Finnair will shortly be opening a new Schengen lounge at Helsinki Airport (HEL), and it will even have a dedicated area for oneworld Emerald members. This sounds like a huge improvement over the current setup…
In this post:
Details of the new Finnair Lounge Helsinki Airport
On July 9, 2024, Finnair will be opening its new lounge at Helsinki Airport. This lounge will be located in the Schengen area, which is primarily for short haul flights within the Schengen zone.
The new lounge will completely replace the old lounge, and follows the same palette and design introduced in the carrier’s non-Schengen lounges in 2019. As it’s described, the lounge’s new design “captures the essence of the Nordics with wooden textures, soft forms, and warm colours.”
In addition to all-new design, the lounge will also see capacity increase by around 50% compared to the previous facility, with the ability to accommodate up to 440 guests. The new lounge facility will be split into two areas:
- There will be the standard business class lounge, for oneworld business class passengers and oneworld Sapphire members
- There will be the Platinum Corner, for oneworld Emerald members; it will also be possible to upgrade from the standard section of the lounge to the premium section of the lounge for just €30 or 4,800 Avios
Exact details about the lounge remain to be seen, but each section should feature dedicated zones for dining, working, resting, and spending time with travel companions. There’s no mention of there being a sauna, unlike in the non-Schengen lounge area.
So far, the below four pictures have been shared of the new lounge space. Nothing against the “models,” who I’m sure are lovely people, but am I the only one who feels like this is more a photoshoot of these people, rather than any sort of detailed look at the lounge?
This new lounge concept looks great!
I’m really impressed by the direction that Finnair is taking. Finnair has now completely overhauled its long haul business class, so you’ll find the carrier’s unique no-recline business class on all A330s and A350s.
On top of that, the airline refreshed its non-Schengen lounges in 2019, and is now refreshing its Schengen lounges. Helsinki Airport is in general such a pleasure to transit, and is so much better than virtually any other hub in the region, especially other oneworld hubs, like London Heathrow Airport (LHR).
I also really like how Finnair has dedicated lounges for oneworld Emerald members, despite not offering a first class. It’s the only oneworld airline without first class to have a better than business class lounge for oneworld Emerald members.
I enjoyed my visit to the Finnair Platinum Wing Helsinki (the oneworld Emerald lounge in the non-Schengen area), and I look forward to visiting this new lounge as well.
Bottom line
Finnair will shortly be opening its new Schengen lounge. The lounge will have a capacity around 50% higher than the old lounge, and will feature a new design, with runway views. On top of that, the lounge will have a dedicated Platinum Corner, for oneworld Emerald members, offering an elevated experience.
Kudos to Finnair for its continued investment in the passenger experience. Choosing Finnair over other airlines in the region keeps becoming an easier choice.
What do you make of Finnair’s new lounge?
TurningLeftForLess is stating that the Platinum corner does not include emeralds?
The old lounge has a literal corner (just come tables set aside) for Platinum Lumo only, for what it’s worth.
Unfortunately, everything else about Finnair is going downhill (draconian hand luggage limits, paid seat selection, 1 bag in business class, no pillows or second meal service in long haul Y).
I considered Finnair for a trip to Asia, then realized their luggage allowance in Premium Economy is ... 1 PC (23kg).
As you write, even in Business it's 1 PC (23kg) as well *except* for Europe-Japan (3 PC at 32kg each), Europa-North America, Asia, and Middle East (2 PC). So except for most, if not all, of their long haul flights.
Let’s hope the Schengen Platinum Wing has more generous hours than the Non-Schengen one, which closes in the afternoon …
You should also visit Helsinki and review the Hotel Maria. I'd like to read the review since the hotels in Helsinki didn't impress you much the last time. Maybe this would.
“It’s the only oneworld airline without first class to have a better than business class lounge for oneworld Emerald members.”
Are we still considering Malaysia Airlines as having First Class?
It's definitely first class, even if the brand name is weird.
I'm surprised they haven't released more information about the lounge with the press release (i.e., actual planned capacity of each section). Also is very surprising that they still haven't returned the hours of the Platinum Wing in the Non-Schengen area to its pre-COVID hours
Funny because the existing lounge was pretty nice when I went a few weeks ago