Finnair is now officially in the Avios family: here's what's changed
From this moment the Finnair revolution begins, the new currency being the same avios as British Airways, Iberia and [...]
Finnair
Oneworld
HEL
From this moment, the Finnair revolution begins., the new currency is the same avios of British Airways, Iberia and Qatar. Indeed closely you will be able to merge profiles and carry accumulated points from one account to another, without limits or restrictions.
In this article:
Announced during 2022, Finnair implemented the changes over the weekend and as of last night, Finnair Plus subscribers were able to log in to their accounts and see what was new.
Finnair switches to Avios
The best bonuses
The new model, will be revenue based as is the case with British and Iberia. Previously, passengers earned points based on distance traveled and class of travel, but now there will instead be a shift to a model based on spending on tickets and company services
At the same time, the frequent flyer upgraded benefits for status holders such as free in-flight messaging for all Finnair Plus members on short-haul flights, while Gold and Platinum members receive a free 30-minute streaming package.
Finnair Plus members will see their current award points converted at a ratio of 3:2, as well as their tier points at the same ratio.
The requirements for statuses
Little change since participating in the oneworld alliance will be valid for all flights made with companies in this alliance, with only one distinction if you want to get the most exclusive level the Platinum Lumo.
First of all, here are the new tables for obtaining status as of today..:
- Finnair Plus Basic basic level
- Finnair Plus Silver 15,000 qualifying points
- Finnair Plus Gold 45,000 qualifying points
- Finnair Plus Platinum 80,000 qualifying points
- Finnair Plus Platinum Lumo 300,000 qualifying points (with at least 250,000 accumulated by Finnair)
Regarding lifetime statuses, the new milestones are:
- 2,000,000 needed for Lifetime Gold
- 3,500,000 needed for Lifetime Platinum.
Devaluation yes or no
I asked Frederick, Assiduous reader and cotributor of TFC, Finnair user to give me an initial analysis of how the rules change for a Finnish loyalty program member.
At a first analysis, according to Federico, the following emerges. Substantial consistency in award ticket prices between the previous and current currency. The first negative note is the significant increase in the cost of avios points for those who want to buy. Net of the depreciation given by the change in value, now 1000 points cost 27 euros instead of 12.88.
An award ticket from Milan to Helsinki costs just under 40€ in taxes and between 13 and 20 thousand depending on the cabin. Note that award tickets with BA for short to medium-haul routes normally have a 50-cent tax charge, so be careful when redeeming these tickets: do the math right.
If before a ticket in economy, to the US cost 90 thousand points, today the same ticket costs 86 thousand avios plus 225€ in taxes and surcharges. An expense in line with that pre-change. In addition to this Finnair will also increase the availability of award seats on its flights, guaranteeing at least four seats on flights within Europe and eight on long-haul flights.
Worse, however, was the situation for flights to Iceland in terms of points, but improved in terms of airport taxes.
In conclusion
At the moment, then, it looks like an all-frequent-flyer revolution, but new things may be hiding behind micro updates that are not yet obvious. We shall see