Finnair changed its reward currency to Avios on March 9, 2024. This makes it one of six airlines that use Avios as its award currency. There were other changes, too. Finnair also updated its award chart with mileage in Avios. The transfer of Avios between Finnair and British Airways seems to be not active on the Finnair website. However, once active, it will be a game-changer for Finnair members. Here is the information on the Finnair New Award Chart.
Basics
Finnair has a separate award chart for each of its partner airlines. So, there are several award charts here, and a bit of work is to be done since the award chart is not distance-based. Each airline award chart was made based on their hubs.
Conditions
You can only combine the Finnair Award flight with the partner award flight when using Finnair Avios, so your best bet is to have a single airline flight. A stopover is permitted on round-trip intercontinental flights. If you wish to cancel or change your flight, a € 50 charge applies. The Avios required for a higher cabin will be charged if you have a mixed cabin flight.
Guaranteed seats for award flights
Even before moving to Avios, Finnair was committed to providing a minimum number of award seats in a flight. For a Finnair flight within Europe, you can find six award seats. For other flights, you can get eight award seats.
Surcharges
You must pay surcharges if you book an award flight with Finnair Avios. These are moderate surcharges.
| Zone | Economy Class | Premium Economy | Business Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finland and Northern Europe | €10 | – | €10 |
| Central Europe | €15 | – | €15 |
| Western and Southern Europe | €15 | – | €15 |
| Canary Islands, Madeira, Eilat and Tel Aviv | €30 | – | €30 |
| Doha, Dubai and India | €30 | €35 | €60 |
| Most of Asia and North America | €45 | €65 | €100 |
| Japan, Singapore and Los Angeles | €45 | €65 | €120 |
Finnair New Avios Award Chart
Here is the new Finnair Avios Award Chart:
Finnair Zones
Finnair has classified certain regions into zones. Based on these zones, your Avios requirement will also vary.
| Zones | Regions |
| Northern Europe | Bodø, Copenhagen, Gdansk, Gothenburg, Oslo, Riga, Stockholm, Tallinn, Trondheim, Vilnius, Visby, Warsaw and all flights within Finland |
| Central Europe | Amsterdam, Bergen, Berlin, Billund, Brussels, Budapest, Düsseldorf, Edinburg, Frankfurt, Hamb |
| Western and Southern Europe | Alanya, Alicante, Antalya, Barcelona, Bologna, Chania, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Faro, Geneva, Heraklion, Larnaca, Lisbon, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Milan, Naples, Nice, Paris, Reykjavik, Rhodes, Rome, Santorini, Split, Venice, Verona |
| Canary Islands, Madeira, Eilat and Tel Aviv | Gran Canaria, Eilat, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Madeira, Tel Aviv, Tenerife |
| Doha, Dubai and India | Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Mumbai |
| Most of Asia and North America | Bangkok, Chicago, Dallas, Guangzhou, Hongkong, Phuket, Miami, New York, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai |
| Japan, Singapore and Los Angeles | Los Angeles, Nagoya, Osaka, Singapore, Tokyo |
How to read the Finnair Award Chart?
The Finnair Award chart is destination-based and works on flight segments. That means you must add the number of Avios required to connect flights. For Example, a flight from Delhi to Los Angeles should cost 58K Avios in Economy Cabin, with a miles requirement of DEL-HEL [28K]+HEL-LAX[30K]. This will also work for its Partner Award Charts.
Airline Partners
Since Finnair is part of the OneWorld alliance, it has many airline partners:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Swedish BRA (Braathens Regional Airlines, TF)
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Juneyao Air
- LATAM Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- SriLankan Airlines
Which Airline Partner can you book online?
You can book six Finnair Partner airlines with Avios online:
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
For another partner airline, you need to contact Finnair customer support. However, there will be additional charges for booking, you can always say since these award can’t be booked online booking charges maybe waived.
Alaska Airlines
You can book Alaska Airlines economy and First Class flights with Finnair Avios.
American Airlines
You can book American Airlines with Finnair Avios. However, business class is not available for domestic flights. Flights to Asia should cost 34K Avios for Economy Class and 85K for Business Class.
Since you can’t book these awards online, contact Finnair Customer Support. And let me tell you, Finnair seems to have either no or limited award availability of American Airlines.
British Airways
There is no separate award chart for British Airways; Finnair will follow the British Airways award chart. So, even if you book using Finnair Avios, there will be no Avios arbitrage opportunity. And, even taxes may be slightly higher.
Cathay Pacific
You can book the Cathay Pacific Award online using Finnair Avios. However, the number of Avios required for Cathay Pacific flights is higher. For Example, for the DEL-HKG flight, you only need 46K approx Avios; however, you will need 55K Avios for booking using Finnair. Transferring Avios to British Airways and booking when the transfer option is enabled would be better.
Iberia
Iberia miles currency is also Avios and has a distance-based award chart. However, Finnair has opted for a destination-based award chart for Iberia. Its award flight is bookable online. Since Avios are transferrable between British Airways and Iberia, it is usually better to book directly with Iberia.
Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines is another airline you can book online using Finnair Avios. However, the Avios requirement is higher than that of British Airways and Iberia. In some cases, Economy Cabin and First Class may be cheaper.
Juneyao Air
Juneyao Air is an airline based in China. You may not likely travel on this airline, which is also a connecting partner of Star Alliance.
LATAM Airlines
LATAM Airlines was part of OneWorld Alliance earlier but left in 2020. Even though it has left the alliance, you can continue to use other partner airline miles to book its award.
Malaysia Airlines
You can’t book Malaysia Airlines using Finnair Avios online; customer support can only book it. However, the mileage requirement is at par with or more than British Airways.
Qantas
You can book Qantas flights using Finnair Avios online. There are some sweet spots here, and it beats other Avios Airlines currencies.
For example, BLR-SYD will cost only 28K Finnair Avios in the economy cabin, cheaper than Qantas Points and other Avios currencies. However, since this award chart is destination-based, there will be some routes where this won’t work.
Qatar Airways
Qatar is another airline that you can book online. However, the prices may be a bit higher than Qatar’s charges. So, Finnair Avios would not be a good choice for booking Qatar Metal.
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc is Morocco’s flag carrier. You can’t book an award online, and there may be some limited sweet spots.
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian is the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Jordan. You can’t book its award online yet.
SriLankan Airlines
Sri Lankan Airlines’ miles requirement is competitive, specifically for Europe. So, you may be able to find sweet spots here.
Business Class Using Finnair Avios
I have noticed that Partner Business Class Avios mileage is inconsistent. Sometimes, the Business Class miles requirement is 2x that of economy, and sometimes, it increases to 3x-4x. So, you will have to check other Avios using airlines such as British Airways or Iberia, as they may have lower mileage requirements. However, this can only be done once you transfer Avios between Finnair and British Airways.
Bottomline
Finnair Avios Award Charts are now live. However, there are not many great options and other Avios Airlines may be better suited to book the same award chart. Also, as of now, only a few airlines can be booked online.
