QFF points on partner Finnair how to claim?

[ceavoi]

hello all

i have a question regarding earning points and status credit on a codeshare flight with Finnair.

i have a trip from melbourne to london booked for next year mid july and return at the end of the same month however my flight ends back in melb on 1st august.

the trip is as follows...

QF29 from melb to HK
FAAY68 from HK to Hel
FAAY833 Hel to LHR

qantas says the following...

Finnair (AY)
ABGHKLMNOPQSTVWY Economy 1
Status Credits are earned on all eligible booking classes.
Excluded: Points and Status Credits are not earned on Codeshare Flights operated by airlines other than oneworld™ Alliance Airlines and on flights designated AY1001-AY3000 or AY7001-AY9999.

so i am assuming i can earn points and status credits on all above flights. to and from australia.

my trip back is
FAAY832 LHR to Hel
FAAY67 Hel to HK
QF30 HK back to Melb.

my issue with the flight back to melb is that I arrive 1st August. status credits expire 31st July the day before. will i need to arrive back in Melb on the 31st thus finished my flight to be credited the points and status credits but how likely is qantas going to take that into account given it can take weeks for the points to show up?
also with claiming points on my codeshare flights - do i need to fax QFF office of my booking? and if so how long should it take for them to add the points.

my final question... has anyone flown FINNAIR? what's the service like?

thanks
Brenden

 

[Dave Noble]

The Status Credits will earn based on the scheduled departure date of the flight; if the flight departs on the 31st July, then it will credit as earned on the 31st July; the arrival date of the flight is irrelevent

If you drop status on the 1st August, then when the AY flight credits and brings your previous year's SCs up to the renewal level, then you will be upgraded back to the status level you were on

I am confused about the codeshare flight issue. What codeshare flights are you taking? it seems that you are flying AY from LHR-HEL-HKG ; are you flying on a AYflight number or another airline's flight number?

If you are on AY68 , that is not a codeshare flight that is the actual number of the flight; if your number is in the booking, it should credit automatically and not require you to claim them manually ( unless problems occur )

Dave

 

[ellen10]

Hello Brenden

I am no expert but my son flew on Finnair in January similar route to you. He found them to be good and service was good. However the first leg to Hong Kong was with Cathy on a lovely new plane. The second leg the same number as your flight with Finnair was on an older plane with the old in flight screens, not personal ones. He flew economy and overall was happy with the service.
I have read that Finnair is updating its fleet so that may be good for you by next year.

Regarding points he was a new QFF member so when he returned we just claimed his points through the link for missing points on the Qantas website. However if you are already a member I would assume you would just add you frequent flyer number to your booking as I have done in the past.

We have also claimed points by faxing documentation to Qantas

Hope this helps

 

[CaptainPesmo]

I flew SYD-HKG-HEL-WAW return last month in economy with Finnair and their codeshare operated by Cathay between Sydney and Hong Kong. The HKG/HEL parts were AY67 and AY68 as per your booking. The aircraft was an A340 and had personal IFE screens (same system as Cathay, but a slightly smaller selection of content), so I'm guessing a change of aircraft or refit since ellen10's son flew.

I'd say service-wise both airlines seemed to fit their stereotypes as European and Asian carriers - both quite good, but the Cathay staff came across as a bit more eager to please. Again, certainly no problems or "bad" service as such, they just each have their own style.

One thing I would say about Finnair is that I found all the landings performed by their pilots to be remarkably smooth - must be the same part of the Finnish character that makes them good rally drivers.

As far as points go: I added my QFF number to the booking and the points for the flights operated by Finnair were credited automatically about a week after the flights. I'm still waiting for the points for the codeshare part of the trip. Actually a question for the more experienced guys here - how long should I wait before putting in a claim for these?

 

[ellen10]

Hello CaptainPesmo
My son also flew codeshare with Cathay to Hong Kong and we waited and waited for the points to credit. After much chasing up we finally found out that the flight was not elibible for points earn because of the flight class (O?), so no QFF points.

 

[ceavoi]

Hi DaveNoble

thanks for you the input.

as it turns out my FF number has automatically linked all my flights to the qantas login page and after chatting to a very lovely lady at qantas FF office I will get the points and the status credits for the whole trip.

you are correct about the trip back and the expiry of points. i guess there is a lesson for everyone just make sure you have reached your minimum amount that you get bumped up to the next level alright!! yahh

thanks
Brenden

 

[MelUser]

Re Finnair - I have flown 4 finnair flights - 2 long haul and 2 within Europe and found them to be excellent.

I especially like Helsinki airport - it nice a functional and not too big like some terminals.

If you are in economy you have to watch cathay flights as these won't post to QFF for the very cheap tickets. The way around this if you are on Cathay is to ask your travel agent to put you on a Finnair Codeshare flight number on the Cathay service.

 

[Cocitus23]

Sorry, I can't comment on the points issue, but concerning your request for information on Finnair I have something to report. My wife and I took AY68 from HKG to HEL during July. Excellent aircraft and service. What really makes AY stick in my mind is a rather bizarre aspect of their in-flight magazine. It's a typically glossy, stylish publication, but it contains an unusual feature: a full-page serialised comic strip with the title "Sex Takes a Holiday", offering suggestions on how you and your beloved should get the most out of your vacation. I guess it's part of the culture which gave us the sauna. I really enjoyed it and found it funny. My wife, showing her prudish American upbringing, just thought it was weird.