Finnair will offer its hand baggage-only fare on flights to the UK and Ireland from next month.
From May 5, the carrier's Light ticket type will be available on its entire network in Europe and the Middle East, with the exception of Russia.
Finnair Plus Platinum, Gold and Silver members, and members of equivalent Oneworld loyalty programmes in the Emerald or Sapphire tiers, can have one extra piece of checked baggage in addition to that provided by their ticket type. Therefore, they can check one bag for free with a Light ticket.
Tomi Hanninen, Finnair's vice president, revenue management and pricing, said: "Since we introduced Light fares on domestic, Scandinavian and Baltic routes last March, we have seen a positive reaction from customers who tend to travel without checked baggage, particularly from travellers on short trips."
Light tickets are unavailable on long-haul intercontinental flights, Finnair said.
Passengers can buy checked baggage either in advance or at the airport, with buying in advance "considerably" cheaper than doing so at check-in.
Earlier this month, Finnair announced the first long-haul destinations for its new A350 XWB aircraft (see news, April 9).
Graham Smith