Finnair Reviews 

My experience with Finnair has been extraordinarily disappointing, not only because of the original disruption but, even more so, because of the arbitrary and predatory manner in which the company has subsequently handled my reimbursement claim.

During the same trip, my baggage was delayed on BOTH the outbound and the return journey. This was not a minor inconvenience: I had to change my travel plans and purchase necessary items while waiting 4 days for my luggage. Nonetheless I understand that these things can happen. The real issue is the way Finnair has handled my subsequent reimbursement claim, in a manner that I consider arbitrary, opaque and bordering on deceptive/fraudolent.

Following my return, I submitted a reimbursement claim supported by the requested receipts and documentation. The expenses were incurred directly as a consequence of the baggage delay and, to the best of my understanding, were fully consistent with Finnair’s own published policy concerning reasonable and necessary purchases in the event of delayed baggage. I only bought some personal hygiene items and the cheapest available basic clothes(e.g.,underpants, socks, 2 t-shirts, etc.)

Finnair nevertheless decided to arbitrarily reduce my reimbursement by 75 €. The most troubling part is not even the reduction itself. It is the complete refusal to explain it.

I repeatedly asked Finnair to tell me which specific expenses had been considered unreasonable or unnecessary, which items had been rejected or partially reimbursed, and how they had arrived at their conclusion.

Their answer was essentially that, following their assessment, “the reimbursable amount was determined to be XXX euro.” That is not an explanation. No item-by-item breakdown. No indication of which expenses were rejected. No reasoning. No reference to any specifics.

These expenses arose because Finnair delayed my baggage, twice, and my claim concerns Finnair’s responsibility and Finnair’s own published reimbursement policy.

At this stage, the decision appears entirely arbitrary and I consider this kind of claims handling predatory in its purpose and effect: a company reduces a documented reimbursement claim by an unexplained amount and apparently expects the customer simply to accept the loss, knowing that many people will probably not have the time or energy to keep challenging a relatively small sum.

If Finnair believes part of my claim is not reimbursable it should be able to say which part and why. That is a very basic standard of transparency and accountability.

Baggage delayed on both legs of the journey was bad enough. Having my reimbursement claimed denied did not improve the situation. Having to repeatedly chase Finnair merely to look for an explanation for an apparently arbitrary reimbursement decision has made the experience considerably worse. Incurring in additional unfair 75 € loss will make it my worst experience with an airline until now.

I would strongly advise other passengers to stay away from this very unprofessional airline and the competent authorities to look into this kind of behavior.

I was lured by a self-transfer hack advertised by Kiwi that included a segment by Finnair from FCO to DEL via HEL and happily paid for what I thought was a good buy. When I checked into Finnair, I got the message that hand-carry luggage plus personal item should not exceed 7.5 kg. I needed to pay an additional 90 Euro to check-in my 10-kg luggage. I give 3-star to Finnair for such a restrictive luggage policy, but 1-star to Kiwi for not making this out-of-norm luggage policy transparent at the point of purchase.

Our first and last flight with Finnair

My wife and I are a freshly married couple who were travelling from London Heathrow to Shanghai on 30 July 2026. Our flight departed from Heathrow at around 6:00 PM. We fly more than 10 times a year and had never flown with Finnair before. Although Finnair was more expensive than other airlines, we chose it because we expected a premium experience.

Instead, we had one of the most disappointing customer service experiences we've had with any airline.

We arrived at Heathrow around four hours before departure and were among the first passengers checking in. We were told that we couldn't sit together because the flight was full. We explained that we weren't asking for premium seats or extra legroom—we simply wanted two standard seats together.

The only answer we received was that we would have to pay extra. When we asked why, the check-in agent told us that "they" designed the system this way. There was no real explanation and no willingness to help. The interaction felt cold, dismissive, and unfriendly.

We were then told to ask again in Helsinki, as our second flight supposedly had seats available.

At the boarding gate, another Finnair employee confirmed that he could see available seats together on our Helsinki–Shanghai flight and told us it should not be a problem to arrange in Helsinki.

However, once we arrived in Helsinki, the transfer desk told us the exact opposite. We were informed that the Heathrow staff had misled us and that if we wanted to sit together, we would have to pay. There was no attempt to find a solution or show any flexibility.

To make matters worse, on our first flight another couple asked me to swap seats so they could sit together because Finnair had separated them as well. This made it seem less like an unfortunate coincidence and more like a recurring practice.

The aircraft itself was comfortable, and Helsinki Airport was pleasant to transfer through. Unfortunately, those positives were completely overshadowed by customer service that felt indifferent and a seating policy that gave us the impression that passengers travelling together are expected to pay extra simply to sit next to each other.

This was our first experience with Finnair, and it will also be our last.

Finnair cancelled my long-haul flight from SIN-HEL and refused fair compensation.

Finnair cancelled my long-haul flight (AY132, Singapore–Helsinki) and offered just €146 in care costs, refusing the €600 lump-sum compensation owed under Article 7 of EC Regulation 261/2004.

Their justification? An "extraordinary circumstances" defence based on an A350 hydraulic pump failure — yet their own letter describes the fault as a "widely documented design issue affecting the entire A350 fleet globally throughout the type's operational history," with European Aviation Safety Agency having issued multiple mandatory Airworthiness Directives.

A fault that is extensively documented and subject to repeated regulatory directives is, by definition, foreseeable — which is the precise opposite of extraordinary.

The Court of Justice EU set a high bar for this defence in Wallentin-Hermann, and Finnair's own account of the fault fails to clear it. I have formally rejected their determination and am pursuing the full €600 claim through AirHelp.

If Finnair cancel your flight and cite technical faults, do not simply accept their refusal — know your rights under EC 261/2004 and push back.

Wish I had read those before flying with them. Absolute worst Ryanair are like Emirates compared to them
So low grade

Finnair do not care about passenger safety unless you’ve paid first class prices.

We were threatened with violence by another passenger on a long haul flight and the crew’s response was that the other passenger couldn’t be asked to move because he had paid a lot for his seat, so we just had to suck it up or move to sit separately from our 7 year old child. There were no consequences for the passenger who made loud, violent, explicit threats. We were treated with suspicion and disdain. Avoid

We are currently in Sri Lanka being forced to take a heavily prolonged flight!!°
We are currently in Sri Lanka. Our flight home was cancelled by finnair operated Qatar Airways, who, as they mailed us about the cancelletion, adwised us that we had option to choose two future flights, but had to do it through Finnair. Same dsy Finnair told us they only had one possible flight home, via Doha and London to Copenhagen, and forced us to accept. We did, but emphazised that we are traveling elder and babies together, the 20 hours flight via london would be a big problem. They did not contact us, but we learned that direct flights from Doha to Copenhagen had several options. And they only lasted 13 house which was why we ordered Them in the first place. As we learned that we obviously contacted finnair to choose this option. Finnair now said that Qatar airways info about our optional two changes no longer was possible as we had accepted the option they said was the only one. The downright lied to our faced. Avoid these dishonest people..

PS...the Danish Ministry of Forteigh Affairs afvises all traffic, even transit via Doha is avoided due to danger og war activities!! Finnair is taking us hostages and display a stunning disregard for their customers safety... Shame on Finnair!!!...we will on our late return investigate our legal option to hold this company accoundable...

Edit

Absolutely terrible experience with their customer service. My flight was cancelled, and I spent three hours on hold just to be told they couldn't help with rebooking. For a national carrier, the lack of support during a crisis is embarrassing. I expected much more professional treatment

If i could give less stars I would. Terrible organisation with terrible and incompetent people. Their planes are made out of toilet paper.

MAJOR CRIME ALERT!!!!!! I WILL UPDATE AND REVIEW THIS IF THEY TAKE ACTION.

I really hope Finnair reaches out and resolves this. My family and I departed from Rovaniemi Airport at 12pm for a 1:05pm flight to Helsinki. A lady with short hair at the check-in desk was extremely unfriendly, unkind, and—honestly—wicked in how she handled the situation.

She claimed that my parents’ flight tickets didn’t include cabin baggage, which made no sense because they were on a round-trip booking and had zero issues on the first flight. My sister and I both had cabin baggage included, so we kindly AND patiently asked if we could take their small luggage with us instead. She dismissed the request entirely. She said she would check, BUT SHE DID NOT AND PROCEEDED TO charge €120 to my parents, taking their credit card without giving us any chance to discuss or consider alternatives.

By the time we realized what had happened, it was already too late. She was a short-haired, blond-ish woman, and her behavior felt unnecessarily harsh. I don’t know what kind of day she was having, but we spoke respectfully, and she absolutely took advantage of our parents in that moment.

Finnair, please look into this. It seems like there have been similar complaints, and this kind of treatment is unacceptable.

Cleaners took my sleapingpillow I forgot in the aircraft. I know exactly on which seat I forgot it- but Finnair says they never got it as found property. -Even the meals were poor during my 8,5 h flight. Not even coffee untill 1,5 h before landing.

bought two tickets Stockholm-Tokyo which is a birthday present for my wife, when we checked in they said we are not sitting together not even close to each other, it was the same on both flights, so damn bad

I booked my return ticket with Finnair for 4th October 16.05 a month ago. I needed to travel in the afternoon otherwise it meant an expensive overnight stay in Helsinki and getting up at 4 am to make the 8.20 am flight. Now two weeks before travel Finnair contacted me and have changed my 16.05 flight to 8.20 am. There is no way to contact them apart from paying £1.75 a minute to call them or their useless chat bot. I need a flight any afternoon on the week before 4th October.

Tried to fly Finnair twice, six months apart. Two for two flights cancelled. No alternative offered. No rerouting options. Just sorry, you're on your own. Refund on the second flight took two months.

As the first flight was in to EU, received compensation, given in the form of a gift card. Used this giftcard for the second booking.

When the second flight was cancelled, the giftcard was reinstated. I asked that the giftcard be refunded to cash, as I don't want to risk Finnair again. Told no. I asked to escalate my complaint. Told no, there is no escalation procedure for customer complaints within Finnair. So, I've reached a dead end.

To be honest, traveling with Finnair has been the worst experience of my life so far. The cold, arrogant, and unfriendly attitude of many Finnair employees was the main reason. A few cases illustrate this:
Case 1. A passenger struggled with a heavy bag that she could not lift into the overhead compartment. She asked a flight attendant for help, but the attendant refused in a very cold and arrogant manner. In the end, another passenger assisted her. Many of us sitting nearby witnessed this. This goes beyond service quality—it is about being a thoughtful, kind, and empathetic person.
Case 2. When I arrived at the airport with delayed baggage, the staff member I spoke to showed no empathy and did not even offer a simple apology. Instead, I was told in a cold, dismissive tone to “report it and wait at home.”
Case 3. When my baggage finally arrived, it was delivered to my address only once. I had been holding my phone for 3.5 hours, unable to do anything because all my essentials were in the baggage. Yet they claimed they could not reach me, refused to attempt delivery again, and told me to collect it from the airport—completely disregarding the fact that I had a full day of business meetings.
Case 4. Due to the baggage delay, I was forced to purchase necessities. However, Finnair only reimbursed less than 50%, arguing that I could use the remaining items in the future. But I had already packed all my belongings in the baggage, and if there had been no delay, I would not have needed to buy anything extra.

Despite the problems others discuss here, Finnair did great for us. We had flights to the USA with Virgin cancelled on the day of the Heathrow fire. No options for rebooking that weekend could be found at any price, except Finnair. Still double the price of the original Virgin ticket, but not an unreasonable price overall for a trip to the USA. It just meant a very short stop in Helsinki. We were worried it was too short in fact, but it all worked very smoothly. Their signature black gloves are just a bonus.

Finnair provided me with boarding passes for a trip from Crete - Helsinki - JFK New York and On to Norfolk Virginia. I was boarded onto the flight to Helsinki however when I went to boarding gate for subsequent flight to JFK i was told that there had been a problem with my ticket, booked through the United States Defense Booking Service, and i should not have been granted boarding in Crete. there was no way to resolve this at the boarding gate and so i was forced to stay in Helsinki and incur hotel costs and a 24 hour delay to my flight while the ticket issue was resolved. FINNAIR refused to accept any responsibility for their mistake and would not compensate me for my hotel costs or my lost travel time. As FINNAIR are not part of any EU or worldwide Airline Dispute Resolution (ADR) service the options to challenge their unwillingness to accept responsibility would only be possible through Finnish courts which is not practicable. the review status of FINNAIR, on this site, speaks volumes about how appalling FINNAIR's service and subsequent customer service is. I was also shocked they were not part of an ADR however given how poor their service is, maybe this shouldn't surprise anyone. Please avoid this airline at all costs.

i booked flights with Finnair on BA planes .. Manchester to Dallas Texas Booking Reference 78UWJZ.. I went on their website as requested pre flight to their Manage Your Booking .. it requested details of Phone & E mail as usual and full Passport details .. which i filled in .. i had never been to The States before .. it didnt state i requires a visa called ESTA … when i got to the airport .. i was refused check in as i didnt have an ESTA certificate … When rang them up they just said its up to a passenger to find out these requirements … They made no attempt to advise me of this requirement . THIS IS HORRENDOUS.. the level of service has been the pits .. It’s cost me over £3000 lost flights and accomodation.
I advise anyone NEVER use Finnair
Derek Pye

In the queue since 1pm and it's now 6pm. I'm still number 40 in the queue!!
They cancelled my flight and rebooked me 2 (!) days later! I raised a case and have been waiting for a response for 2 months!! Zero communication or customer service. How would you feel if you book a hotel room and they change your reservation to 2 days later and then you can never reach the hotel or booking agent - for hours, days, months...
You're the worst things that has come out of Finland. You should be ashamed of yourself

Trying to contact them about a trip: stayed for HOURS on different occasions on the phone and nothing; chat: NOTHING.

How can one talk to them? Extremely disrespectful to the clients, never again! Pretending to have client support, simply abysmal.