Finnair

Toronto Pearson - Helsinki - Stockholm and Copenhagen - Helsinki - Pearson. It was clear from check-in at Pearson that in order to offer lower fares they've cut corners. We were there 3 hours ahead of check-in and even though we had done online check-in the process took 50 minutes. They informed us that our carry-on suitcase that met all of the carry-on requirements could not be taken as a carry-on and must be checked. Given that we had one carry-on between 2 people this hardly seemed fair. Flight was like any other cheap charter - no leg room and limited service. Flight from Copenhagen was similar but the check-in process was worse - they open the check-in 2 hours prior to boarding and we made it to the gate with minutes to spare. We noticed that the planes they use within Europe (e.g. Helsinki to Stockholm) were much newer and more spacious. The plane we were on for the Transatlantic flights was very old and dirty. I wouldn't recommend Finair.

LHR-HEL-SIN (Bus Class): flew with Finnair purely based on price. Comfortable seats which lie flat but at slight angle. A bit old design and plane to SIN was an older A340. Perfectly clean but a just a tad tired. Service was excellent. Attentive and friendly in perfect measure. Food was excellent with hot meal on midnight take off from Helsinki then lights out for sleep. Also should mention excellent lounge in Helsinki which is right next to gate used for long-haul flights.

HEL-KRK flight 2hrs delayed and no information until very last minute. Rude staff. Boarding pass indicated new departure time when I checked in 6 hours earlier so the delay was most likely well-known but the staff were reluctant to say which departure time is the correct one. Monitors indicated the old time till the very end and nothing was explained. The quality of flight was ok. Uncomfortable seats and no snacks.

Our 3 children (20 18 and 13) flew Hanoi-Helsinki and arrived with a delay in Helsinki so they missed their connecting flights to Dusseldorf and then to Nuremberg. Finnair rebooked the children with Air Berlin from Helsinki to Berlin and then onwards to Nuremburg. Still at Helsinki airport it turned out that the Helsinki- Berlin flight was also delayed 1.5 hrs and even though it was clear that the children would under no circumstances reach their connecting flight Berlin-Nuremberg Air Berlin insisted that the children fly to Berlin arriving there late in the evening. Finnair claimed to no longer have responsibility as the children were now customers of Air Berlin. Upon their arrival in Berlin the children were put up in a hotel they had to pay themselves for the taxi transfer there and back. They were booked onto an early morning flight the next day from Berlin-Dusseldorf and then Dusseldorf-Nuremberg. The children finally arrived at Nuremberg airport WITHOUT luggage. We have contacted Finnair through their customer service several times and other than a short meaningless email have not received any feedback. Never again Finnair.

Helsinki to Bangkok and return with A330. First way business class half empty. Good and decent service but always there if you need something. Food normal - nothing special. Good but not large selection of movies. Seat good but not superb. Way home C class was full but still good service and during the day flight enough time to relax and sleep. Transfer in Helsinki to Frankfurt easy and fast.

A disappointing flight from Singapore to London via Helsinki. Aircraft felt old and tired but clean. Seats did not lie flat and were uncomfortable. Food was not very nice and served in the foil containers which is unusual in business class these days. No amenities kits provided. Staff did not bother even trying to call passengers by name. Inflight entertainment choices were limited and most movies old. There was no offer of priority cards for immigration at LHR and. O priority boarding at the gate. I usually fly premium economy on the Qantas A380 and it is far superior for the same cost. Transfer at Helsinki was smooth. The lounge in Helsinki was nice.

HKG-HEL Economy. Very basic when in the air not half as good as BA or CX. Correct but not very friendly crew a basic service and Ok seats. Checking in at HEL airport always seems to be a hassle long lines and very slow staff. Not cheap either. Will give them a miss until they offer a premium economy service.

Helsinki-Hong Kong in business. Food was a great disappointment. I am not exaggerating when I call it an economy class meal. Watch out for something they call "midnight menu" because what that means is that there is very little to eat. Finnair has decided that no traveller wants to eat a full dinner on this 10 hour flight which I find strange. Last year they served a full dinner on this route but now they have removed the soup the starter the salad and the noodles completely. The meal is just a tray with main course. If your hungry bring your own. No amenity kit provided but you can ask for some things. They were happy to provide me with a toothbrush but I just think it is very strange that you have to bother the staff for every little thing you need. Not to mention the mismanagement of staff time when they have to run around the cabin to serve the toothbrushes one by one.

CPH-HEL-SIN 20.20 from CPG to HEL and the 23.55 HEL-SIN. 1/2 Hour after take off there was an engine problem and the plane had to turn back to HEL. Disembarked and was given 30 Euros for food and beverage the Biz class lounge was closed. Re-boarded and took off 03.30 LT. Meal was served all together like economy and portion was a little small. Seat was well worn and the screen was smaller than economy class one on the new SQ/CX planes. Sitting too far away and can not make out the subtitles at time. Just before 06.00 HEL time announcement by the captain that the same problem on the engines has occurred so we have to turn back! Landed around 07.00 HEL time. Directed to the transfer desk and was put on a SAS flight back to CPH for a SQ 12.30 LT flight back to Singapore. Landed at Singapore 06.30 on Friday so a delay of over 14 hours.

HEL-AMS return. Our departure was during the morning hours which are one of the busiest at Helsinki airport. Despite of this Finnair's check-in was handled extremely efficiently with all the check-in counters staffed. Extremely well done! Check-in at Amsterdam airport was not as efficient with only two check-in agents present and they seemed like they're fed up with their jobs. Both flights were good with clean aircraft and very friendly crew. The pilots also kept the passengers up to date with flight information. Food was just a sandwich with a choice of soft drink. Both flights were on-time.