Finnair is undergoing a variety of cost cutting initiatives. Earlier I wrote about how the Finnair Plus frequent flyer program will be seriously devalued as of June 2023. There’s another change happening as of that time, which will impact even more passengers.
In this post:
Finnair eliminates free seat assignments at check-in
Finnair is going full-on ultra low cost carrier with its new seat assignment policy. Finnair has long been one of the more restrictive (quasi) “full service” airlines when it comes to its policies.
With the old policy, select Finnair fares haven’t offered free seat assignments in advance. For those passengers, seat assignments could be purchased in advance, and if you didn’t want to pay for one of these seats, you could assign your preferred available seat for free at check-in. It’s worth noting that this policy applied in all three cabins, including business class, premium economy, and economy.
That policy is about to get much stricter. As of June 1, 2023, a new seat assignment policy applies for passengers on Superlight, Light, and Classic tickets, in all cabins (in other words, this just excludes Flex tickets, which are eligible for free seat assignments at booking).
With the new policy, you can purchase your preferred seat in advance. If you don’t purchase a seat in advance, a seat will automatically be assigned to you at check-in. Not happy with the seat you’re assigned? Well, you can pay to assign another one.
That’s right, with Finnair’s new policy, you’ll no longer have your choice of seats at check-in. So if you book a Finnair “Classic” business class ticket (which includes award tickets), and if you don’t like the seat you’re automatically assigned, you’ll have to pay to change it, even at the airport.
Finnair’s new policy is extreme
Finnair isn’t the only airline to have a policy like this. Many ultra low cost carriers take a similar approach — you can pay to assign a seat, and if you wait until check-in, you’ll just be assigned a seat. If you don’t like that seat, you can’t change to another one at no cost.
So while this isn’t an unprecedented move, it is quite strange to see a “full service” airline make a policy change like this, especially in a premium cabin.
It’s one thing if we were just talking about this policy applying on “basic” economy fares, but keep in mind this policy will now even apply on standard business class fares. Finnair’s Classic business class fares aren’t necessarily cheap, so could you imagine paying $3,000 for a business class ticket, only to be told at the gate that you can’t change your seat to another available business class seat without paying extra? These aren’t €9 fares to Malaga.
When this policy changes, I wonder if passengers will still be free to move their seats once the door closes, or if everyone has to stay in their assigned seat.
I do think we’re going to increasingly see airlines introduce punitive policies in premium cabins. While premium demand is very high, it’s a lot more leisure travelers than pre-pandemic. These travelers are often willing to pay a reasonable premium for business class, but they’re not typically paying the $10K+ fares that many business travelers paid pre-pandemic.
As a result, expect airlines to increasingly try to monetize business class beyond just the fare.
Bottom line
As of June 2023, Finnair is making a major change to its seat assignment policy. For fares that don’t include free seat assignments in advance (which is most fares in all cabins), passengers will be assigned a seat at check-in. However, unlike before, you’ll no longer be able to choose your preferred seat at check-in. Rather you’ll be assigned a seat, and if you don’t like it, you can pay to change it.
What do you make of Finnair’s new seat assignment policy?
Going through this right now. Returning from Helsinki to Dallas tomorrow on AY 19. I paid for aisle seat when I booked. Now would like to change to different aisle seat but must pay again for that seat and, by the way, the seats are flat and hard... Back to LH I go for future trips. I'll live with FRA stopover
I have my first Finnair flight ever in Business in two weeks to Seoul. After all I read and heard, it'll be most probably my last one as well. Can't understand how a company that provides client oriented services takes such decisions.
I just purchased premium economy for 5 people. These are definitely not cheap tickets. Charging to pick seats is infuriating. Last time flying finnair. Absolutely ridiculous policy that will only make them loose customers.
Next step for Finnair will be to remove all seats and passengers travel on stand up position.
Finnair has already reduced economy class toilets to 1 ,and do not allow to use business class toilets for economy passengers. That's a disgrace. Now they raise prices for basic features......RIP.
Its sort of counterproductive cos finnair will need to be the cheapest carrier on a route or surely everyone will just book on a different airline?
Swiss seem to have started doing this too.
Finnair has also change their luggage policy for the worse. Things like you have to pay for sports equiupment.
Bye bye Finnair
I use the LHR - HEL route on a regular base's. Its Finnair or nothing. Let's hope BA will now restart this route they dropped 3 years ago.
So let me get this straight. I have to pay to choose my business class seat that does not recline? Sounds like they want me to choose another airline.
Swiss and Lufthansa started something similar , at least for the lowest fares. With LX I managed to change it at the gate at no cost…and the Swiss gouging costs 35$ whilst LH ‘only’ demands 14$ … go figure
Seems they forgot about how inconvenient it is for most to fly their airline given the extra time and their geographic location.
Anything that gets me across the pond in 'J' is good for me, just needs a 2 hour (+/-) positioning flight to MUC, as I have done from ZRH, VIE, DUB, CDG, AMS for a few extra miles, or a nice scenic First Class train trip.
Hopefully that doesn't apply to seats already assigned a long time ago, like my 4A DFW to HEL end of June.
Different 'John' here. It's never just 'one thing' that turns me off an airline. It's when a combination of bad points finally outnumber the positives. With Finnair's uncomfortable seat, mediocre service, bad connection times, and now this joke of a seat policy....Finnair is now off my preferred carriers list as of today. Yup, the small details do matter! When will airlines learn?
The Finn's have always been quite dumb ( some might even say bloody stupid ). This proves it. They'll realise what a cluster f... this is, the CEO will get fired and they'll ship him to Qantas, it's a merry-go-round of incompetent airline executives
The Finns are smart enough to know you don't form a plural with an apostrophe.
Happy that we are still free to choose the company we fly with. Only this will keep us free of these dictatorial and erróneos decisions.
OMG!
I am Platinum Lumo and I will stop flying Finnair specifically for the fact they have devalued the awards and now charge crazy surcharges on there own flights, partner flight awards were all Ready useless using ridiculous amounts of points, huge charges and not able to book multi segments, now also upgrades increased which was the only thing I could use my points on sensible, they took away the champagne last month, took...
OMG!
I am Platinum Lumo and I will stop flying Finnair specifically for the fact they have devalued the awards and now charge crazy surcharges on there own flights, partner flight awards were all Ready useless using ridiculous amounts of points, huge charges and not able to book multi segments, now also upgrades increased which was the only thing I could use my points on sensible, they took away the champagne last month, took away the Platinum lounge only used on restrictive hours, they took away the food quality both on the flights and in the lounge and now they destroy the Finnair Plus programme, on top of that they have rude and poorly trained outsourced flight crews on most of there Asia flights and the Fares have increased in price drastically in the last year making them less competitive against other Airlines. Whoever this new management is he has sealed the fate of Finnair because I for one have started booking elsewhere as of today, Qatar here I come and Finnair Plus goodbye, nice being Lumo but no point when the points have limited value and the airline scams you even on business class, well it is not business class now is it, you pay for seats, no champagne, lousy food, and rude crews, that says budget airline with business prices.
GOOD BYE FINNAIR FROM A LOYAL LUMO CUSTOMER YOU ARE YESTERDAYS AIRLINE!!!!!!
Likewise, I am platinum/lumo/gold at least over a decade. This management it's simply a disaster. All measurements they are taken directly impacting loyal and non loyal customers....are ludicrous. I just don't understand what on earth are they thinking...
I will not be flying on them. Period.
Finnair will come to regret these moves. I fly frequently on Finnair in the front cabin. I have no intention of paying any of these stupid fees and I will tend to move away from their flights. How does a company make more money by p....g off their clients especially their regular business class passengers. If I was on the Board of Finnair I would be looking to remove the joker that sent out the...
Finnair will come to regret these moves. I fly frequently on Finnair in the front cabin. I have no intention of paying any of these stupid fees and I will tend to move away from their flights. How does a company make more money by p....g off their clients especially their regular business class passengers. If I was on the Board of Finnair I would be looking to remove the joker that sent out the bad news this morning. If he wants to run a low cost airline why doesn't he write to Michael O'Leary to get a job with Ryanair? Does he not understand that not everyone wants cheap but want a good experience when they travel?
. . . . other airlines are doing the same thing!
QR, LH, LX just to name a few of them.
QR saver Business fare, NO Lounge, NO pre-seat assignement free,
LH only classic fares get free seat assignement, same in Premium Economy!
LX, throne seats as well as all seats in Eco and Premium Eco cost money of your want to assign your seat in advance.
Ryanair, WIZZair or...
. . . . other airlines are doing the same thing!
QR, LH, LX just to name a few of them.
QR saver Business fare, NO Lounge, NO pre-seat assignement free,
LH only classic fares get free seat assignement, same in Premium Economy!
LX, throne seats as well as all seats in Eco and Premium Eco cost money of your want to assign your seat in advance.
Ryanair, WIZZair or EASYJet as LOW COST airlines (and without 5* rating) have similar fees.
So why bother, flying on airliens that treat passengers like low cost people?
Sounds almost like UNITED and there carry-on policy on lowcost fares?!?! :-)
At the end, people DO HAVE a choice and that will desice what airline will make a profit and which one doesn't.
That's why i don't understand WHY so many people still prase certain airlines like Lufthansa Group? That entire Group is lower then low cost!
Even the BEST European Airline is charging for checked bags now in the lowest fares between Europe-Turkey! (if NOT in conjunction with an intercontinental Ticket!)
. . . . but Finnair is going 1 step too far, just like Swiss did on the flights out of Geneva! Low, Low Cost, maybe even Ultra Low Cost!?
Time to chose whisely these days!! ;-)
Will never fly an airline that charges biz class passengers for seat selection. Up next for Finnair: fee for using a pillow and using the restroom more than once.
No worries. Since April no more pillows included onboard Finnair.
Finnair made a name for themselves with their formerly extensive service to east Asia, taking advantage of HEL's strategic location in Europe - and using Russian airspace. Now, that airspace is closed and will stay shut for what is likely to be a very long time. Obviously, this places Finnair in a financial bind and I know they have been working on various ideas to ameliorate the problem. However, this particular plan is moronic. It...
Finnair made a name for themselves with their formerly extensive service to east Asia, taking advantage of HEL's strategic location in Europe - and using Russian airspace. Now, that airspace is closed and will stay shut for what is likely to be a very long time. Obviously, this places Finnair in a financial bind and I know they have been working on various ideas to ameliorate the problem. However, this particular plan is moronic. It remainds me of newspapers who, as they lost circulation, decided that they were immune from the laws of supply and demand - and raised the price of a paper, while decreasing what was in that same publication. When circulation fell even faster, they answered with another price hike. And so on, into oblivion. Finnair is starting down that road and they need to rethink what they're doing. They are NOT Ryanair.
We pay for our seat in the ticket price. Now airlines want to charge a person twice for a seat. The airlines that do this ought to be sued. It feels as if they almost don’t want a person to fly. They just want your money!
I wonder if they will deliberately allocate middle seats in the hope you pay to move...? Given how cheap they are being I wouldn't be surprised.
Of course they will…
Don't BA and AF/KL also charge for seat assignments?
Not at check-in window.
Thanks, @Nb.
Finnair clearly has a death wish with this penny pinching. They're not even cheap in economy never mind business. I won't be flying with them with this in mind.
"That’s right, with Finnair’s new policy, you’ll no longer have your choice of seats at check-in."
But we DO have the choice not to fly Finnair. Most people tend to avoid flying carriers who insult their customers.
Just don't fly airlines that are a joke like Finnair. An airline which will probably be bankrupt soon given their poor product and business model choices.
Governments should remember such punitive behaviour next time airlines cry poor.
Throw in their joke of a new business class seat with zero recline and where your head sleeps where your butt just was and it's just embarrassing all around. They should be tossed from OneWorld
Wow. Finnair used to be my favorite intra-Europe carrier. Their Helsinki hub was easy to navigate, and I liked the overall "quirkiness" that a quality small carrier from a small country brought to the market.
But this is going too far. I can see it on economy tickets, but pulling this stunt on business class fares (at any level), is just ridiculous. Finnair needs to come to the realization that they are not the only...
Wow. Finnair used to be my favorite intra-Europe carrier. Their Helsinki hub was easy to navigate, and I liked the overall "quirkiness" that a quality small carrier from a small country brought to the market.
But this is going too far. I can see it on economy tickets, but pulling this stunt on business class fares (at any level), is just ridiculous. Finnair needs to come to the realization that they are not the only "full service(?)" carrier serving Northern Europe. Not that SAS is any better, but there are still options. For me, I will connect simply connect through another European hub on my way to the Nordic countries. There are many options.
I truly enjoy Helsinki Airport, particularly the non-Schengen lounge. This airport serves as an ideal stopover for my frequent trips to Asia. While the recent changes are not entirely detrimental, I am concerned about potential further changes in September, following the holiday season, which could be more significant. One inconvenience for me is the rescheduling of certain flights to Asia to much earlier times, such as the Bangkok flight, which is now slated to arrive...
I truly enjoy Helsinki Airport, particularly the non-Schengen lounge. This airport serves as an ideal stopover for my frequent trips to Asia. While the recent changes are not entirely detrimental, I am concerned about potential further changes in September, following the holiday season, which could be more significant. One inconvenience for me is the rescheduling of certain flights to Asia to much earlier times, such as the Bangkok flight, which is now slated to arrive at 5:40 am. In reality, it often arrives even earlier, which complicates hotel early check-in arrangements. Despite being close to attaining gold status with this airline, I am considering switching to Air France/KLM.
Disappointing.
Finnair has always been on the cutting edge of monetising ancillaries in premium cabins.
I remember flying with them from BOM-HEL in the late 2000s in Business Class (on an ex-Virgin Atlantic A340) and to date it is the only premium cabin flight where I had to pay cash for a snack between meal services. It was only a couple of Euros for a can of Pringles to go with my (complimentary) Diet Coke, but it struck me as a bit nickle-and-dime at the time.
TRUE!!!
. . . since many years AY, has become a CHEAPO Airline! When airberlin was still in the air and part of OneWorld, ALL the passengers from Finland preferred to fly on airberlin instead of Finnair because of there cheap way to do service and charge for EVERYTHING out of the norm, while others still offered free snacks and beverages.
Ben - Any suggestions for which window, business class seat is best for a single person on the Finnair A330?
Not near the front. Too many people going to the toilets.
Does having elite status help?
See my reply to Dave Hughes
Wonder if oneworld sapphire or ema take status holders will still be able to pick seats?? , I know I still got a checked bag and seat selection / lounge even on the lite business fares so be interesting moving forward if seat selection is still included!
I just missed Platinum in April (40kshort) so I’m Gold. I got an email today exposing the luggage policy (worth looking up if you haven’t seen). The message on seating was to read Bluewings magazine. No additional message. Just “read the press release”. I have over 600k miles that I don’t want to use now.
I'm flying Finnair in business on June 1 -- pre-selected and paid for the night flight seat of my preference. $163 + the cost of my business class ticket. I'm not paying for a selection on my return. It's just nuts.