Finnair cuts surcharges and fees: going to Asia costs only €60

The Finnish carrier, after cutting the surcharges on its award tickets this summer, has made yet another decision by also cutting all the obnoxious surcharges that airlines have come up with to collect more money. And it is doing so on almost the entire network, both short-haul and long-haul.

Finnair flies from Stockholm to Thailand and the United States

Finnair flies from Helsinki to the entire world, given its strategic location it has always touted its routes as the shortest route to the East. By eliminating all surcharges, the company puts itself on par with the middle eastern carriers and well ahead of all European airlines, which, by contrast, charge hefty fees even on award tickets.

How to book a Finnair award ticket

The Finnish carrier is a member of theOneWorld alliance and is among the partners of American Express, this means that you can transfer Membership Rewards points into Finnair Plus points.

Also, being an OW member, you can book flights via Helsinki using the points Avios from British Airways and Iberia.

Finnair VS British

With a large number of destinations to the East and a fleet of modern A350s, Finnair's proposition is very attractive if you are planning a trip to the East of the world. From Thailand, which reopens its arms to tourists from November, to Singapore, which has already opened its borders, and all of Southeast Asia, which is preparing to reignite its tourism engines.

The difference between British and Finnair in terms of fees and surcharges charged on an award ticket is huge.

A ticket from Milan to Tokyo, via Helsinki in economy round trip costs 90k FP points (or 112.5K MR) and less than 60€ surcharge.

In contrast, the same flight with BA rail, then from Milan to Tokyo, via London costs 68.5k Avios (or 86k MR points). However, the difference of 26k MR points is reversed by just under 420€ in taxes and surcharges.

In conclusion

Finnair's proposal is interesting, let's hope other carriers will copy the Finnish flag carrier's example. Sure, the award table is more expensive than that of the now old Alitalia, but even ITA will fly only to Tokyo and only from Rome, while Finnair reaches so many destinations such as Phuket, Bangkok, Tokyo, Hong Kong and many other eastern airports.

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