Finnair recent ops issues
May 4, 2024, 12:16 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 409
Finnair recent ops issues
Hi everyone,
Does anyone know what's going on with Finnair's operations recently? Maybe that's just a subjective impression, but they seem to be quite unreliable recently:
- Flights to DOH AY1981 & 1982 are consistently delayed leading to lots of missed connections on the 28th & 29th / 29th& 30th they were both cancelled. Partially because AY refuses to use Iraqi airspace, partially because of consitently late departures.
- Flights to/from HKG, SIN, PVG were cancelled yesterday and on the 22nd.
(not mentioning the snow on the 23rd here - while they may claim it was weather, snow isn't exactly unusual in April in that part of the world)
Does anyone know what's going on? I know one of the runways in HEL is closed but that would usually just add a bit of delay and airlines typically try to keep their long-haul routes running.
On top of this, the handling of these delays is increadibly poor. My wife had the misfortune to be affected by a few of the above issues, as well as the snowstorm a week ago. Despite knowing many hours in advance that she wouldn't make her connection (on one reservation), AY refused to rebook her at the HEL transfer desk, first claiming the flight would be on time or make up time in the air, then claiming that they "don't do that here", leading to a missed connection and a 9h wait. Based on some of the other conversations that she overheard on 2 occasions it didn't go much different for other passengers. OWE and travelling in J in each of these occasions.
Does anyone know what's going on with Finnair's operations recently? Maybe that's just a subjective impression, but they seem to be quite unreliable recently:
- Flights to DOH AY1981 & 1982 are consistently delayed leading to lots of missed connections on the 28th & 29th / 29th& 30th they were both cancelled. Partially because AY refuses to use Iraqi airspace, partially because of consitently late departures.
- Flights to/from HKG, SIN, PVG were cancelled yesterday and on the 22nd.
(not mentioning the snow on the 23rd here - while they may claim it was weather, snow isn't exactly unusual in April in that part of the world)
Does anyone know what's going on? I know one of the runways in HEL is closed but that would usually just add a bit of delay and airlines typically try to keep their long-haul routes running.
On top of this, the handling of these delays is increadibly poor. My wife had the misfortune to be affected by a few of the above issues, as well as the snowstorm a week ago. Despite knowing many hours in advance that she wouldn't make her connection (on one reservation), AY refused to rebook her at the HEL transfer desk, first claiming the flight would be on time or make up time in the air, then claiming that they "don't do that here", leading to a missed connection and a 9h wait. Based on some of the other conversations that she overheard on 2 occasions it didn't go much different for other passengers. OWE and travelling in J in each of these occasions.
May 4, 2024, 1:20 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,808
When I looked at the Finavia page, I also noted that HKG, SIN and PVG were all cancelled. But HKG and SIN had a T after the flight number, and the board also showed a flight without the T that operated normally. So I would assume HKG and SIN were not really cancelled, but it was some Finavia IT hiccup?
May 4, 2024, 1:27 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 409
When I looked at the Finavia page, I also noted that HKG, SIN and PVG were all cancelled. But HKG and SIN had a T after the flight number, and the board also showed a flight without the T that operated normally. So I would assume HKG and SIN were not really cancelled, but it was some Finavia IT hiccup?
May 4, 2024, 1:47 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Plat Lumo, SK Gold
Posts: 961
When I looked at the Finavia page, I also noted that HKG, SIN and PVG were all cancelled. But HKG and SIN had a T after the flight number, and the board also showed a flight without the T that operated normally. So I would assume HKG and SIN were not really cancelled, but it was some Finavia IT hiccup?
May 4, 2024, 2:32 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 409
And the HKG & SIN departures were operating? Or were they also cancelled?
What puzzles me about the DOH flights is that they don't just retime the flights. It surely is better to reschedule people preemptively instead of dealing with a bunch of unhappy customers at the transfer desk everyday.
What puzzles me about the DOH flights is that they don't just retime the flights. It surely is better to reschedule people preemptively instead of dealing with a bunch of unhappy customers at the transfer desk everyday.
May 4, 2024, 10:13 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 30
A330 fleet seems to have had some technical challenges lately. Obviously -LTM engine problems, leading to AY10 diversion to JFK and some subsequent cancellations. Also -LTR hasn´t flown since 25th of April and seems to be AOG, as -LTT is currently taking -LTRs place and flying as part of SYD ops with -LTS. All this has led to A330 ops being vulnerable to delays and cancellations with any possibly rising further irregularities, be it extra flight time due to AY not flying in Iranian or Iraq airspace on DOH route, technical or something different.
Some swaps seen between A330 and A350, root cause still appears to be A330 challenges. Planned and, even more so, unplanned high usage of available frames leads easily to rolling delays.
Some swaps seen between A330 and A350, root cause still appears to be A330 challenges. Planned and, even more so, unplanned high usage of available frames leads easily to rolling delays.
May 5, 2024, 2:11 am
#11
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,808
May 5, 2024, 2:36 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 30
Once it actually departs, add 7h - 7h 30 mins of flight time to get realistic estimate of arrival time to HEL.
Already now it will be past 7pm earliest you can expect -LTP to arrive HEL.
I would not be surprised to see a A330 cancellation from HEL today or some swap to A350.
Already now it will be past 7pm earliest you can expect -LTP to arrive HEL.
I would not be surprised to see a A330 cancellation from HEL today or some swap to A350.
May 5, 2024, 5:08 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 409
It's on the way now, I suppose it will be arriving 9:30pm, 6h 20min delay (I happen to know that it went tech because my wife is on this flight).
Do they actually have spare 350's?
Do they actually have spare 350's?
Last edited by Freddorick; May 5, 2024 at 5:16 am
May 5, 2024, 5:37 am
#15
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 30
Some slack at least to allow A350s to pick up some A330 flights which otherwise would need to be cancelled. Today AY15 once again is operated with A350 instead of A330. And AY9 seems to be cancelled (would have been A330), was cancelled already before -LTPs delay today.
In any case lack of aircraft is evident.
In any case lack of aircraft is evident.