Finnair is truly delighted to have celebrated its 95th birthday on November 1, 2018, as one of the oldest operating airlines in the world. On this joyous occasion, our employees were invited to share images about their work with #Finnair95 in social media. For each image posted on that day, Finnair donated 1€ to UNICEF’s Schools for Asia project, up to 20,000 euros. Our customers were also invited to join the challenge and share their best travel memory with us and support children’s education in Asia.
Further strengthening its summer holiday offering for leisure customers, Finnair will open three new routes to Bologna, Bordeaux and Porto for the peak summer season in 2019. In addition, capacity will also be added to popular summer destinations.
Finnair will fly up to three weekly flights to Bologna, Italy, between April 10 and October 18. Bologna is well known for its gastronomy and wine scene. In addition, the city is an easy gateway to several other popular Italian cities and regions. Some of the flights offer excellent connections to Finnair’s customers travelling from and to Finnair’s Asian destinations.
Finnair will fly up to two weekly flights to Bordeaux, France, between May 11 and September 14. Often referred to as the wine capital of the world, Bordeaux is also recognized for its food and wine scene as well as its historic centre which is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Finnair will fly two weekly flights to Porto, Portugal, between June 21 and August 12. Located on the coast of Northern Portugal, Porto is Portugal’s second largest city and it is the famous home of Port wine. This route opening follows the successful launch of flights to Lisbon in 2018.
The addition of new flights is also particularly exciting for Singapore, where The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 gala ceremony is slated to take place mid-2019. Sebastian Grossmann, Regional Manager for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia at Finnair, says, “With the added routes, this is a timely opportunity for us to increase connectivity between Singapore and some of the best culinary capitals of the world.”
The route from Singapore to Helsinki will be operated with an A350 aircraft.
Finnair will also add capacity to some of its popular leisure destinations. During the peak summer season, an additional weekly frequency will be added to Alanya-Gazipasa, Palma de Mallorca, Split and Tel Aviv. Starting April 29, Finnair will also have seven weekly flights to Hanover. In addition, Finnair will also fly an additional triangle flight on Wednesdays between Helsinki, Ivalo and Kittilä from April 24 to October 23.
Finnair has been awarded a 2019 Five Star Global Airline rating by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). The airline ratings are based entirely on verified feedback given by passengers.
Only 9% of airlines worldwide received sufficient votes for the prestigious five-star status in 2019. Finnair was one of 470 passengers rated airlines through 31 July of this year. Airline travellers were validated against confirmed itineraries and geolocation on mobile devices. This is the first time Finnair receives a five-star rating from the APEX organization.
“We are proud and grateful of this recognition from our customers,” says Piia Karhu, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience at Finnair. “Customer satisfaction is a team effort that is created every day, with every single encounter customers have with us – be it onboard, at the airport, with our call centres or through our digital channels. We have placed a strong focus on providing a personal customer service experience, and we have also rolled out several actions to improve the overall customer experience. It’s great to see this is recognized by our customers.”
Among the many development activities during this year, Finnair has renewed its business class service concept, introduced new signature menu collaborations with top chefs and renewed its meal service for long-haul economy class. Finnair is currently rolling out the best-in-market internet connectivity to its European Airbus fleet, and its mobile application has been downloaded over a million times.
Finnair will renew the entire cabin of its ATR aircraft, and introduce a new Premium Economy cabin class for its long-haul fleet. These investments speak of Finnair’s commitment to offering a high level of customer comfort and increased choice for its customers.
Finnair’s ATR aircraft are currently used for domestic flights in Finland, on flights to the Baltics, to Gdansk in Poland and to Stockholm’s Bromma airport. The flights are operated by Finnair’s partner Norra. The cabin renewal will include new seats, new carpets and a harmonised and fresh cabin interior design. The first ATR aircraft with the renewed cabin is expected to be in operation in summer 2019, and the refurbishment of the 12 aircraft will be completed by the end of Q1, 2020.
“We want our customers to get a fresh Nordic experience on our regional flights,” says Piia Karhu, Senior Vice President, Customer Experience at Finnair. “The regional feeder traffic is an important part of the Finnair network – we have over 30 000 ATR flights every year.”
Finnair will also introduce a new cabin class, Premium Economy, for its entire long-haul fleet from 2021. Located in its own cabin, the Premium Economy class will feature highly customised designs for Finnair and provide customers with increased space and comfort along with an enhanced service offering.
“We see a growing trend of quality-focused travellers, who place a strong focus on the comfort and quality of their travel experience,” adds Karhu. “Responding to customer needs from all our key markets, our new Premium Economy class will serve the requirements of both leisure and corporate customers.”
The rollout of Premium Economy class to Finnair’s long-haul fleet starts in Q4 2020 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. Detailed planning of the cabin design, service concept as well as the commercial aspects are currently ongoing, and Finnair will be communicating more details at a later stage.
Sebastian Grossmann
Finnair
Regional Manager
Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia
