertheless, during these challenging times we need to create better conditions for the remaining routes to be successful."

Says Petri Schaaf, VP of Global Sales: "These routes have been unprofitable already for quite a long time. Even with our new attractive pricing model, not enough customers have started to use our service. In Finland, many still choose to use their car instead of flying.

All ideas have been carefully investigated, and the first ones to be implemented at the airport are an art gallery and a book swap.

The art gallery will be opened on the airport early in 2012. The eco-friendly book swap where passengers can exchange their second-hand books will be introduced later in the spring.

Meat-free Mondays, a highly popular concept designed to decrease the carbon footprint of meal services, as well as several other submissions intended to develop in-flight and airport meal offerings, require further investigation before they can be realized.

All development ideas are open for the public to follow and comment on in the Quality Hunters community, courtesy of Finnair and Helsinki Airport. The community can be accessed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/qualityhunters. All ideas and the blogs by the Quality Hunters are available at www.qualityhunters2.com.

The excess baggage fee can also be paid on Finnair's website at Manage my booking. The fee is lower when paid in advance either online or through the travel agency than at the airport.

The fee for an extra bag varies depending on the length of the flight. When paid at a travel agency the one-way fee on a flight within Finland, Scandinavia and the Baltic countries is €20 (€30 at the airport), within the rest of Europe €30 (€40) and on intercontinental flights €60 (€80).

The same fees apply to golf of ski equipment with a maximum weight of 23 kg and maximum length of 2 metres.

Monocle has a focus on international matters, culture and business. Its annual Travel Top 50 selects the best travel industry offerings from all over the world. These range from best airports, hotels and airlines to the most charming restaurants and cafes.

Monocle praises Helsinki Airport not only for its smooth connections, but also its "small footprint, shops full of excellent Finnish products and sensible use of materials."

Indeed, the magazine proclaims that Helsinki Airport offers the passenger every service they could possibly want. All that's missing is a couple of extra routes to North America, explains the magazine.

Monocle chose Helsinki Airport as the Best airport for connections in 2010 and the Best Airport in 2009.

The liquid goods must be packed by the seller in a sealed, plastic bag, which is fully intact and unopened, and the receipt must be visible inside the bag.

All liquids, including the 100 ml liquid containers packed in a separate, transparent, one-litre plastic bag, must be presented by the passenger for screening at the security control.

The concession makes it possible for passengers to transport tax-free liquids in their carry-on baggage. Passengers may buy liquid products at, for example, Bangkok Airport and take them through the security control to a connecting flight at Helsinki Airport. Passengers should, however, be aware that the screening of liquids might somewhat slow down the process at the security control.

All EU states or all airports may not introduce the new practices. The current rules will still apply, among all, in Spain, France, Italy, Great Britain, Switzerland, Greece, Belgium, Bulgaria, Portugal and Estonia. This means, that the liquids carried by passengers who have to change flights at yet another airport after Helsinki, might still be confiscated.
The old regulations still apply to liquids purchased somewhere else than at the airport tax-free shops or onboard aircraft.

The new uniforms, designed by Ritva-Liisa Pohjalainen, take ergonomics and the special requirements of the crew’s working environment into account. The new design is fresh, light and modern, all the while paying homage to Finnair’s design heritage. The new uniforms are made of a high-quality wool-blend material that takes advantage of the latest innovations in nanotechnology, making the material spill- and stain resistant. The material stretches in two directions and the colours are midnight blue and pure white.

In addition to the new uniforms, Finnair has already renewed its corporate logo, the aircraft livery and the look and feel of the cabin. By renewing its service culture, the company wishes to respond to the needs and expectations of customers, and to introduce open-minded, innovative solutions that provide customers with peace of mind – at all stages of their trip.

“Finnair has a significant role in the traffic between Europe and Asia, and we want to increase our attractiveness also in the Asian and central European markets. Our identity renewal plays a very important role in this strategy”, Jarkko Konttinen, Vice President at Finnair Global Marketing Communications, explains.

The chargeable seats on leisure flights (AY1000 series) may, however, be reserved normally.

The renewal of the pre-seating system does not affect the self-service check-in service. Customers may still check in on Finnair's website and at that point select a seat of their choice up to 36 hours before the departure of any Finnair flight.

We apologize for the inconvenience the renewal of the system may cause our customers.

For smoother departure, check-in can be completed in advance online, by text message or at the check-in kiosks. Baggage can also be brought to Helsinki Airport the evening before departure.

Normally the check-in for a next-day flight is open from 17:00 to 21:30. On Wednesday December 21 and Thursday December 22, the opening hours have been extended to 22:00. If check-in is completed in advance, the bags, skis and baby buggies may be handed in at the Baggage Drop desk. One family member, who will travel along, may check in the baggage for the whole family, provided that he or she can show all tickets and his or her own travel documents.

The excess-weight and special baggage fees are less expensive when paid online in advance

If the total baggage allowance is exceeded, a separate fee is charged, for example for each set of skiing equipment. When paid online the fee is 30 % lower than when paid at the airport. At the check-in desk the fee can be paid with credit cards; with other payment methods at the Service Desk in the departure hall.

A special service desk for families with children and others who need assistance

Families with children and other special passengers, who need assistance, may use their own Special Passengers service desk at Helsinki Airport. This desk may also be used by children travelling alone and their escort, and by others needing assistance, for example persons using wheelchairs. Families with children also have their own lane at the security control.

Transport of ski wax is forbidden

Many of the ski wax products and ski cleaners are inflammable and toxic, and therefore they are forbidden on the passenger and in the baggage. Further information is available on the website of the Finnish Civil Aviation Authority: civilaviationauthority.fi/security_inspections.

The programme places special emphasis on the importance of maintaining sanitation, hygiene and clean water. The target area in the north-east Indian state of Bihar is one of the country’s poorest and most densely populated areas.

With the project’s help, 224 schools have already received new water outlets and toilets. Teachers have been trained to teach children to learn about the importance of washing their hands. When the project started, only 3 per cent of children washed their hands before eating; that figure has now risen to 91 per cent.

Finnair and UNICEF are now working together with Change for Good for the sixteenth time. Change for Good is being carried out on almost all international Finnair flights over the six-week period from November 28. The idea is that coins and notes of any currency and denomination can be placed for collection in the envelopes provided in aircraft seat pockets, then handed to cabin crew for collection.

A new element of the campaign is the option of donating Finnair Plus Points, available as of December 1.

"We are adding new support to the campaign because there are fewer currencies with the widespread use of the euro," says Arja Suominen, responsible for corporate communications and corporate responsibility at Finnair. "We also want to offer our customers more ways to contribute to good causes, choosing the ones that are closest to themselves. As an international organization, UNICEF suits us well because our customer base is also international."

Change for Good has been the official charity for many members of the oneworld global alliance since 1999. The campaign has made efficient and concrete contributions to improving life in developing countries.

The period for this year’s campaign is November 28 to January 8, 2012.

The Almost@home Lounge is located in the transit hall, after passport control, next to the Transfer Service Desk 3.

The lounge has room for 73 guests and it may be used by all non-Schengen customers, who have lounge access. The lounge is open between 06.30 and 23:30.

Finnair customers may also use the multifunctional Finnair Lounge, with room for 250 guests, and the adjacent Finnair Spa & Saunas for 100 guests, both located between gates 36 and 37.

Finnair and Finavia have chosen seven Quality Hunters from more than 2,000 applications that arrived from all over the world. The Quality Hunters will raise for public debate new proposals to improve flight travel. Every Quality Hunter will monitor a specific category selected for them and will evaluate and report their experiences and development ideas on the Quality Hunters 2  website: www.qualityhunters2.com. The Quality Hunters will travel to different parts of the world during the period October 20 – December 1.

The seven selected Quality Hunters are: Yuval Golan from Israel, Mette Frøkjær Hansen from Denmark, Tomas Spohn from Germany, Sanjoo Malhotra from Sweden, Francoise Lin from France, Asami Nagai from Japan and Mirva Lempiäinen from Finland, who currently lives in New York. The group will be further strengthened by one more member: The Quality Hunters will select one of the members of the public who participated in the discussion to join their ranks.

“Our goal is to develop our service continuously and to offer our customers peace of mind as well as care and attention at every stage of their journey. The Quality Hunters’ task is to identify development areas, but also to find solutions that can be implemented and thereby improve customers’ travel experience”, says Finnair’s Director of Global Marketing Antti Nieminen.

“In their travels, Quality Hunters will measure customer satisfaction in a sustainable and continuous way. We are eagerly awaiting what the Hunters will discover and we will take our discussion of quality forward, based on their findings,” says Finavia’s Customer Experience Manager Johanna Metsälä.

 

Flybe will operate flights with Finnair flight numbers in the AY3000 series on the routes between Helsinki and Joensuu, Kuopio, Tampere and Vaasa in Finland, as well as some flights on the routes between Helsinki and Hamburg, Geneva, Manchester, Riga, Stuttgart, Tallinn, Vilnius and Warsaw.

As a rule, Finnair service concepts apply on these flights. On domestic flights and on flights to/from Riga, which are oneclass flights without a separate Business Class, the Flybe onboard service, subject to charge, is offered. On the other flights Finnair's onboard service applies. Passengers may use normal self-service check-in services and lounge facilities.

Flybe will also operate flights with flight numbers in the BE5000 series. These flights are Finnair code-share flights with flight numbers in the AY8000 series as well. Code-share flights are operated by Flybe in Finland between Helsinki and Jyväskylä, Kajaani, Kemi, Kittilä, Kokkola/Pietarsaari, Kuusamo, Maariehamn, Pori, Savonlinna, Seinäjoki and Varkaus. International code-share routes include flights between Helsinki and Gdansk, Norrköping, Skellefteå (via Kokkola), Tartu, Trondheim, Stockholm Bromma airport and Umeå, as well as the routes Oulu–Tallinn, Seinäjoki–Kittilä, Tallinn–Stockholm (Bromma), Tampere–Kittilä, Tampere–Kuusamo, Tampere–Tallinn, Turku–Kittilä, Turku–Tallinn, Vaasa–Tallinn.

Reservations to AY8000 flights are made through Finnair's reservation channels, while BE5000 flights are booked through Flybe's reservation channels.

Flybe' onboard service, which is subject to charge, applies on these flights. Passengers with Finnair flight numbers (AY) do not have access to lounges. Check-in on Finnair's website and at the check-in kiosks will be possible at a later point.

Finnair baggage rules apply for tickets issued with AY flight numbers and Flybe baggage rules for BE flight numbers. Finnair Plus Platinum, Gold and Silver members as well as oneworld Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby members may check in 1 extra bag also on AY8000 series code-share flights. Flybe excess-weight charges apply and are paid at check-in.