Helsinki Vantaa Airport

Great transit airport with 35-45 minute transits, very easy to find the next gate. I had less than 10 minutes from deplaning to reaching next boarding gate on my most recent flight. Based on my most recent and previous experiences at HEL airport, I will happily use it for short transfers in the future.

Comfortable airport for seasonal transit into Europe. Only issues were long lines for checking baggage and cleanliness. Fortunately I did not need to check or recheck a bag, because it was a bit of disaster and very crowded in the check in area. Individual gate areas have limited seating, Finnair lounge was nice and service was good. Stayed at hotel on property for my overnight transit and it was easy to walk over using covered (but not enclosed) walk way. Very nice option and easy to go into town for short visit by bus. Overall a very nice option for European transit travel.

Departure area is huge but full of shops which do not leave any space for seats at the gates. People are gathering on the floors due to missing seats. This is really embarassing for an airport of this size. Me and my pregnant girlfriend had to buy expensive drinks at one of the bars just to get a seat.

As at many airports these days, one is forced to walk through the shopping area after Security Control. For intra-European flights this makes of course no sense as there is no such thing as Duty Free. The trouble in Helsinki is though that the lanes are so narrow that you end up being in a queue, trying to get your way through to the gate, without knocking some bottles over. Once through the shop, you are in a very narrow corridor with shops spreading their displays into the corridor, leaving hardly any space for passengers to walk through. Since they have removed what used to be seating areas at the gates, people end up sitting on the floor, wherever they can. On Arrival, things aren't any easier as you end up in the same narrow lanes, full of people. In addition, the signage for the exit and baggage claim is almost non-existent. Most of us who arrived with Finnair from Madrid were walking through the endless crowded corridors looking for a sign for exit. Eventually, I asked a Finnair agent at a gate (there are no other information desks) and was told to go and look for the baggage hall information on the gate where we had entered. This was too much for us as we had already walked 15 minutes to find this person. By accident we saw an exit sign where we found our bags already waiting. Not a recommended airport.

This airport used to be a gem, but now it is totally sacrificed to the temple of business. During the peak hours it is absolutely too crowded. During the recent years lots of space has been lost to all kinds of shops and restaurants. Because of this it is very difficult to move around: passengers waiting for boarding are blocking the narrow ways, especially at the Schengen area. There are not enough seats anywhere. It seems that is the will of the company operating the airport as the building of the new shops and restaurants keeps going on..

Arrived and transited in Helsinki in May 2016. Getting out of the airport was easy - plenty of signs pointing towards the passport control which took around five minutes. Immigration formalities completed in less than 15 minutes after landing, and by the time I reached the luggage belt my bag was already on the carousel. From this point on the train station is just a 10 minute walk from the luggage area. Nice to know that you can also buy any train ticket / day pass from the ticket machines located inside the luggage claim area. Transited from Amsterdam to my Helsinki-Singapore flight later in the month and found the transit experience to be pleasant. Arrived at Helsinki airport past the dreaded peak departure period and, since there is no security screening, the passport checks and the walk my next gate only less than a few minutes. The shopping experience after 10.30pm is almost surreal because you'll have pretty much all the attention of the service staff for yourself. Also, if you ever need to recharge your phone, there are plenty of charging points in the non-Schengen area of the terminal. Since there were so few flights departing in the non-Schengen area past 11pm (just 3 flights to Singapore, Hong Kong and Yekaterinburg) the seating areas were not full and boarding for my next flight was done in orderly fashion. And, for the first time in my life, I could get an airport's free WiFi connection inside the plane as we awaited push-back. Can't find any faults with this airport at all especially if your long-haul flight falls outside of the peak period - it's definitely a refreshing change from the never-ending human traffic in Dubai and Doha.

Helsinki Vantaa has been going downhill over the few past years. It is not the same cozy and peaceful airport anymore to come well to before your flight to have lunch etc.. The kitchens in the restaurants obviously are not open but from lunch time. In the morning there was no warm dishes available, just some rolls for 10€. A cup of coffee is a ridiculous price at 4€. The corridors are for newspaper subscription sellers, electricity contract sellers, aggressive face-to-face fundraisers. Always under construction in some spot. The toilets are clean and are sufficient in number. The train connection works great.

Helsinki is a nice, small and personal airport. There is a lot of Finnish design within the airport which is a good thing. It is also clean and comfortable. Helsinki is quite a quiet airport which is a good thing when you are tired and you just want to relax.

Small and crowded airport. I heard that Helsinki is a transit airport for flights between Europe and Asia. Most of the flights arrive around noon 12.00-18.00 and depart around 16.00hrs onwards. So a peak in the whole afternoon. Sometimes it was hard to find a seat. And because it was crowded, you could not walk fast. Transit was easy and quick. As an European citizen, you may go through the automatic passport immigration check. Works perfectly. For what I remember, I think transit from arrival gate (Gate 22 European Flights) to departure gate (Gate 36 Intercontinental flights) was not more than 25-30 minutes. Furthermore, clean airport, enough toilets, many (overpriced) restaurants. Great airport for shopping. Good and fast Free WiFi connection and you can charge your phone almost anywhere.

Filthiest toilets ever, as a frequent traveller to and from Helsinki Vantaa since many years I do not understand why this aiport is rated so favourably for cleanliness. Toilets are always so so dirty. Otherwise the airport is spacious yet expensive, but Finland is generally just that.