Thought I’d write a quick trip report on a Finnair flight I took recently as there were a few of interesting points about it and not too much info online in regards to the flight…
Flight: AY 2868
Class: Business
Date: 02 JAN 2015
Route: GENEVA to HELSINKI
My research had proved correct, everything about this flight was branded Finnair; from the Check-In desks at Geneva airport, to the lounge (shared) with a Finnair logo out the front, to the boarding gate and signs. The shared lounge at GVA was pleasant enough without being anything special, it’s the same lounge both Business and First class passengers of Emirates, Etihad and a bunch of other airlines use.
We boarded from the furthest satellite gate, where there were also a couple of easyJet flights departing.
Priority boarding was called for our Finnair flight, the E190 was parked what seemed like 10-15 metres from the gate so we just walked over to the aircraft (which was painted in full Finnair livery) and walked up the stairs.
The Business cabin was separated from the main cabin with a curtain and had its own bathroom. Whilst the cabin was clean it was definitely showing its age. The seats were the same 2-2 configuration as in Economy, and even though I was in the bulkhead it looked light there was no extra leg room for the rest of Business Class.
(I cannot for the life of me workout how to rotate this image for AFF... shows up normally on my PC!)
Interestingly there were only Australians and Japanese in the Business Class cabin. Anyone that’s flown Finnair will know how successful their partnership with JAL seems to be going as all the flights are full of Japanese passengers, so it seems like a great relationship for the airlines.
The only Flybe branded item in the whole aircraft seemed to be the safety cards. The safety video, however, was the standard Finnair video. Both Finnish and English were spoken by the crew throughout the flight.
As with Eurobusiness we had pre-departure drinks and hot towels, nothing too exciting there. We had a dedicated flight attendant who never left the cabin.
Lunch was served with French champagne, and whilst there was just the single offering, it was actually really nice. You wouldn’t have wanted to be a vegetarian, however!
Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the food and drink service, and the flight attendant was very polite and helpful. The seat aside, this was at least a real Eurobusiness class.
We arrived in Helsinki on time and transferred to our next flight.
A few days later came the test – would Qantas post points and Status Credits for an AY marketed flight operated by Flybe?
To be honest, I’d think it pretty unfair if they didn’t… the flight is ONLY sold by Finnair (Flybe can’t sell it), and a general punter would have no idea it was anything but a Finnair flight.
So at the end of the day, YES Qantas posted 1,552 points including the 25% cabin bonus, as well as 60 status credits. I was happy with the result..!
- They sell Business Class on this flight (which I booked), however the seats are the same as in economy (2-2 layout due to aircraft type) as it’s operated by an E190 which is a narrow aircraft.
- The flight is operated by Flybe for Finnair. Researching beforehand I found out that Finnair’s flights operated by Flybe were fully branded and marketed as Finnair. Flybe cannot sell these flights. Also, Flybe Nordic (the carrier here) is a different company to regular Flybe.
- Flybe is a low cost airline and don’t operate a Business Class on their own flights, so I was unsure as to the level of service we’d get for such an expensive ticket.
- Even though the flight has an AY flight number, Flybe isn’t a OneWorld airline. I knew Finnair FF members received benefits, but was curious whether we would still get Qantas points and status credits.
Flight: AY 2868
Class: Business
Date: 02 JAN 2015
Route: GENEVA to HELSINKI
My research had proved correct, everything about this flight was branded Finnair; from the Check-In desks at Geneva airport, to the lounge (shared) with a Finnair logo out the front, to the boarding gate and signs. The shared lounge at GVA was pleasant enough without being anything special, it’s the same lounge both Business and First class passengers of Emirates, Etihad and a bunch of other airlines use.
We boarded from the furthest satellite gate, where there were also a couple of easyJet flights departing.
Priority boarding was called for our Finnair flight, the E190 was parked what seemed like 10-15 metres from the gate so we just walked over to the aircraft (which was painted in full Finnair livery) and walked up the stairs.
The Business cabin was separated from the main cabin with a curtain and had its own bathroom. Whilst the cabin was clean it was definitely showing its age. The seats were the same 2-2 configuration as in Economy, and even though I was in the bulkhead it looked light there was no extra leg room for the rest of Business Class.
(I cannot for the life of me workout how to rotate this image for AFF... shows up normally on my PC!)
Interestingly there were only Australians and Japanese in the Business Class cabin. Anyone that’s flown Finnair will know how successful their partnership with JAL seems to be going as all the flights are full of Japanese passengers, so it seems like a great relationship for the airlines.
The only Flybe branded item in the whole aircraft seemed to be the safety cards. The safety video, however, was the standard Finnair video. Both Finnish and English were spoken by the crew throughout the flight.
As with Eurobusiness we had pre-departure drinks and hot towels, nothing too exciting there. We had a dedicated flight attendant who never left the cabin.
Lunch was served with French champagne, and whilst there was just the single offering, it was actually really nice. You wouldn’t have wanted to be a vegetarian, however!
Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the food and drink service, and the flight attendant was very polite and helpful. The seat aside, this was at least a real Eurobusiness class.
We arrived in Helsinki on time and transferred to our next flight.
A few days later came the test – would Qantas post points and Status Credits for an AY marketed flight operated by Flybe?
To be honest, I’d think it pretty unfair if they didn’t… the flight is ONLY sold by Finnair (Flybe can’t sell it), and a general punter would have no idea it was anything but a Finnair flight.
So at the end of the day, YES Qantas posted 1,552 points including the 25% cabin bonus, as well as 60 status credits. I was happy with the result..!
