Finnair ready to fly to Melbourne

It will soon be possible to fly from Melbourne to Helsinki with Finnair. 

The Finnish flag carrier has unveiled plans to expand its long-haul network and start flights to Melbourne late in 2026. 

The route will be operated daily via Bangkok with an Airbus A350 aircraft.

The Melbourne route marks a completely new destination for Finnair and connects Australia directly to Finnair’s extensive network via Helsinki.

“We are very excited to introduce service to a new continent," said Christine Rovelli, Chief Revenue Officer at Finnair. 

"By connecting Helsinki and Melbourne, two cities on opposite sides of the world, we can offer a truly unique bridge between the northern and southern hemispheres. 

“We expect that this new route will appeal to travellers from Europe heading to Australia, as well as Australians exploring northern Europe and beyond.”

The flight is scheduled to depart from Helsinki shortly after midnight, arriving in Bangkok in the afternoon, and continuing to Melbourne after a brief stop, reaching Melbourne the following morning. 

On the return, flights will leave from Melbourne in the afternoon, with a stop in Bangkok in the evening, and land in Helsinki early the next day, aligning with Finnair’s first morning departures across Europe. 

The Melbourne flights will be available for booking on Finnair.com as of today, and the first flight is expected to be on October 25, 2026, subject to government approval.

In addition to Melbourne, Finnair’s network for 2026 comprises a total of 93 European destinations, 11 Asian destinations, seven North American destinations, including Toronto, which opens in summer 2026, and two destinations in the Middle East.

Are you prepared to be weighed before you fly?

Line-up for check-in. Line-up to check your baggage. Line-up for a security check. Line-up for immigration checks. And now line-up to be weighed.

Finnair now wants yet another line to slow things down at the airport - and is conducting weigh-ins for passengers at their departure gate.

The airline is initially calling for volunteers to consent to be weighed along with their baggage at Helsinki Airport.

It wants to get a more accurate estimate of how much a jet will weight at take-off. 

Passengers are being weighed with their hand baggage.

For those who are on the chunkier side of the spectrum, the airline says individual weights recorded are anonymous and not linked to specific passengers or ticket reservations.

“The collected data is not linked in any way to the customer’s personal data,” said Satu Munnukka, Finnair’s head of ground operations.

“We record the total weight and background information of the customer and their carry-on baggage, but we do not ask for the name or booking number, for example.

“Only the customer service agent working at the measuring point can see the total weight, so you can participate in the study with peace of mind.”

Finnair says it is collecting the data ‘for the purpose of aircraft balance and performance calculations that are needed for the safe operation of flights.’

One has to wonder who they coped before.

In the first three days of the trial, around 800 volunteers had taken part, Travel Mole reported.

The airline states it was "positively surprised by the number of volunteers" but you have to wonder what will happen in the future if passengers don't want to be weighed. 

Each flight has a maximum weight for safe take-off - but that has always been the case. What has changed?

 

Airline takes extra charges to new heights of idiocy

Airlines are masters at subtly gouging their customers.

Extra charges for baggage, seat selection, wifi, priority boarding, meals etc. 

The list goes on and on.

Airline executives, of course, will claim that the extra charges result in reduced fares and "more choice". We just haven't seen many of those low fares recently.

Now Finnish carrier Finnair is taking the "light" flight option one step farther - by not allowing passengers to fly hand luggage without an additional payment.

Well boo to Finnair.

The airline announced this week that itis introducing a new "superlight" ticket for short haul journeys within Europe.

As of June 1, the superlight ticket will replace economy light tickets.

These fares include only, presumably, a seat, and a small bag, which must go under the seat.

So no other carry-baggage included; including anything that you would normally stow in overhead lockers.

Even duty free purchases made at the airport are not allowed - unless they fit under the seat.

“Punctuality is very important for our customers, and the target of the changes we are now making is to ensure smooth boarding,” says Ole Orvér, chief commercial officer of the tight-arse airline.

“Excess carry-on baggage is a known issue, impacting both punctuality as well as travel comfort.”

Finnair will crack down on excess carry-on bags in the cabin.

Light tickets, which do include a regular carry-on bag, will continue to be available for long-haul journeys and for business class on European flights.

Classic tickets are still available for customers with both checked and carry-on baggage. But you'll pay a lot more.

As of June 1, Finnair will also decrease the baggage allowance for business class flyers - which sounds like a naked cash grab.

All special baggage allowances, including golf bags and ski equipment, will be excluded from the new ticket classifications and only be available for an additional charge.

    

Is it time to say farewell to on-board shopping?

Is duty free and retail shopping while flying an anachronism whose time has passed?

As airlines look to lighten their loads, do passengers really want to buy oversized bottles of booze and replica airplanes from busy air crew?

Particularly as they can often buy alcohol and other duty-free items like perfumes cheaper and easier at their destination airport.

Finnair is leading the way by ending some of its its in-flight retail services in response to changing customer shopping habits, Travel Mole reports.

The airline says sonsumers are increasingly purchasing via the online shop.

The removal of inflight retail products will decrease overall aircraft weight, which will contribute toward lower fuel bills.

To reduce stocks, Finnair is offering 40% discounts prior to ending its in-flight shopping on February 28.

Pre-order meals and onboard snacks and beverages will still be available.

I think we can expect to see other airlines follow in Finnair's footsteps. Who wants to carry shopping around when you can have it delivered to your door?