Finnair or Qatar

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 25 total)

  • HighlandTraveller
    Participant

    Would welcome your input: Decision to make, because have an Inverness- Singapore trip to make in the Spring. I will fly OneWorld and could do with the tier points to ensure Gold renewal, so INV-LHR-DOH-SIN (netting a cool 640TP) was my first option. However, I can save around £1K to go INV-LHR-HEL-SIN with finnair (still a respectable 520TP by my calculations). What is Finnair long haul business like? Any views?


    SGJNI1961
    Participant

    Highland Traveller
    I have flown both airlines to Singapore and while my (slight) personal preference would be Qatar, for a fare difference of £1K, I’d be very happy to go on Finnair. You will have the use of the CX lounge at LHR and the lounge in HEL is ok. The seats are comparable. The only thing perhaps I would really miss would be the A380.


    Inquisitive
    Participant

    This is a pomegranate vs banana comparison. Qatar seat, inflight service, inflight entertainment, lounges etc. are equivalent to pomegranate and so costly.
    But Finnair business is also good, but way below Qatar.
    Finnair will have one advantage that one leg is pretty long so if you can sleep well in flight, Finnair could be better.


    travelworld2
    Participant

    I’ve done both, happy with either. I felt Finnair Business (on an A350)was actually not far off Qatar in terms of overall ambience. At £1k cheaper I’d definitely go for Finnair.


    CathayLoyalist2
    Participant

    Like the other posters I have flown both ex Madrid to Singapore (Qatar) and Helsinki ex LHR to Singapore. Qatar would get a unanimous victory on points but as others have said saving a GBP 1,000 it becomes a technical KO for Finnair. The only irritating aspect on Finnair is the shoe box gap for your feet when the seat is fully reclined.


    ghlotus
    Participant

    Qatar miles ahead of Finnair on food and service. Finnair to Singapore uses Singapore cabin crews, who do their job rather robotically. Qatar much warmer service. Helsinki and Qatar lounges about equal. But again, if you prefer a longer non-interrupted sleep, then Finnair is your best bet – especially given the cost savings.


    1nfrequent
    Participant

    I haven’t flown Qatar (although I’m hoping to do so next year). I have flown Finnair and if you’re on an A350 then the hard product is pretty good (I’m 5’4″ though so the cubby hole isn’t a problem for me and I found the seat made for a decent bed once flat) and the food was good on the way out but I found the service on the night flight out to be incredibly slow (took about 3 hours to do a dinner service) and the IFE doesn’t have a huge amount of choice. On the way back the food was okay but not as good as the way out. I like HEL as an airport though – very easy to transfer through but the lounge can get very crowded at peak times.

    To be honest for that price difference I’d be tempted to Finnair it if you’re paying out of your own pocket. If it’s on your employer though and they’re not putting in a restriction, then I’d Qatar it.

    1F


    rodders
    Participant

    I have used both, albeit not the Finnair 350, but rodders junior has and gave it the thumbs up. I have used QR extensively and would like the others give it the edge, especially if they have the new Q-suites on the Doha/Singapore route.


    MarkivJ
    Participant

    Like others said – if you’re paying, finnair. If the company can pay, Qatar.

    That said, you can’t go wrong with both. I’d pick finnair just because I’d get more uninterrupted rest as the HEL-SIN flight is longer than DOH-SIN


    Nogbad01
    Participant

    As with the other responses, I have flown both and would be happy with either. Qatar feel slightly better quality all round, but Finnair are fine. The A350 cabin does seem to be falling apart very fast on Finnair, with many bins and seat storage lockers taped shut with gaffer tape last time.


    Marc_ACB
    Participant

    I didn’t want to start a new thread for this Finnair question.

    Has anyone ordered a Special Meal on Finn? In particular he Chef’s Gourmet or the Food Lover’s Treat?

    I’ve got 3 return flights to Hong Kong via Helsinki coming up and I’m curious.


    MickBettesworth
    Participant

    Have flown both ex LHR.
    Finnair connection through Helsinki is easier although the Qatar lounge is more opulent. I was very happy with both. Given that Finnair is cheaper I would tend to favour them.


    MarkivJ
    Participant

    Whilst, no doubt the QR lounge in Doha is very well made, my experiences have been night and day. Literally.

    On an evening arrival, the lounge is empty, easy to get showers, etc. If you land between 7a-10a however, it’s a fish market. We didn’t get any seating in the dining area upstairs, so the bartender had to pull up bar stools for us and we sat at the back of the bar (where the cutlery inventory, loading and refilling, etc all happens!). Add a 1hr wait to shower. They could build a few more showers in that feee space.


    Henry
    Participant

    I fly them 4x a year AMS/HEL/BKK and the business from FINNAIR is great, the service, food and the drinks are great, I wouldn’t change to another airline !


    ghlotus
    Participant

    Oddly enough, Finnair uses Finnish cabin crew on flights to Bangkok, but Singapore crews to Singapore, who I find much less efficient, happy and friendly. Must save Finnair heaps of money, but is it wrong to expect a national airline to employ service personnel from their home country? Qatar of course hires from all over the world, but there are practical (and religious?) reasons for that, and their training is outstanding.

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