Wish to upgrade your travel class? Read our FAQ first!

By upgrading your travel class you can enjoy your travel experience more. When upgrading to Business Class, you’ll have more privacy with added comfort. In our renewed long-haul aircraft, you’ll get to travel on Collins’ AirLounge seats that ensure you a relaxing travel experience in utmost comfort. Upgrading is also a great way to try out our new Premium Economy Class with wider seats, a larger screen for in-flight entertainment and delicious meals.

It’s good to know that availability of upgrades is always consistent across all of Finnair’s sales channels: online on our upgrade page, on the Finnair app and in our customer service. You’ll be able to check the up-to-date upgrade possibilities regardless of the channel. Oh, and did you know that as a Finnair Plus member, you can put yourself on an upgrade waitlist when you pay for the upgrade with Avios or upgrade benefits?

1. How do I pay for my upgrade?

You can purchase upgrades with upgrade benefits and Avios up to 360 days before the flight on finnair.com, the Finnair app and our customer service. Upgrades with money can be purchased as early as 30 days before the flight on finnair.com, the Finnair app and via our customer service. If you wish to pay with money, the accepted payment methods depend on your departure country. 

It is good to know that at airports, you can only upgrade with money (debit/credit card). However, at Helsinki Airport, we also accept Avios and upgrade benefits as payment methods.

It’s always worth purchasing your upgrade well before your flight and via our digital channels. For example, when using Avios, the price is lower when you make the purchase online or on our mobile app and not via customer service.

2. Why can't I get an upgrade immediately, even though there are seats available for Premium Economy or Business Class?

There are a limited number of available upgrades on each flight. For some flights, the demand for Business Class or Premium Economy is so high that there might not be any seats left for upgrades. The availability is constantly updated and might change on a daily basis. You can ensure a seat in Business or Premium Economy Class by purchasing a seat in your preferred travel class.

3. Where can I check if there are upgrades available for my flight?

If you have a flight reservation, you can check upgrade availability either on our upgrade page or mobile app. As a Finnair Plus Gold, Platinum and Platinum Lumo member, you can check the upgrade availability already when purchasing flight tickets on Finnair.com or Finnair app. Just remember to log in before making the reservation and you’ll see if there are any upgrades available for that Finnair flight.

4. How does the waitlist work?

As a Finnair Plus member, you can join the waitlist for upgrades when you pay with Avios or upgrade benefits 360 days before departure at the earliest if confirmed upgrades are not available on the flight. Based on the waitlist, we start confirming upgrades at the earliest 30 days before departure, subject to availability, and thereafter whenever upgrades become available or at least every 4 days. All waitlisted upgrades are checked 48 hours before departure, and you will then, at the latest, be informed whether your upgrade was successful. This way you will also have time to purchase travel extras, like seats and pre-order meals, if your upgrade wasn’t successful.

If you don’t get your requested upgrade, your Avios or upgrade benefits will be refunded automatically in 24 hours. It’s good to note that the upgrade benefits have an expiration date, and the date remains the same even if you are on the waitlist.

5. How do you process the waitlist?

The members on the waitlist are always first in line when seats become available for upgrades. Upgrades are not sold for anyone outside the waitlist if there are members on it. Your individual placement on the list depends on several factors, such as your Finnair Plus tier or payment method of the upgrade. 

If there are several passengers waiting for an upgrade under the same booking, for example your whole family, we will confirm the upgrades only when we can upgrade the entire group. Seats often become available one by one, so if you are travelling in a group, it might be harder to get an upgrade than it would be when travelling alone.

6. Can I check my placement on the waitlist?

You can't check your placement on the list, and our customer service can't access this information either. This is because there are many factors that affect the placement of each member on the list. The list also keeps updating and the placements change all the time. This means that your placement at any given time will not be an indication of how likely it is that you will get the upgrade. You can, however, follow the status of your upgrade request in Finnair app and Manage booking.

7. Can I request an upgrade for a flight operated by another airline?

Upgrades are available only for scheduled flights operated by Finnair and when the original ticket is issued by Finnair. When you have a flight booking, you can check on our digital channels whether an upgrade is possible for you.

8. What upgrade options are there available?

Upgrades are possible between all travel classes, subject to availability. Customers can upgrade from Economy Class to Premium Economy or Business Class through Finnair.com or the mobile app. As of 4 June, customers can also upgrade from Premium Economy to Business Class through Finnair.com and this option will be added to the Finnair mobile app later. All upgrade options are also available through customer service or at the airport.