<p>Has anyone flow Finnair recently from US to UK? Since my D is studying abroad and we are uncertain of the end of semester plans, we would prefer to book a one way ticket to London for January. Finnair seems to be one of the few airlines that allows one way purchase for flights in and out of the US. </p>
<p>I went to the flyertalk site but the lingo there is way too much for me and is geared towards those with status on frequent flyer programs. She does not have any status on OneWorld except a some miles on AA, which is not significant. Nor does she have a credit card affiliated with these airlines.</p>
<p>My concern comes from comments on that board regarding the non existent free customer service. There is a fee to speak to someone and there is a fee to reserve a seat. The seat reservation seems to not always work properly and relies on your status, which then requires one to call customer service. </p>
<p>My questions are: If you fly coach and do not pay ahead for your seat, can you still get a reasonably good seat at check in (no middle seat, no in the back by the toilets)? Is there personal entertainment on board (not the tv in the aisle)? Is it free? Are the planes fairly large or are they the 3 seats on each side type of plane? Is the experience pleasant (good service, on time, safety)?</p>
<p>She usually flies Virgin Atlantic or British Air and it is quite simple with good experience, thus far. On those lines, we can reserve a seat in advance for free. Of course, there are premium seats for a fee but there is always a good selection of free seats. We were hoping for similar service on Finnair</p>
<p>I have not flown on Finnair, but I believe they are at the very top as far as safety ratings. You can figure out what kind of airplane she would fly on if you go online as to book it, and you can see what sort of aircraft they are planning to use. That can always change, of course. Generally they fly widebodies over the oceanic routes. When you figure out what aircraft they are using, go on seatguru <a href=“Finnair Flight Information”>http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Finnair/information.php</a> to find specific information. It will also tell you about entertainment information on that sort of aircraft.</p>
<p>I highly recommend paying extra to choose her seat online ahead of time. It is well worth spending the extra money on such a long flight to choose your seat and get a little extra legroom, and avoid the center seat. Seat guru will also give you specific information about each seat and tell you whether it is a good or bad one (ie right by the bathroom, doesn’t recline, etc). Otherwise, I see you can select your seat 36 hrs ahead of time online for free, and I’d do that right at the 36 hour point. But honestly, I would pay the money and do it ASAP, because on intl routes, the choice seats fill up, because it really worth knowing what you’re getting. I have flown on a center seat in the backon an intl flight, and it stinks.</p>
<p>Lia, you can go through the reservation process up to the point of entering payment and see how easy it is to pick seats. On almost all airlines it is done prior to payment. The seat chart will tell you what type of aircraft it is, too. Some airlines will show unoccupied seats for each flight (Delta, Alaska).</p>
<p>Actually Bunsen, lia is right. You have to pay extra to pick seats online more than 36 hours prior to the flight. Front row, more legroom or just any seat. Never had to do that with another airline.</p>
<p>Bus, sorry, I did not mean to be understood as you do not have to pay extra… Just to look at the seating chart to see what is available for what price prior to making a commitment to but. </p>
<p>Oh my,it even gets more complicated. I tried to check the seating on Finnair site this morning and it does not allow me to book one way for the one way price. It costs me the same as round trip. </p>
<p>The only way to do one way is via Kayak directly and I am directed to a customer service at airfare.com. It does not allow me to see the seating chart upfront, nor does it tell me I have to pay extra for a seat. I think this can turn into lots of work and aggravation. I will go back to the regular carriers I have dealt with. Thank you for your feedback. I think the seat fee on Finnair was pretty high, something around 40 Euros. So that was an issue. </p>
<p>No Delta will not sell a one way ticket cheaper. Not on an international. Originally, it seemed as if Finnair would do so because I ran a search through Kayak. However,you have to purchase via Kayak to get the one way fare and then it all gets very fuzzy.</p>
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