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Finnair experiencing good demand out of Australia

written by australianaviation.com.au | January 3, 2018

Finnair has ordered 19 Airbus A350-900s. (Finnair)
The Airbus A350-900 is the backbone of Finnair’s long-haul fleet. (Finnair)

Helsinki-based Finnair’s Australian boss Geoff Stone says Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore are the most popular Asian gateways for local passengers heading to Europe.

Although Finnair does not serve this market with its own aircraft, the airline has codeshare arrangements with British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, as well as interline agreements with Japan Airlines, to take passengers from Australia to Asia, where they transfer onto Finnair’s services to Helsinki and beyond.

And the range of destinations beyond Helsinki are many and varied, with Finnair serving some 100 cities in Europe as part of an expanding route network.

“Finnair is undergoing the fastest growth phase in our 94-year history with new aircraft, new routes and a strong focus on Asia,” Stone told reporters in Sydney in early December.

“This Northern Hemisphere winter we will have four new long-haul routes including Havana, Goa, Puerto Vallarta in Mexico and Puerto Plata in the Domincan Republic.”

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Stone, who finished up his six and a half year stint as Finnair’s Australian boss at the end of 2017 to take up a new role as chief operating officer of Australian Cruise Group, noted Finnair was the largest European carrier in Japan with 31 weekly frequencies to four cities.

Moreover, Finnair was also growing strongly in the China market, with nonstop flights between Helsinki and Nanjing due to start in 2018 meaning the airline would soon serve seven destinations in the country.

“This year sees us with 87 weekly flights to Asia and by next year we will have 97 weekly flights to Asia,” he said.

Finnair, a member of the oneworld airline marketing alliance, has been recognised as the best offline carrier at the Australian Federation of Travel Agents National Travel Industry Awards for the past five years.

“I would like to pay special tribute to a wonderful group of professionals and terrific people with whom I have been privileged to work with at Finnair in Australia over these last few years,” Stone said.

“They are absolutely dedicated to delivering the best possible service and outcomes for our clients and industry partners.

“Thank you also to so many of you in the Australian travel industry who have supported me over the years and continue to help us in maintaining Finnair’s strong reputation and bookings in the Australian marketplace.”

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Comments (8)

  • PeterL

    says:

    Do not travel with Finnair. The rudest flight attendants I have ever experienced and refused to refund money paid for exit row seats that were never supplied. It is not worth the cheaper fares, pay more and travel better!

  • Dave

    says:

    Finnair are a solid option with a good product and no fuss service.
    Its a shame Qantas now force you through Heathrow and back track to Helsinki and don’t seem to offer the Singapore connection any more, Booking direct with Finnair solves the problem.

  • Richard

    says:

    Finnair are awesome and my first choice to fly to Europe from Brisbane. They also offer the best value business class to Europe. I’ve just done a return trip to Europe on Finnair business class and it was fantastic and every bit as good as Cathay Pacific and Qantas (who I flew with on the first leg to Hong Kong). Also they fly the A350 which is a beautiful aircraft to fly and are very flexible with which cities you fly into and out of Europe.

  • Dave22

    says:

    @ Dave I agree. I always book direct on their website and that’s where I get the business class specials for around 5K. Qantas always seem to want to route me through Sydney and then Dubai. No thanks, I’d rather go via Hong Kong and Helsinki any day.

  • Dave22

    says:

    @PeterL
    Travel better? You have to be kidding. I fly Finnair every time I go to Europe and have had nothing but the best (and safest) travel experience. I would always choose them, even over Cathay Pacific. The options for different cities in Europe are awesome and the transit through Helsinki is a breeze. Love them!

  • GeoffC

    says:

    I haven’t had the same experience as PeterL. I have found the Finnair crew to be friendly and helpful. The new A350 product is streets ahead of the competition and worth looking at if you are travelling to Helsinki or other ports in Europe beyond.

  • Joe

    says:

    Finnair uses HK crew from HKG and Singaporean from SIN, I would assume that’s where PeterL’s bad experiences stem from?

  • Jane Turbayne

    says:

    Finnair can be hit and miss. A Finnish carrier has the benefit of being able to travel over Russia. It is a quick way to get to Europe. However, the level of service can be patchy. I pay to go Business Class. Once when we turned up at the airport I was told that Business Class was overbooked and I was told I would be put in economy. I had booked and paid a long way ahead so I was most annoyed – and I was tired – it was the trip home. There was no discussion about compensation and no polite interaction. After standing my ground I did obtain my Business Class seat but it was an unpleasant experience. But I still fly Finnair mainly because we travel to Finland!

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