A new premium lounge in Hel(l) coming Spring 2014

[markis10]

1.10.2013 09:30:00 - OMX Helsinki, News
FIA1S: Finnair Oyj - Finnair to open exclusive Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport in spring 2014
Finnair Plc
Press release

Finnair to open exclusive Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport in spring 2014

Work has started on building a new Premium Lounge directly adjacent to the
award-winning Finnair Lounge near Gate 36 in the non-Schengen area of Helsinki
Airport. The Premium Lounge, designed by Helsinki-based dSign Vertti Kivi & Co,
will be open in spring 2014 and complement the original Finnair Lounge, which
routinely ranks in lists of the world’s top airline lounges. The new facility
will be available to Finnair Plus Platinum and Gold members and their guests
only, as well as frequent flyer cardholders with equivalent status at a fellow
oneworld airline. All customers however may enjoy completely new private shower
suites and a Finnish sauna. An exclusive Finnair Tax-Free Shop will also be
opened next to the lounges, serving all non-Schengen passengers.

“We are eagerly looking forward to opening a new lounge for our most frequent
and loyal customers to keep up with burgeoning demand for our world-class
lounge facilities,” says Markku Remes, Finnair’s Manager of Lounge and VIP
Services. “The expanded lounge environment will offer passengers calm,
refreshment and relaxation while also showcasing Finland as an international
hub of art and design surrounded by the freshness of nature.”

Meanwhile, Business Class passengers, Finnair Plus top-tier loyalty card
holders and other customers entitled to lounge access at Helsinki Airport are
now
offered an upgraded range of complimentary wines, beer and spirits at all
Finnair Lounges at Helsinki Airport, as well as hot meals at breakfast, lunch
and dinner times. Additionally, at the non-Schengen Finnair Lounge, a more
exclusive list of premium champagnes and liquors are also available for a
charge. Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut Champagne is complimentary for Finnair
Plus Platinum members and other Emerald-level oneworld frequent flyer
cardholders.

The improvements in lounge services are part of a larger drive of upgrades to
the customer experience as Finnair approaches its 90th birthday on November 1.
On board in the cabin, the Marimekko for Finnair collection of pillows,
blankets, headrest covers, napkins and tableware is now standard in all Finnair
aircraft, both long haul and short haul. Earlier this month Finnair also
announced new Signature Meals in Business Class created by top Finnish chefs
Tomi Björck and Pekka Terävä. And Finnair has begun the retrofit of a further
eight long-haul aircraft to provide seats that convert to fully-flat beds in
Business Class, for optimum comfort in long-haul travel. By the time the
retrofit is complete in September 2014, all but three of Finnair’s long-haul
aircraft will be outfitted with the full-flat seats; the remaining aircraft are
set to be retired from the fleet with the arrival of Airbus A350s in 2015.

About Finnair
Finnair, which is celebrating its 90th birthday this year, is spec
ialised in
fast connections between Europe and Asia via Helsinki. The airline carries more
than eight million passengers annually and connects 13 cities in Asia with more
than 60 destinations in Europe. The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying,
operates a young, modern fleet and is the first airline listed in the
Leadership Index of the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project. The only Nordic
carrier with a 4-star Skytrax ranking, Finnair has also won the World Airline
Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past four years running. Finnair
is a member of oneworld, the alliance of the world's leading airlines committed
to providing the highest level of service and convenience to frequent
international travellers.

Further information
Finnair Media Desk tel. +358 9 818 4020, comms(a)finnair.com
Finnair image gallery: http://gallery.finnair.com
Finnair blogs: http://blogs.finnair.com
Finnair on Facebook: www.facebook.com/finnair
Finnair on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Twitter
Finnair Group website: www.finnairgroup.com

 

[boomy]

I heard from friends who traveled with them that it's a very good airline. The new lounge looks promising too. Will love to try them on my next trip to Europe.

 

[RooFlyer]

You just beat me to the post, markis10.

I heard from friends who traveled with them that it's a very good airline. The new lounge looks promising too. Will love to try them on my next trip to Europe.

Finnair is a very good airline - I have a current Trip Report with them here. Its pretty long; the Finnair bits (including the current lounge) are at the start and end.

Finnair have very good prices for going to Europe - whether or not you don't like the QF Dubai option. I think the fares are only accessible from a Travel Agent or the airline directly. From Australia, you go/return Qantas (or CX I suppose) to/from either SIN or HKG, then an AY to HEL and beyond. When I bought the fare, there was a free return fight from HEL to any of AY's European destinations (or at least the price was the same whether or not you took this additional flight!).

Good service, and decent J meals (great glassware - stylish Marimekko stuff). Don't miss the reindeer dinner option! Only issue is an angled flat bed, but they are re-furbing their fleet with horizontal beds as we type.

Not bad good earning rates on the QFF scheme, too.

A new Premium lounge anywhere is always a good thing. The lounge I went to was OK, but they clearly wanted to look after the premium pax better than the present lay-out. For instance, you could get the Joseph Perrier Champagne if you showed your BP (with status on it) every time you presented your glass for a re-fill!

 

[boomy]

Thanks for the tips RooFlyer. Very nice trip report too. A combination of QF & AY sounds good to me as I always prefer flying to Europe via Asia and avoiding a stopover in Dubai.

The new lounge and hopefully flat beds next year combined with an attractive price is a great incentive to try AY.

 

[RooFlyer]

Nice to see the FTers debating the virtues of sauna at the Finnair lounge(s) Finnair to open a new non-Schengen lounge for status customers - Page 2 - FlyerTalk Forums.

Apparently you can get a beer brought to you in the present sauna (I guess that's preferable to getting it yourself in a state of undress).

 

[Isochronous]

Not to mention you could also connect to AY in BKK, PVG, PEK or even Chongqing.

 

[markis10]

Not to mention you could also connect to AY in BKK, PVG, PEK or even Chongqing.

Wish they would bring back the Asian tag flights, they were fun, never did get to try the prawn dish ex BKK, on the menu but never on the plane!