Booking Finnair flight, which credit card to use?

[briley]

I am about to book a flight on Finnair costing around £2,600. It is from the UK to Thailand and their website quotes all their prices in £ (GBP).

Do I use my Amex card and get 1% cashback or will I get stung by the 2.99% foreign usage charge since Finnair are in Finland?

Or do I use my Halifax Clarity card and get no foreign usage charge but also get no cashback?

Incidentally Finnair's business class fares to Bangkok look very good and the seating (beds?) look very inviting!

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Get your Cashback. There will be no Forex charges.

Are the Flat Beds on the BKK route?

Full-flat seats will be available in Business Class on the following intercontinental routes from Helsinki to:

• Tokyo and New York from 1 April 2014,
• Beijing and Seoul from 1 May 2014,
• Hanoi, Nagoya, Osaka and Shanghai from 1 June 2014,
• Hong Kong during the winter season.

Aircraft with full-flat business class seats are allocated to the above-mentioned routes. However, please accept our apology if in case of aircraft change due to operational reasons, the full-flat seat is not available on your flight.

Edited June 21, 2015 by Jiu-Jitsu

[blueyeshk]

No flats on Thailand route as of my last experience therefore the baggage allowance is most generous

[briley]

No flats on Thailand route as of my last experience therefore the baggage allowance is most generous

Really not sure about the flat seats - the information on Finnair is old, only up to June 2014 but there is a report by someone who flew the route and said it was the new seating. But the old seating is supposed to be almost flat????

But also Finnair are supposed to be introducing the A350 this summer - but not sure when 'summer' actually is.

[KittenKong]

What dates are you looking at? GBP2600 seems high for Finnair. They usually come in around GBP1500-1700, and you can generally get BA for under GBP2000.

If the price is quoted in GBP then you will pay in GBP and there will be no exchange weighting.

The last I heard it's a toss-up whether you get new seating or old seating on HEL<->BKK. Either way you will have a 3 hour flight from HEL<->LHR that wont be what I would call business class at all.

[briley]

Two people, £1308 each from Manchester.

Man-Hel is listed as FlyBe, but FlyBe deny having a flight and Finnair say it is their flight. Maybe there won't even be a flight let alone a good business seat!

I'll probably take the risk.

Edited June 21, 2015 by briley

[KittenKong]

Not a bad price for two.

Looks like Finnair code-share with FlyBe to/from MAN, but as far as I can see you will be in standard seats in 3-3 configuration, and they probably keep the middle seat in each 3 empty.

[briley]

I've booked the flights, the seat selection says it is a B747 400 --- unfortunately Finnair do not fly any B474 according to other sites.

I'll report back if I do manage to get on a plane!

[KittenKong]

I thought the new Finnair planes to BKK would be A350s starting this autumn. http://londonairtravel.com/2014/08/17/finnair-unveils-routes-economy-and-business-class-cabins-for-asia-bound-airbus-a350-aircraft/

The business class seating on these is fine: I flew in the same seats on a brand new A340 (not Finnair) recently.

The seating on the Finnair A340s should be fine also, though the older in-line type. http://www.finnair.com/gb/gb/flights/fleet

The problem when they get new planes is always whether you get a new one or an old one. Even if the schedule says "new" they may use an old one on the day for operational reasons.

That reference to a B747 is odd. Maybe your flight is a code-share?

[Felt 35]

I think you fly A340-300 (AY089). Just come in with that a week ago and no,cheap is never good, and the last with them for me. They was great and I was a regular for more than a decade but that was until they started their "save on everything plan" about 5-6 years ago including change from night to daytime flights from Bangkok to Europe. Btw,the first A350 flight goes 25. October to Shanghai

[RabC]

Get your Cashback. There will be no Forex charges.

Are the Flat Beds on the BKK route?

Full-flat seats will be available in Business Class on the following intercontinental routes from Helsinki to:

• Tokyo and New York from 1 April 2014,
• Beijing and Seoul from 1 May 2014,
• Hanoi, Nagoya, Osaka and Shanghai from 1 June 2014,
• Hong Kong during the winter season.

Aircraft with full-flat business class seats are allocated to the above-mentioned routes. However, please accept our apology if in case of aircraft change due to operational reasons, the full-flat seat is not available on your flight.

Very good question, last year on the A330 they were flat beds but now they are using A340 I believe they are angled lie flat.

I have just booked BA Business BKK-LHR-BKK for less than £2000.

Enter you flight details here and find out.

http://www.seatguru.com/

Edited June 22, 2015 by RabC

[briley]

Seat Guru states a 340, but does not know which version. Flight is late October so might be a 350 - interesting.

[Johnnyy]

I have flown with AY a few times, last being Nov 2014. It was not flat going out but was coming back. Have booked again for Nov and on seat allocations it suggests it's the new A330 but it may of course change.

You can't compare it to BA business but it's certainly a level up from premium economy. I paid £1400. I wouldn't use them if on business but it works for me going on holiday.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Johnnyy

[tartempion]

Finnair A350 to Bangkok will start dec 04, biz class Fully flat beds, price around 70k baht from BKK.