Finnair has reopened its Helsinki Schengen lounge this morning (July 1, 2020).
The lounge is open from 0600-1000 and from 1400-2000, with a limited selection of food and drink.
Finnair says that lounge services will be operated with “reduced capacity and extra cleaning to support high hygiene standards”.
During this period, customers who are going on a non-Schengen flight and are eligible for lounge access may use the lounge in the Schengen area since Finnair’s lounges on the airport’s non-Schengen area will remain closed.
“Travelling can feel different than before, with changes in services and new types of procedures in place, such as the mandatory use of a mask on our flights.” says Karim Al-Soufi, Vice President of Customer Experience at Finnair. “However, we are delighted to be able to bring back familiar elements of our valued customer service while still taking good care of the hygiene and safety of our customers and staff.”
New “Clean Kit” for customers
In addition to enhanced cleaning measures and regular disinfections onboard aircraft, Finnair will launch a new “Clean Kit” that will be distributed to all passengers from the beginning of July. The kit contains hand sanitiser, surface wipes, an information leaflet and is packaged within an envelope that acts as a waste container.
The kit has a special sustainable focus and features artwork by Finnish artist Reeta Ek. The paper product has been sourced using sustainable Finnish forestry fibres and the hand sanitiser has been supplied by Kyrö distillery, who is perhaps best known for their award-winning gin. Kyrö pivoted to providing hand sanitiser to the healthcare industry when the pandemic first started.
The wearing of masks by all passengers and crew will continue to be mandatory throughout the entire journey (except when dining). Passengers are asked to prepare enough masks for their journey though a limited supply is available onboard if required in exceptional circumstances. In line with the focus on sustainability, these masks have been sourced and manufactured within Finland.
Finnair has also temporarily reduced the permitted size of hand luggage.
The new dimensions of hand luggage are 55x40x23cm (old dimension 56x45x25cm).
Economy class tickets includes one hand luggage and a small personal item with dimensions of 40x30x15cm. The total weight of hand luggage and personal belongings may not exceed 8kg.
Business class tickets includes two hand luggage and one personal item, such as a handbag, with a total weight of up to 10kg.
In-flight service will expand in July-August
In July-August, in Finland and on the shortest routes in Europe, such as Stockholm’s Arlanda, Finnair will be serving coffee and tea, juice and water in economy class.
On longer European flights it will also serve a biscuit or a sandwich, depending on the length of the route.
On long-haul flights, the service will be “closer to normal in both economy and business classes”. However, the range of special meals and alcoholic beverages will still be limited.
More detailed descriptions of the serving can be found here.
