Flying to Helsinki with Finnair: when the food is “that” extra

Author: Veruska Anconitano, Award-Winning Food Travel Journalist, Sommelier & Outdoor LoverAuthor information
Veruska
About the author
Veruska Anconitano
Veruska is a a food travel journalist with awards to her credit, such as World Best Food Travel Journalist. She holds a certification as a sommelier and she is also an ardent lover of the outdoors. Aside from this, Veruska is a Multilingual SEO and Localization Consultant and co-owns multiple websites that cater to a global audience.
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If you are flying to Helsinki with Finnair or you are looking for the air carrier to fly to Helsinki for your next holiday, this guide is for you. This is the result of our collaboration with Finnair in May 2018 and contains information on flights, luggage and everything you need to know to fly to Finland with Finnair, without neglecting the part dedicated to food on board.

Finland is perhaps one of the last Scandinavian countries yet to be discovered, still not very touristy compared to, for example, Iceland or Norway. But Finland is a beautiful country and if you’re looking for a destination for a weekend or a holiday, I suggest you book your flight today and plan your trip. The national airline is Finnair and if you have decided to fly to Helsinki with Finnair, here is the information for you to do the best. Premise due: Finnair is not a low-cost airline so when you are looking for flights to Helsinki with Finnair do not expect to spend as if flying with a low cost but, at the same time, do not expect the same type of (dis) service you expect from a low cost.

Finnair flights to Helsinki: prices, check in and all you need to know

You have two ways to book a flight with Finnair to Helsinki: from the homepage of the site, you just enter the dates of arrival and departure plus the airport of departure and arrival and check the expected prices for that period. With just a few clicks, and following the directions on the screen, you can buy tickets and receive them directly in the email. If instead you do not have specific dates for departure but you want to leave even taking into account the offers on airline tickets I suggest you click on Offers and view the proposals of the airline to save money.

Once booked, all you have to do is wait for confirmation in email and, 24 hours before departure, you can check-in online either via the website or via the Finnair app.

On the European flights you can choose between Economy Light, Economy and Business Class: with the first, you have some limitations in terms of luggage that you do not have if you choose the classic Economy. You may not need the checked baggage and therefore want to save by choosing Economy Light but I suggest you choose Economy anyway for a simple reason: in case you can not take advantage of the flight, or in case there is some problem, with Light you may not have refund right that you can request, even if only partially, if you book in Economy but close to the trip you can not leave.

Hand baggage and checked baggage with Finnair

All Finnair Economy flight tickets include a hand baggage of a maximum size of 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm and a maximum weight of 8 kg plus a backpack or smaller bag; business travelers can carry two carry-ons, plus a bag or backpack.
Depending on the class, the Economy ticket to Helsinki from Europe also includes a baggage of maximum 23 kg (not included if Economy Light is chosen). You can always add more luggage if necessary, paying a special price in relation to the type of baggage and its size. More information here.

Finnair Seats

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Eating on board on the Finnair short-haul flights

The food on board the Finnair short-haul flights to Helsinki is not included: a drink (coffee, tea, fruit juice, water) is always included but nothing else. The service trolley passes a couple of times: no matter where you travel, at any time you can request something to drink from what is offered for free.
If you choose to buy food on board, you can choose between sandwiches, salad, and snacks in the envelope: in terms of prices, I remind you that you’re going to Helsinki where bottled water costs more than everywhere else. The quality of the food in the bar is, in my opinion, very high considering that we are talking about short-haul flights and, again, in-flight meal. In Business class, everything changes: you are entitled to a meal and the quality of the food is really high (read below).

colazione Finnair

My experience with Finnair from and to Helsinki

Every time I go to Helsinki or Finland, I fly Finnair and every time I keep choosing it because I find it the best airline on that route. Actually, I fly Finnair always when I can: with them, for example, I was also in Japan and after having experienced several airlines that serve the route between Europe and Japan I can say that Finnair beats them all in terms of comfort. Returning to the flight to and from Helsinki, despite being a really fast flight (at least in my case, traveling from Dublin), the first thing that catches your eye is the legroom which it is essential to avoid arriving at your destination without feeling pains everywhere. The seating arrangement is usually 3 + 3 but there are cases where it is 3 + 2 so early check-in is recommended.

On my last flight from Helsinki to Dublin, I was upgraded to Business Class, last minute and it was a surprise: I did not take advantage of the baggage but I had the opportunity to taste the breakfast, which made the alarm early in the morning a little more pleasant. Two types of breakfast are usually offered to business travelers: the classic Finnish and continental, both accompanied by typical Finnish baked goods. Coffee at will but this happens also in Economy.

Return Finnair flights to Helsinki, from Europe, start at 190 euros but I advise you to keep an eye on the offers because you can find even at lower prices.

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