Finnair Platinum Wing: New Helsinki Lounge With A La Carte Dining

before this spectacular lounge, OWE and OWS are separated in the old one so still a bit of difference in HEL until earlier this year. Additionally, most of the passengers connecting on the AY Asian tickets have very little time to enjoy the lounge so it may be empty most of the time. too bad that this one does not seem to come with a sauna.

There is a sauna too! Should be mentioned.

Finland, happiest country in the world 2 years running now. Official!

AY1331 departing HEL @ 0800 and AY1332 departing LHR @ 1020 are operated with A350
AY1337 departing HEL @ 1600 and AY1338 departing LHR @ 1810 are operated with A330

Other than those you will be stuck with bad seat in A320 family and those are the basic intra-europe "business class" seats with middle seat blocked.

Shortest minimum connection yeahhh. Not really if it involves transfer Schengen/non Schengen or vv. Did it twice a few weeks back and had to run through the airport like an idiot as immigration took way too long with long lines.
Finnair is overpromising on their schedules as well. All 4 flights were delayed or arrived too late.
The airport itself is cramped and overcrowded.

Interesting, yet very understandable, that there is no access option based on class of travel, with Finnair not operating any "first class" cabins ex-HEL.

CX can grant First lounge access at LHR and HKG, as can BA (Concorde Room) at T5 LHR, as can Qantas at SYD, for those travelling in F on their flights.

So, the lounge would have a very exclusive element to it indeed.

Love the design at HEL - Finnair employees have told me that it's vertically high ceilings and attempt to have all external walls as floor-to-ceiling windows were/are intentional in its design, as was a lot of thought put into passenger flow and what to put where (toilets where you wouldn't have to search for them, etc.)

Ben, AusBT implies that oneworld sapphires should have temporary access. Is this incorrect? From their recent article: "Meanwhile, rolling renovation work continues on the adjacent Finnair Business Lounge to add more space, more food and drink options and a fresh 'Nordic design'. Until that make-over is completed by November 2019, Finnair Plus Gold members and their Oneworld equivalents will enjoy temporary access to the Platinum Wing."

@ John -- I'm speaking based on what is published on Finnair's page. It explicitly mentions oneworld Emerald members but doesn't explicitly mention oneworld Sapphire members. So AusBT might be correct, but I haven't seen that stated anywhere.

Thanks Ben. Will be interested to hear if anyone can confirm non-Finnair sapphire access to this lounge...

Weird question, but I can't seem to find which US cities have FINNAIR service. I'm in Seattle and could have sworn I'd seen FinnAir jets at SEATAC before...is this seasonal? I'm looking for a better carrier to EU from here. And forget Icelandair, they raised their prices on their faux-business class so they aren't really worth it.

So flying Finnair business class long haul goes not give me access?

Been to this lounge twice and honestly don't understand all the fuss about it. Yes the food is better BUT the view on the tarmac is very narrow/useless. The relaxation area is a bunch of couches. The so called a-la-carte is ridiculous. 3 bland dishes and 2 bland desserts printed on half an A4 pages. Honestly preferred the previous Finnair Premium lounge with nordic design, unless further improvements are planned

I’m with Ron on this one - the short connection time is awful at HEL if you’re going from one side of the airport to the other. My last experience was trying to get from the Norra gates (which require a bus) all the way to the other (non-Schengen) side, which was probably close to a mile, in less than ten minutes.

Never understood any love for this airport. It’s small, cramped, the bathrooms are filthy and I’ve never seen people jostle like they do to get anywhere, be it into the lounge or onto the plane. My husband made me promise to never route him though Helsinki again after our last trip.

@Belinda, you are an idiot. Stop making ridiculous/false claims and pretending you are a royalty. Anyone who passed through Helsinki can attest that it is one of the cleanest and most efficient airport in Europe.

@Stanley—I connect through HEL often, and although I don’t agree that the airport is dirty, it can be overcrowded and the corridors are too narrow. At rush hour, HEL is far from a pleasant experience, even if it still is better and more efficient than LHR at its worst.

@Stanley—Additionally, HEL has been undergoing construction, which has made the experience less than ideal. And until the recent opening of the PW, the non-Schengen lounge was 100% not worth arriving early for. Indeed, the lounge was so crowded during peak hours that anyone not flying AY (e.g., JL or QR) was turned away and given vouchers for airport concessions.

Anyone ever used the sauna?

I passed by many times and have yet to see any single person use the sauna.

I am 100% with @ron and @belinda with the points they have made. Can never figure out what the fuss is about the AY lounges at HEL which are a very poor standard. Maybe this new lounge will improve things but that won't be difficult with what there is now. And yes it is an overcrowded, cramped airport and nothing quick if you have to go through as non-Schengen which is a joke and still is.

Am I understanding correctly? As an AA OW emerald I am entitled to enter the CX lounge at LHR if I am on a AA-->BA or BA-->BA flight? Thx

This is an interesting precedent. Essentially a First Class Lounge for an airline that doesn't have First Class. Of course, we see some lounges where cabin class will get you in but not status (Polaris Lounges, AC Signature Suite) but are there any lounges where you can get in based on your status but not by virtue of cabin class? I'm going to exclude Lufthansa Senator Lounges from that since I can't think of a Senator Lounge anywhere that doesn't have a Business Lounge right next to it and the two are pretty much the same anyway. It's interesting to think about. In a time where so many airlines are getting rid of First Class, is there nonetheless some value to be had by offering your most frequent, and presumably highest spending, flyers a higher level lounge?

@Dan, yes, that is correct.

I had the opportunity to visit this lounge for the first time yesterday, before a longhaul flight. Before anyone starts factoring in extra transfer time to experience the lounge, let me be the party pooper. Firstly, à la carte is only available from noon to 5 pm. Secondly, "à la carte" means a small salad/appetizer buffet, an even smaller dessert buffet and a choice of three main courses which will be brought to your table. It's a far cry from AA Flagship Dining or CX F lounges.

Thirdly, as labor costs in Finland are prohibitively high, the bar, which in itself is a nice idea, is understaffed and, as there are no self service options apart from water and fruit juices, you need to be prepared for quite a wait if you want a drink.

Other than that, the lounge seemed nice and cosy, and at least outside the main afternoon wave (AY operates most flights according to an efficient wave pattern) there was plenty of room.

@Ben
The a la carte dining is only until 5pm. Meaning all of the Asian departures, which is seemingly Finnair s big strategic focus, misses out on the option.

Kind of weird setup. No pre flight dining, and then more sleep..

@Weymar M Osborne: EVA has a couple of lounges in TPE that don't allow biz pax (and BR has no first class) but do allow status members: The Garden, only for EVA Diamond members and The Star, for EVA and *A Gold.

I love flying EVA in biz - save for the fairly underwhelming lounge experience at their hub in TPE.

Paid for business class and cannot get into Platinum Wing? Finnair only has business class, not a First or Platinum class. I felt quite embarrassed when denied entry. I think I will stick to Emirates and Qatar!!