Finnair Flight Changes - award impacts

[AussiePom]

I'm a bit slow off the mark for this one. My flight was LHR-HEL-HND-SYD, BA-Finnair-JAL.


HEL-HND was changed due to the Russian conflict to HEL-NRT. I've only just realised that getting from NRT to HND is impossible due to visas. This is a nightmare for me. I presume that there are no options for me and that Qantas isn't obligated to find me a route home based on my reading in this forum.


Is this right?

In any case, flight isn't until August so hopefully things will have eased up by then.

 

[jrfsp]

I'm a bit slow off the mark for this one. My flight was LHR-HEL-HND-SYD, BA-Finnair-JAL.


HEL-HND was changed due to the Russian conflict to HEL-NRT. I've only just realised that getting from NRT to HND is impossible due to visas. This is a nightmare for me. I presume that there are no options for me and that Qantas isn't obligated to find me a route home based on my reading in this forum.


Is this right?

Thats correct.. Worth asking though, but options are limited

 

[WeeGraeme]

In any case, flight isn't until August so hopefully things will have eased up by then.

That's when my flight was, but Finnair's actions didn't instil me with confidence, so I've now booked different flights altogether. Qantas has delayed the restart of flights to Tokyo until September / October (depending on which city), but I think from your post that you're travelling on JAL.

 

[ANstar]

Yep I was in the same boat and after several calls of being told that it's not their problem as it's not a QF flight the only option I had was to cancel as they wouldn't re route me on any other airline or their metal via London. Gives me zero confidence booking a QF partner reward in the future.

 

[Guvner]

I don't understand this attitude/position of "not our problem". When partner flights are booked, QF act as the travel agent. They offer, and sell you, the flights.
Why is it suddenly not their problem when the product/service they marketed and sold to you is not supplied?

 

[levelnine]

When partner flights are booked, QF act as the travel agent. They offer, and sell you, the flights.
Why is it suddenly not their problem when the product/service they marketed and sold to you is not supplied?

Because they are attempting to win the award for the world's worst travel agent — impossible to contact, hold on to your money forever after flights are cancelled, won't take responsibility for IRROPs, etc etc etc

 

[ronlon]

Hi AussiePom if you have the points I would be trying all sort of back up combinations to find and book a return flight to Australia that avoided a non transit component in Japan. There are elections in Japan in July and given polls suggest only 30% support re-opening to tourists there is no guarantee that things will fall in place for you in August to transfer between the two Tokyo airports.

You could try pestering Qantas constantly to convert a paid seat to an award seat on one of their own planes but chances are slim.

 

[justinbrett]

I don't understand this attitude/position of "not our problem". When partner flights are booked, QF act as the travel agent. They offer, and sell you, the flights.
Why is it suddenly not their problem when the product/service they marketed and sold to you is not supplied?

Most retailers’ liability is limited by a full refund, it’s the same here.

 

[exLXCXFF]

Finnair appear to acknowledge they are expecting the no fly over Russia to last. I got notification last night that the arrival time of my HEL -SIN flight booked for the end of September will arrive 2 hours later than originally scheduled.

For everyone with HEL - SIN tickets, I got an email overnight that they further adjusted the times for this route (20 mins later) and that I need to log into managed booking to accept changes. AFAIK, this change simply reflects the actual departure and arrival time of the flight over the past weeks. It does not impact my QF onward connection on QF82, just 20 minutes less in the QF/BA lounge in SIN.

Post automatically merged: Apr 29, 2022

Finnair appear to acknowledge they are expecting the no fly over Russia to last. I got notification last night that the arrival time of my HEL -SIN flight booked for the end of September will arrive 2 hours later than originally scheduled.

For everyone with HEL - SIN tickets, I got an email overnight that they further adjusted the times for this route (20 mins later) and that I need to log into managed booking to accept changes. AFAIK, this change simply reflects the actual departure and arrival time of the flight over the past weeks. It does not impact my QF onward connection on QF82, just 20 minutes less in the QF/BA lounge in SIN.

 

[renatts]

For everyone with HEL - SIN tickets, I got an email overnight that they further adjusted the times for this route (20 mins later) and that I need to log into managed booking to accept changes. AFAIK, this change simply reflects the actual departure and arrival time of the flight over the past weeks. It does not impact my QF onward connection on QF82, just 20 minutes less in the QF/BA lounge in SIN.

Post automatically merged: Apr 29, 2022

For everyone with HEL - SIN tickets, I got an email overnight that they further adjusted the times for this route (20 mins later) and that I need to log into managed booking to accept changes. AFAIK, this change simply reflects the actual departure and arrival time of the flight over the past weeks. It does not impact my QF onward connection on QF82, just 20 minutes less in the QF/BA lounge in SIN.

Yep, got the same e-mail. I'm connecting to QF52 so still have 2h10m. Hoping they don't delay it anymore, it's significantly tighter than the 4h transit we had originally booked.

 

[aidan059]

I'm connecting to QF2 dpearting SIN at 19:30 (arrival from HEL at 18:20) in J.

This is a 1 hr 10min connection time, which is cutting it very very tight. I assume QF/Finnair would be responsible to rebook me if I missed my connection - however the only issue being I don't know if there would be any other OW flights to Sydney that day without making us stay overnight?

 

[renatts]

I'm connecting to QF2 dpearting SIN at 19:30 (arrival from HEL at 18:20) in J.

This is a 1 hr 10min connection time, which is cutting it very very tight. I assume QF/Finnair would be responsible to rebook me if I missed my connection - however the only issue being I don't know if there would be any other OW flights to Sydney that day without making us stay overnight?

Yeah, it’s on whoever you’re booked with to reroute you in the event of a delay. Minimum connection time is 60mins at Changi, so yours is still legal.

You’ve got QF flights to Brisbane and Melbourne from Singapore and BA to Sydney - not sure when you’re flying so not sure what time they’re scheduled to depart that time of year.

 

[aidan059]

Yeah, it’s on whoever you’re booked with to reroute you in the event of a delay. Minimum connection time is 60mins at Changi, so yours is still legal.

You’ve got QF flights to Brisbane and Melbourne from Singapore and BA to Sydney - not sure when you’re flying so not sure what time they’re scheduled to depart that time of year.

Arriving in SIN at 18:20 on 3rd August 2022 & departing on QF2 at 19:30 on 3 August 2022. Will take a look - hopefully we are put on none of those! BA 2-4-2 J would be a huge downgrade. Also don't want to have to do a domestic connection for something which should be direct. Would QF/Finnair be liable for any comp in these cases? We're both booked on a OTW with these being the last legs.

 

[renatts]

Arriving in SIN at 18:20 on 3rd August 2022 & departing on QF2 at 19:30 on 3 August 2022. Will take a look - hopefully we are put on none of those! BA 2-4-2 J would be a huge downgrade. Also don't want to have to do a domestic connection for something which should be direct. Would QF/Finnair be liable for any comp in these cases? We're both booked on a OTW with these being the last legs.

Providing it’s still running, you’ll probably just be put on QF82 SIN to SYD at 21:00 in the event of a delay.

It’s a shame they didn’t just move you to this flight to avoid the tight transfer and stress.

 

[jrfsp]

an hour in SIN is plenty, im in the same situation not worried about it

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

an hour in SIN is plenty

As long as the incoming flight is on time / not too late…

 

[AussiePom]

I'm a bit slow off the mark for this one. My flight was LHR-HEL-HND-SYD, BA-Finnair-JAL.


HEL-HND was changed due to the Russian conflict to HEL-NRT. I've only just realised that getting from NRT to HND is impossible due to visas. This is a nightmare for me. I presume that there are no options for me and that Qantas isn't obligated to find me a route home based on my reading in this forum.


Is this right?

In any case, flight isn't until August so hopefully things will have eased up by then.

So update on this. I called last Thursday and spoke to someone in the ZA call center. I explained that i was involuntarily re-routed and asked if they could find a solution. The agent took a bunch of details and said that he will work on it and call me back. Fast forward to yesterday evening and i see that a QF2 from LHR to SYD was in the booking.

I just called Qantas now (again ZA) and they said that they were able to get me on that flight, but it would incur additional $500 each for taxes and an additional 25k points each (as by losing finair / jal we only have 1 non-Qantas OW airline in the booking).

The additional points and the money is disappointing but quite acceptable given the tickets still represent excellent value and it completely solves the problem.

A pretty decent outcome really..

 

[renatts]

So update on this. I called last Thursday and spoke to someone in the ZA call center. I explained that i was involuntarily re-routed and asked if they could find a solution. The agent took a bunch of details and said that he will work on it and call me back. Fast forward to yesterday evening and i see that a QF2 from LHR to SYD was in the booking.

I just called Qantas now (again ZA) and they said that they were able to get me on that flight, but it would incur additional $500 each for taxes and an additional 25k points each (as by losing finair / jal we only have 1 non-Qantas OW airline in the booking).

The additional points and the money is disappointing but quite acceptable given the tickets still represent excellent value and it completely solves the problem.

A pretty decent outcome really..

Is there anywhere in your trip you can use another oneworld airline? Even a short internal flight somewhere?

I had the same when we were rerouted so we added Reykjavik to Zurich via LHR on BA to keep it a OWA.

Would’ve preferred our cash option, but it saved us a fair few points and the taxes were half of the commercial fare we were going to buy.