Finnair revealed several changes to its Finnair Plus loyalty program today. The airline, which has been severely hit by the closure of Russian airspace, has started adding fuel surcharges to all award tickets, increased the miles needed, and slashed baggage limits for elite passengers. Say goodbye to cheap redemptions and hello to "Economy Superlight," which doesn't include a full size carry-on bag on European flights.

No more generous baggage policies

For years, airlines have allowed elite flyers from their program and those of the alliance to carry one carry-on and one checked bag. Today, Finnair Plus is bringing the hammer down on this usual policy. On all tickets booked from June 1st onwards, Silver members no longer receive one 23kg checked bag on flights. Instead, you can buy one checked bag at a 50% discount.

Gold members who were fond of sports can say goodbye to their complimentary checked sports equipment. Only Platinum and Platinum Lumo passengers now get this benefit. No discounts either; you'll have to pay full price to carry your golf clubs or skiing equipment.

Finally, Platinum and Platinum Lumo members haven't been spared either. These top-tier flyers can now only take 23kgs of luggage, not the 32kgs previously allowed. Arriving at the airport with heavier bags will result in an oversized baggage fee.

Once more, these are effective on all tickets booked after June 1st. So if you have status now and are planning a trip soon, book now to lock in your current benefits.

Fuel surcharges

A oneworld member, Finnair has joined its partners British Airways in levying the notorious "fuel surcharge" on award tickets, creating a significant devaluation. And this is before we go into the actual points devaluation that has been implemented. The fuel surcharge comes into effect on bookings made on or after 15th June.

All prices below are one-way. So a flight from London to New York via Helsinki will cost you 45,000 points + €40 ($43.5), which consists of €30 for the North America leg and a €10 "connection" fee. It's not the highest fee; BA charges far more, for example, but it quickly adds up. On a roundtrip business class redemption from Europe to Asia, you're suddenly paying €280 ($300) more.

If you have the miles, book your award tickets well before June 15th to save hundreds of euros.

Required miles go up

In addition to airline surcharges on tickets, Finnair is upping the number of miles needed for award tickets as well. Here are the old and new charts side-by-side. Once again, these apply to bookings made on or after 15th June. Miles needed have gone up anywhere from 20% to 40% depending on the class of travel and route. Premium economy is the least affected, but is only available on a handful of routes, while long-haul business class is now up nearly 20%.

These points increases aren't the worst we've seen. One-way economy remains prohibitively expensive, with airlines offering the same routes for less than 25,000 miles (except the Far East). However, factor in fuel surcharges and business class award tickets are suddenly far less valuable than they currently are. For now, book soon to avoid these higher fees.

Introducing Economy Superlight

Finally, Finnair announced that it is replacing Economy Light on European routes with Economy Superlight in a bid to save weight. The new fare includes only one personal item onboard, measuring 40cm x 30cm x 15cm, and nothing else. In a statement, Valtteri Helve, Head of Product Offering at Finnair, said,

"The target of the changes we are now making is smoother boarding, on-time departures, and travel comfort onboard our flights for everyone. Excess carry-on baggage on board is a known issue, impacting both punctuality as well as travel comfort, and we are also getting regular feedback on this from our customers and personnel."

Don't think you can get away with having a slightly larger bag either. Expect the Ryanair and Wizz Air treatment, with Helve saying,

"To support smooth boarding and on-time departures, we are also enhancing the monitoring of carry-on baggage at airports. Excess carry-on baggage, including excessively large carry-on bags, will be moved to the cargo hold at a cost."

Luckily, elite members (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum Lumo, as well as oneworld elites) will get away with carrying one full-sized carry-on on Superlight fares as well.

However, another change to the fares is that Superlight and even Classic fares now come with random seat assignments unless you pay. Only Flex tickets now allow you to choose a seat for free with your companion. Finnair might be the first airline to restrict seats in Classic fares as well, and don't be surprised to see this come to longer routes as well.

Bitter pill for passengers

It's no secret that Finnair has been struggling since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which closed its shortcut to Asia, mainland China, and Japan and decimated traffic. With extra widebodies, the carrier has been flying triple daily to Doha, in partnership with Qatar Airways, and added new routes like Mumbai. However, the revenue gap remains and shoring up finances with surcharges on elite flyers is an easy revenue target. Finnair isn't the first to do this and won't be the last, but it is a change that will leave some loyal customers irritated.

What do you think about Finnair's latest changes? Let us know in the comments!

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  Finnair

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AY/FIN

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Helsinki Airport

  Year Founded:

  1923

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Topi Manner

  Country:

  Finland