In mid-August, it was announced that Finnair Plus will adopt Avios as its points currency in late January 2024. When this happens, it’ll join other Oneworld programs that use Avios, including British Airways Executive Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, and Vueling Club.
Finnair is also moving towards a revenue-based earning model for paid flights, similar to what many North American airlines now use, and what British Airways will adopt later this year. We now know a few more details about what the model will look like, although information about redemptions has yet to be confirmed.
Finnair Plus to Join the Avios Loyalty Program
In early 2024, Finnair Plus will adopt Avios as its points currency, becoming the latest addition to the Avios loyalty program.
Prior to Finnair’s announcement, the last program to join the Avios ecosystem was Qatar Airways Privilege Club in Spring 2022.
When the change happens, existing Finnair Plus members will see their Finnair Plus points converted into Avios at a 3:2 ratio.
It’s worth noting that Finnair states the value of the points will remain the same, as it plans on scaling the cost of redemptions at the same 3:2 ratio. This should mean that booking Finnair with Avios should cost slightly less than booking with Finnair Plus points currently, which isn’t necessarily a great deal.
Additionally, once the integration is complete, members will be able to freely transfer Avios between the other existing “flavours” of Avios and Finnair Avios. Therefore, it’ll be possible to move points from transferable points currencies into other flavours of Avios, and then move them into Finnair Avios as needed.
This is a positive change for North American Miles & Points enthusiasts, as British Airways Executive Club has numerous transfer partners in both Canada and the US, including:
- American Express Membership Rewards
- American Express US Membership Rewards
- Capital One Miles
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- HSBC Rewards
- RBC Avion
As it stands, Finnair Plus is only a transfer partner with Capital One Miles in the United States.
Moreover, Finnair is slated to increase the number of “Saver” award seats it makes available. On its long-haul routes, there’ll be at least two business class, two premium economy, and four economy award seats on every flight.
On intra-European flights, there’ll be at least two business class and four economy award seats made available for booking.
Finnair currently flies to the following US destinations from its hub in Helsinki:
- Chicago (ORD)
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Miami (MIA)
- New York (JFK)
- Seattle (SEA)
We expect to hear more details about the redemption chart in the coming months, and certainly in the lead up to the launch in late January 2024.
Finnair Plus to Adopt Revenue-Based Earning Model
Along with the move over to the Avios ecosystem, Finnair will adopt a revenue-based earning model, similar to what British Airways announced earlier this year.
In short, members will earn Avios and status tier points through spending alone, rather than by the distance flown. Notably, this is different to the British Airways Executive Club model, as British Airways has elected to keep Tier Points pegged to the distance-based model.
In late January 2024, you’ll earn the following number of Avios and tier points on Finnair flights and travel extras (including ancilliary charges such as seat fees, but excluding taxes, fees, and surcharges), depending on your existing status:
- Finnair Plus Basic: 6 tier points and Avios per €1 spent
- Finnair Plus Silver: 7 tier points and Avios per €1 spent
- Finnair Plus Gold: 8 tier points and Avios per €1 spent
- Finnair Plus Platinum: 9 tier points and Avios per €1 spent
- Finnair Plus Platinum Lumo: 10 tier points and Avios per €1 spent
If your ticket is purchased in a currency other than the euro, the amount will be converted into euros, and then multiplied as per your corresponding status.
For flights with partner airlines, you’ll continue to earn tier points and Avios based on travel class, booking class, and the total distance flown, which will be converted from kilometres into miles.
Finnair Plus will also update the tier point limits, which are used to earn status. As of late January 2024, the new tier point limits will be as follows:
- Finnair Plus Basic: n/a
- Finnair Plus Silver: 15,000 tier points
- Finnair Plus Gold: 45,000 tier points
- Finnair Plus Platinum: 80,000 tier points
- Finnair Plus Platinum Lumo: 300,000 tier points, of which 250,000 are collected from Finnair
To reach Finnair Plus Lifetime status, you’ll need to earn the following number of tier points:
- Lifetime Gold: 2,000,000 tier points
- Lifetime Platinum: 3,300,000 tier points
Your existing tier points will be converted to “new” tier points at a 3:2 ratio.
Finnair Plus is also introducing milestone benefits, which reward members as they progress through various tiers of status. The milestone benefits earned at corresponding tiers are as follows:
- Finnair Plus Basic members will earn 3,000 Avios upon reaching 12,000 tier points
- Finnair Plus Silver members will earn two lounge passes upon reaching 20,000 tier points
- Finnair Plus Gold members will earn two upgrade benefits upon reaching 55,000 tier points
- Finnair Plus Platinum members will earn four upgrade benefits upon reaching 95,000 tier points
- Finnair Plus Platinum Lumo members will earn eight upgrade benefits upon reaching 310,000 tier points
- Finnair Plus Platinum Lumo members will earn another four upgrade benefits upon reaching 320,000 tier points
Further details about updates to the program will be released in the lead up to the change, with at least one month’s notice before being implemented.
Conclusion
In late January 2024, Finnair Plus will become the latest loyalty program to use Avios as a currency. The exact date has yet to be confirmed.
Finnair has also indicated that it will make more award seats in every cabin available for award bookings, including two business class seats on every long-haul flight. Since the airline flies to a handful of destinations across the United States, it should make for a predictable way to fly to Europe.
Finnair will also adopt a revenue-based model both for earning Avios and for its elite status tiers, the details of which have now been confirmed.
More details about the transition are expected in the coming months.
