Finnair Business Class to Helsinki & Stockholm (Early 2022)
In light of Finnair Plus running a promo for 20% off award tickets from Europe to the USA (and other regions), I thought this was a good opportunity to flag some Finnair business class award space for 2 people.
Additionally, I was happy to see a bunch of award space on a new fifth-freedom route Finnair is operating between JFK and Stockholm - somehow I missed that they announced this route last month.
Check out my short Finnair business class review from mid-July.
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: MIA/JFK-ARN, JFK-HEL
Operating airline: Finnair
Class of service: Business class
Dates: January 2022 - April 2022
Seats available: 2
Cabin layout: 1-2-1 (reverse herringbone)
Book with (per person, one-way):
- *Alaska Mileage Plan: 70,000 miles
- *American AAdvantage: 57,500 miles
- British Airways Executive Club: 77,250 Avios
- Cathay Asia Miles: 61,000 miles
- *Finnair Plus: 80,000 miles
- 64,000 miles Europe to US until Nov 17, 2021
- Iberia Plus: 77,250 Avios
- JAL Mileage Bank: 60,000 miles (85,000 round-trip)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer: 90,000 miles
*No surcharges
Taxes/fees (per person):
- One-way: $5.60
- Round-trip: ~$71.65
- Surcharges (from the US):
- One-way: ~$700
- Round-trip: ~$1,400
- Partner booking fees:
- Alaska Mileage Plan: $12.50 per direction
- Asia Miles, Qantas, JAL don't pass on the full surcharges
- One-way: ~$175
- Round-trip: ~$315-405
Bank transfer partners:
- Alaska: Marriott
- American: Bilt, Citi, Marriott
- Asia Miles: Amex, Brex, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
- British Airways: Amex, Capital One, Chase, Marriott
- Iberia: Amex, Chase, Marriott
- JAL: Marriott
- Qantas: Amex, Brex, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
Don't forget to let me know if you book and how you did it!
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DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that the COVID-19 situation and the resulting travel restrictions could prevent you from traveling. Additionally, please make sure you understand the cancellation/redeposit and change fees required before booking with a particular program.
Travel Restrictions and Requirements
With entry restrictions changing by the day, I'm going to start including information regarding travel policies for the destination countries. Specifically, I"m going to start including links to the US Embassy sites for the destination country/countries.
On these pages, you'll be able to find entry requirements and restrictions for US travelers as well as links to the appropriate country's official website.
Sweden
Finland
Flight Experience
This route is operated by one of Finnair's Airbus A350 so you'll have their newest inflight product. The cabin is arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout so everyone will have direct aisle access in addition to a lie-flat seat.
On my flight in July, I found the service to be friendly and attentive (but not intrusive). While I wouldn't say the food is the best you'll find in business class, it's more than good enough.
If anything, Finnair is known for its glassware - probably my favorite in the sky. So, enjoy a glass of champagne or one of the blueberry-based cocktails.
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Available Dates
You can find seats for 2 people in business class on the following dates. In some cases, you'll see space for 3 people.
JFK-ARN
January: 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22. 26, 28, 29
February: 1, 2, 5, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23, 25, 26
March: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 16, 19, 22, 26, 29
April: 5
ARN-JFK
January: 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29
February: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23, 25
March 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 15, 22, 23, 25, 29, 30:
April: 1, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15
JFK-HEL
January: 2, 4-6, 10-18, 20-26, 28-30
February: 1, 2, 4-6, 8-17, 19-23, 25, 27, 28
March: 1-3, 5-10, 14, 16, 17, 20-22, 24, 25
HEL-JFK
January: 5-10, 12-15, 17-19, 21-31
February: 1-3, 5-28
March: 1-4, 6-11, 13, 14, 16-21, 23-25
MIA-ARN
January: 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 27, 29
February: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26, 27
March: 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 16, 17, 19, 20, 24, 26, 27, 30, 31
April: 3, 6, 7, 10, 13
ARN-MIA
January: 9, 13, 15, 16, 20, 26, 27, 30
February: 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 27
March: 2, 3, 5, 6, 19, 13, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26
April: 2, 3, 7, 16, 17
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Best Ways To Book
If you have 57,500 American miles and want to use them on a trip to Europe, this might be your best option when you consider the inflight experience and the fact that you won't have to pay the surcharges - unlike on BA flights.
Don't forget: You can transfer ThankYou Points to American until Nov 13, 2021.
At 70k miles, Alaska Mileage Plan requires 12,500 more miles than American but you can include a stopover on one-way awards. This can be particularly useful if you want to see a Helsinki and another European destination.
Finnair Plus might actually come in handy for a flight back from Europe at 64,000 miles one-way and no surcharges. To get the 20% off rate, you need to book by November 17. Additionally, one stopover is allowed on a long-haul Finnair Plus award.
Just keep in mind that the award rate will change if you connect on a partner.
If you have Amex, Citi, Capital One, or Brex points, I like 61,000 Asia Miles as they don't pass on all the surcharges. Please note, that the rate will likely increase to 75,000 if you need a connecting flight.
For those who earn Amex points much faster than Citi points or AA miles, I'd probably go with this option on the outbound.
You can use GCmap to calculate flight distance for Asia Miles.
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How To Book
I think searching with American Airlines is easiest if you want to see your options. Of course, I just provided the dates so you don't really need to hunt for availability, do you? :)
However, here's how I'd approach the search process:
- Go to AA's site
- Select Advanced / Multi-city search (just click this link)
- Select Redeem miles
- Select One way or Round trip
- Enter From & To cities
- Select departure date(s)
- Choose the number of passengers
- Select Class as Business/First
- Click Search
- If you're searching for a nonstop, select Calendar then sort by nonstop.
- Once you know which dates have Finnair space, you can run a search from your home airport if you're not booking nonstop
If you're not booking with American miles, you can run a search with the program you're using once you find a date you want to book.
If you want to use Asia Miles and include a connection, you might need to call (866-892-2598) to complete the booking.
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Bottom Line
If you're looking for a winter adventure, look no further. Finnair business class provides a great way to visit Europe in early 2022 whether you want to fly one of the new fifth-freedom routes to Stockholm or the normal route to Helsinki.
Happy Booking!
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