Baggage and meal cuts on Finnair flights and new seat only fare to start next month.

The financially struggling and one of the leading outsourced airlines in Europe, Finnair is to follow more of the low-cost-carrier model and introduce a seat-only fare, which it is calling Superlight. 

From 1st June, the Superlight ticket replaces Economy Light tickets on Finnair journeys within Europe and won't include any hold luggage - just one small bag  (40x30x15cm)  that has to go on the floor in front of you. No other carry-on baggage will be allowed and anything extra has to be disposed of at the airport or sent as cargo.  

Passengers need to be careful, as anything they buy at the airport is counted in the allowance, so they must also fit into the under-seat bag.  Passengers should also take care as Finnair's dimensions given for a small bag are  40x30x15cm which is smaller than the normal industry standard for cabin bags.  

The airline says excess amounts of carry-on baggage cause delays in boarding and impact both punctuality of flights and travel comfort, although it hasn't provided any figures or facts to back up these claims. 

Ole Orvér, Chief Commercial Officer of Finnair said “Punctuality is very important for our customers, and the target of the changes we are now making is to ensure smooth boarding, on-time departures, and comfortable travel for everyone. Excess carry-on baggage on board is a known issue, impacting both punctuality as well as travel comfort. We are also enhancing monitoring of carry-on baggage at airports, and excess carry-on baggage will be moved to the cargo hold at cost.” 

Light tickets, which include a regular carry-on bag as well as a small under-seat bag, will continue to be available for long-haul journeys and for Business Class on European flights. The Classic ticket type continues to be the right choice for customers who travel with both checked and carry-on baggage.  

As of June 1, Finnair will also decrease the baggage allowance for Business Class. In addition, all special baggage allowances - see below for more details and are part of Finnair’s strategy implementation through more effective operations, punctual departures at airports, and by developing the low-cost-carrier model of axing free or inclusive services and then offering them as travel extras for extra charges and fees.  

Other reductions from 1st June include:

The baggage allowance for Business Class travellers for both European and long-haul flights will decrease. The Business Light ticket includes one small bag (40x30x15cm) and one carry-on bag (55x40x23cm), while Business Classic and Flex tickets include one checked bag in addition to the carry-on allowance.  

All special baggage, such as golf bags, skis, or heavy bags, are to be purchased as travel extras. This means that you can have only standard-size and -weight bags as part of your baggage allowance.   

In connection with the overall baggage allowance changes, there will be some adjustments to the baggage-related Finnair Plus tier benefits. Sports equipment is no longer available as a tier benefit for Finnair Plus Gold members, and heavy and oversized bags are not included in Platinum and Platinum Lumo members’ tier benefits. Finnair Plus Silver members no longer have an extra checked bag as a tier benefit, but it will be available for purchase with a 50% discount.   

In addition, people who buy Superlight, Light or Classic tickets will no longer be able to prebook seats for free,  these will now have to be purchased on the app or via the manage book section on Finnair's website. 

Meal service cuts....

Finnair recently slimmed down its inflight meal service drastically, in a cost-cutting move Finnair will now no longer offer complimentary second meals in economy on some long-haul flights - New York and Dubai, although it will provide snacks and drinks for purchase only. 

On long-haul flights where it still offers a second meal,  these will move to a lighter cheaper meal or a snack depending on the route and the flight time.  Pillows have also been removed from the economy cabin on long-haul flights. 

On European flights, Business Class meal service depends on the route and fresh salads served on some flights will be replaced with a mass-produced hot meal. The number of flights where a hot meal is included will be reduced and a sandwich will be offered on shorter-duration flights. Champagne will no longer be available and replaced with sparkling wine. In Economy Class, Finnair we continue to serve complimentary water or blueberry juice. But other drinks or snacks can be purchased from the onboard menu. A bag of crips costs 4 euros and coffee or tea are currently 3 euros each. 

These cuts also apply to Finnair Plus members, more details can be found on the Finnair Plus pages. 

Despite recent agreements with unions, Finnair is understood to have held preliminary discussions with cabin crew sourcing suppliers, although it is unclear if this is for the provision of more crew from long-haul or European flights.