Finnair Oyj

Before the flight

It is recommended that you notify of any disabilities when booking your ticket. This way we can register the information to our booking system. Finnair aims to take into consideration all possible requests when determining your seat on the plane.

Passengers with physical disabilities or reduced mobility may book their flight and inform us about their need for assistance at least 48 hours before departure by calling our local service number or by filling in this form. In Finland the toll-free number is 0800 93 466. If you are a leisure flight passenger, contact your tour operator directly.

Passengers with serious illnesses should contact the airline beforehand. This allows the airline to make sure you are in a condition to fly and that the airline can take the necessary precautions. The so called MEDIF form (Standard Medical Information Form for Air Travel) should be sent to the airline well before the flight. Handling the form might take a few days, especially if further information is needed.

Finnair will transport, free of charge, all the equipment that a person with reduced mobility needs for his or her well-being, provided that the passenger informs us of such equipment when booking or purchasing the flights and that we can confirm there is room for the equipment in the hold of the aircraft. Information about a passenger's needs for assistance during the journey is conveyed through the reservation system to the airline and airport staff. Some airlines require to be informed about any need for special assistance a minimum of 48 hours before flight departure.

We require the information listed below, about any passenger travelling with a wheelchair at the time of booking. This enables us to anticipate their needs for assistance.

A person assisting a passenger with reduced mobility receives a discount on domestic flights in Finland. The escort may book a return ticket for the same flights as the person being assisted, return on the next available flight or purchase a one-way ticket.

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At the airport

Special check-in desk for passengers needing assistance

A special service desk is available at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport for passengers needing assistance and who are checking in in the check-in area 201–232. Check-in desk number 216 is marked with the text Special Passengers and corresponding symbols.

• At check-in, please make sure that the information in the check-in system is correct. Missing or erroneous information can be corrected before the journey begins. A baggage tag is attached to the wheelchair.
• Staff will assist you from check-in to the aircraft, if you wish. At Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the person seeing you off may accompany you to the departure gate by obtaining permission to do so from the check-in desk.
• The guiding principle is to have you sit in your own wheelchair for as long as possible, preferably up to the door of the aircraft, from where you'll be assisted or carried in a lifting chair into the aircraft. The wheelchair will be stowed in the hold of the aircraft.
  • At some airports and particularly where electrically powered wheelchairs are concerned, however, the practice varies due to safety reasons or the location of the lifts or stairs in the airport buildings.
  • In such instances the passenger is often transferred to an airport wheelchair at check-in and his/her own wheelchair is taken into the baggage hall.

Passengers requiring special assistance are, as a rule, allowed to board the aircraft before other passengers, allowing staff to assist them undisturbed and to check what assistance the passengers will need during the flight. For this reason, it is advisable to arrive at the departure gate by the boarding time indicated on the boarding pass, at the latest.

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Assistance to disabled passengers at airports within the EU

The airports are responsible for the assistance for disabled passengers and passengers with reduced mobility at airports within the European Union. Passengers with reduced mobility are provided assistance both in the terminal buildings and at the parking and other traffic areas.

A person with reduced mobility (PRM) is understood to mean any person whose mobility is permanently or temporarily reduced due to a physical incapacity (sensory or locomotory), an intellectual deficiency, age, impaired vision or hearing, or other cause of disability when using air transport and needing assistance at the airport. The service is free of charge to the PRM passengers.

Passengers are encouraged to inform about their need for assistance to their travel agent or airline at the time of reservation or at the latest 48 hours prior to flight departure, to ensure a high-quality and smooth assistance for the passenger to the airport terminal and onboard the aircraft. In Finland passengers may inform about their need for assistance by calling Finnair’s toll free number 0800 9 3466.

At Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, there are pick-up points, marked with the international disabled sign, where passengers should report at least 2 hours before flight departure. The pick-up points are located at the parking buildings P3 (level 2) and P5 (level -2), on the departure level outside Terminal 2 and in the Check-in area 201–232. Parking areas for disabled persons are also available.

The passenger may also report directly at the check-in desk, but no later than 1 hour prior to flight departure, otherwise the airport can not guarantee that the passenger will be able to board the aircraft. The passenger can be assisted to check-in, through the security and boarder control and to the gate area. Departing passengers are in most cases allowed to board the aircraft before other passengers and arriving passengers are assisted off the aircraft after the other passengers have disembarked. Arriving passengers are assisted to the starting point of their connecting mode of transportation (connecting flight, parking area, bus or taxi).

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During the flight

• All medication required during the flight should be packed into your carry-on baggage. Staff are not allowed to store passengers' medications during the flight.
• If you require help in taking medication, eating, visiting the toilet, getting up, or communicating in a way that differs from the norm, you need to be accompanied by a personal assistant. The airline is not able to provide such assistance during the flight or at the airport, except for lifting help.
• Passengers with reduced mobility must be able to sit in a regular aircraft seat. Finnair does not supply assistive devices, such as a cushion to elevate the seat.

An effort is always made to arrange seating according to the passengers' wishes. However, passengers with reduced mobility cannot be seated at emergency exits, nor can they obstruct the movement of other passengers from their seats.

Passengers with reduced mobility are allocated, in advance, a seat with an armrest that can be raised; they will be seated next to the aisle whenever possible to allow for easier transfer to and from the wheelchair or lifting chair. If the aircraft is full, passengers with reduced mobility must be seated in a window seat, so that they do not obstruct the movement of other passengers from their seats. On all Finnair's Airbus A340-300 and A330-300 aircraft used on intercontinental flights, there is a wheelchair on board for visiting the toilet.

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After the flight

The departure airports send a message to the destination, so that the personnel there can come to meet and assist the passenger. Passengers with reduced mobility are helped from the aircraft last, when there is more space and time to assist them. Staff will help the passenger to the arrivals hall and to the person meeting them or to their next mode of transportation (connecting flight, parking area, taxi or bus).

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Travelling as a group

• When several passengers who use wheelchairs are departing on the same flight, the receipt of advance information is even more important in order to allocate sufficient time and personnel to provide special assistance and to ensure that there is enough room in the hold to accommodate the wheelchairs.
• To ensure passenger safety, only a specified number of passengers requiring special assistance can be taken onto the same flight.
• When a group of more than five passengers with wheelchairs are travelling, we will take this into account whenever possible to position the aircraft at a passenger loading bridge, which will facilitate boarding.
• When necessary, we can also conduct a separate group check-in in advance at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. You may confirm these and other advance procedures by contacting your travel agent or the airline directly.

We have developed the services we offer to our passengers with reduced mobility in collaboration with organisations serving people with disabilities. The development continues and new technologies provide us with even better tools to assist us in this work. Customer feedback also provides us with valuable information, which we utilise in training and in drafting guidelines.

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Advance information

The airline requires the following information in advance from passengers with wheelchairs:

	Will the passenger bring his/her own wheelchair onboard?
	Is the wheelchair operated manually or electrically and is it foldable?
	Is the power source a dry or a wet battery? We will also need instructions for removing the battery, in case it is difficult for the passenger to communicate for linguistic or other reasons.
	The dimensions of the wheelchair when folded up (length x width x height).
	Is the passenger travelling alone or is he/she accompanied by someone else, such as an assistant?
	Will the passenger need pushing assistance at the airport or is he/she capable of moving from check-in to the departure gate unassisted?
	Is the passenger able to move from the wheelchair into the aircraft seat unassisted or does he/she require assistance or a lifting chair?
	Does the passenger need help using the stairs, even if he/she is able to walk short distances on an even surface?
	Is it easier for the passenger to sit on a given side of the aisle due to his/her reduced mobility?
	Will the passenger bring other medicinal aids onboard?

If the passenger has a serious illness in addition to his/her disability, he/she must contact the airline, which may require medical clearance regarding the passenger's fitness for airline travel. In such cases, the airline must be notified when booking the flight to allow the airline to undertake any precautionary measures it may deem necessary. Fill in the MEDIF-form (Standard Medical Information Form for Air Travel) and send it to the airline well in advance of the travel date. The airline needs a few days to process it, especially if further clarification is required.

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