Travel class upgrade terms and conditions

Included in the travel class upgrade fee

Upgrade to Business Class includes

• Seat in Business Class including seat reservation
• Priority check-in and boarding
• Priority security at Helsinki Airport and other selected airports
• Finnair lounge services at the departure airport of the upgraded flight
• One extra piece of checked baggage. For upgrades purchased on 4 June 2025 and after, the baggage allowance is defined by the original ticket.
  • The increased baggage allowance for upgrades purchased in advance applies to the whole journey from origin to destination in one direction, even if the upgrade is purchased for only one leg of the journey, as long as all flights are scheduled flights marketed by Finnair and operated by Finnair or Norra.
    • Example: Paris–Helsinki–Beijing–Helsinki–Paris, all flights marketed and operated by Finnair. Upgrade purchased for Helsinki–Beijing route: the increased baggage allowance applies to the outbound segments Paris–Helsinki and Helsinki–Beijing.
  • If the journey from origin to destination consists of one or more flights operated by an airline other than Finnair, the Business Class baggage allowance does not apply to the flight(s) operated by the other airline.
    • Example: Helsinki–London–New York, Helsinki–London is operated by Finnair, London–New York is operated by British Airways. Upgrade purchased for Helsinki–London route: the increased baggage allowance applies to the Helsinki–London segment only. The increased baggage allowance does not apply to the London–New York segment as that route is operated by an airline other than Finnair.
• One complimentary piece of carry-on baggage when upgrading an Economy Superlight ticket
• Business Class meals and beverages
• Internet access for one hour on intercontinental flights and 30 minutes of the Stream package on flights within Europe and the Middle East. Finnair Plus Gold, Platinum and Platinum Lumo members may have their extra benefit, please see the Finnair Plus benefits.

Please note that the benefits included in the Business Class upgrade depend on when the upgrade was bought. 

• When purchased in advance, the full benefits listed above are included in the Business Class upgrade.
• When purchased at the airport, priority services and lounge access are not included.

Upgrade to Premium Economy includes: 

• Seat in Premium Economy Class
• Premium Economy meals and beverages​

Please note:

• Avios are awarded according to the original ticket.
• All airport services that are included in the Business Class upgrade may not always be available due to flight schedules, airport limitations or other irregularities.
• Ancillary services that have been purchased for the original ticket in advance through Finnair will automatically be refunded within 10 business days, excluding:
  • When upgrading to Premium Economy class: extra baggage, lounge access, priority check-in and security, and internet access, which you can still enjoy with the upgraded flight.
  • When upgrading to Business Class: internet access which you can still enjoy on the upgraded flight.
  • When upgrading to Business Class: for the refund of prepaid extra baggage on connecting flights on Finnair, only the portion of the extra baggage fee for the upgraded flight will be refunded. The amount of refund will be calculated based on the flight distance of the upgraded segment in proportion to the whole trip.
    • For example, if you have purchased extra baggage for the itinerary Paris–Helsinki–Beijing and later purchase a Business Class upgrade for only the Paris–Helsinki segment, you will be refunded approximately 23% of the original extra baggage fee from Paris to Beijing.

Travel class upgrades with money 

• You can purchase travel class upgrades 59 days prior to departure at the earliest (from 4 June 2025 onwards: 30 days prior to departure) on our website, through the Finnair app or through our customer service, if there is availability.
• The upgrade price and availability may vary at different times prior to departure, but there is no difference in availability between the sales channels; they all use the same availability info. 

Travel class upgrades with Avios and upgrade benefits 

• All Finnair Plus members can waitlist for an upgrade 360 days to 40 hours prior to departure (from 4 June 2025: 360 days to 50 hours prior to departure).
• All Finnair Plus members will be able to redeem confirmed upgrades up to 360 days prior to departure if there is upgrade availability with Avios and upgrade benefits.
• The corresponding number of Avios or upgrade benefits will be deducted from the account when requesting a confirmed or waitlisted upgrade.
• Finnair will start confirming waitlisted upgrades 59 days before the flight departure (from 4 June 2025 onwards: 30 days before departure), depending on upgrade availability with Avios and upgrade benefits.
• Waitlisted upgrades will be confirmed at the latest 37 hours prior to departure if there is availability. Finnair will send an email notification about the waitlist situation at the latest 37 hours prior to departure. From 4 June 2025 onwards, confirmations will be done and notifications sent 48 hours prior to departure.
• If the waitlisted upgrade is not confirmed at the latest 37 hours prior to departure (from 4 June 2025: 48 hours prior to departure), the Avios and/or upgrade benefits will be refunded within 24 hours. Please note that the upgrade benefits’ expiration date will stay the same after the refund and the upgrade benefits will not be refunded if the expiration date has passed.
• Upgrades are only available for scheduled Finnair flights (AY code on the ticket and the flight is operated by Finnair). The upgrade can be redeemed online or through the Finnair App, if the ticket number starts with 105.
• If the itinerary includes connecting flights and the long-haul flight is upgraded using Avios, the connecting European flight will be charged separately.
• Upgrades with Avios are not available for award flights or tickets purchased from Money+Avios offers.
• Upgrades can only be requested after the original reservation has been confirmed and the flight ticket has been issued.

Changes and cancellations

If your flight has been cancelled due to Finnair

If your flight is cancelled, Finnair will reroute your flight:

• If the rerouted flight is operated by Finnair, you will be rebooked to the upgraded travel class depending on availability. 
• If the rerouted flight is operated by an airline other than Finnair, you will be rebooked to the original travel class. 

If there is no availability in the upgraded travel class due to the rerouting, the following refund policy applies: 

• Money: full refund of the paid upgrade fee.
• Avios and/or upgrade benefits: full refund of Avios and/or upgrade benefits used for the upgrade.

In case your travel class is downgraded, you can apply for a refund using the refund form or contacting Finnair customer care.

Cancelling or changing your flight

a) Cancelling your flight

• The original ticket rules apply to the upgraded ticket.
• The following refund policy applies to the travel class upgrade:
  • Money: full refund of the paid upgrade fee if the cancellation is done at least 24 hours prior to flight departure. Note: no refund if the cancellation is done less than 24 hours prior to flight departure.
  • Avios and/or upgrade benefits: full refund of Avios and/or upgrade benefits used for the upgrade. Note: no refund of Avios and/or upgrade benefits in the case of a no-show, meaning the passenger did not cancel the flight ticket and did not board the flight.
  • The upgrade benefits’ expiration date will stay the same after the refund, and the upgrade benefits will not be refunded if the expiration date has passed.

b) Changing your flight or flight date

• The original ticket rules apply to the upgraded ticket. Please contact Finnair customer care to request the change.
  • Flights operated by Finnair: Finnair will upgrade you to the requested travel class, if there is availability, and if the same booking class is available. Otherwise, refund applies according to the refund policy as described above (Cancelling your flight). 
  • Flights operated by an airline other than Finnair: new flight will be in the original travel class. Refund applies according to the refund policy as described above (Cancelling your flight). 

General terms & conditions