Now open: Finnair's huge new Schengen Lounge with expanded capacity and space for Oneworld elite members
Editor's Note
Finnair is showing off photos of its new Schengen Lounge that opened at Helsinki Airport (HEL) on July 9. The lounge primarily serves customers traveling on short-haul flights within Europe and passengers connecting in Helsinki from the U.S. and traveling onward to Finland's Lapland and the wider Nordic and Baltic regions.
The new lounge can accommodate up to 440 passengers, an upgrade from the existing lounge in the Schengen Area part of the airport.
The Finnish airline says the lounge was inspired by Finnair's Nordic design and is "designed to bring unparalleled comfort and convenience to customers."
The carrier, based near Helsinki, said the design was led by Studio Joanna Laajisto and features Nordic design details, such as wooden textures, soft forms and warm colors. The furniture is sourced from Nordic designers like Artek, Nikari and Gubi.
The lounge features two areas. The larger part is for business-class passengers and those with Oneworld Sapphire status (American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum-level status and higher). The second area will be the Platinum Corner for Finnair's top-tier status holders and Oneworld Emerald members (those with AAdvantage Platinum Pro-level status and higher). Finnair Plus Platinum and Platinum Lumo members are also eligible.
Finnair is selling access to the Platinum Corner for 30 euros ($32) or 4,800 Avios as well.
Related: 5 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Qatar Airways
The new lounge is named for Europe's Schengen Area, which includes most European Union countries, with the exception of Cyprus and Ireland. Non-EU countries — including Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein — are also part of the Schengen Area. That means flights to these countries will not need border checks.
The new Schengen Lounge will look familiar to people who've used Finnair's other lounges at Helsinki Airport.
Customers flying directly to and from the U.S. can continue to access Finnair's Platinum Wing Lounge (for top-tier elite members) or its Business Lounge (both in the non-Schengen Area part of the airport), first unveiled in 2019.
Finnair will have a total of three lounges at Helsinki Airport:
- Business Lounge
- Platinum Wing Lounge
- Schengen Lounge (including Platinum Corner)
Related: Here are the best-rated Priority Pass lounges in 2024
Finnair just completed the rollout of its new long-haul business class
Finnair also announced it completed the refurbishment of its entire long-haul fleet.
The refresh includes an entirely new business-class section with new seats, a new premium economy cabin and an updated economy cabin. Finnair was the launch customer for the new AirLounge seat designed by seat manufacturer Collins Aerospace.
The new cabins debuted in 2022 and are now on all of the airline's long-haul fleet of Airbus A350s and A330s. You'll find premium economy on all these jets now, too.
Related reading:
- The best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare
- Best airline credit cards
- Oneworld alliance guide: Learn about airlines, lounges and elite status
- Long-haul with no recline: A review of Finnair's new business class on the A350-900 from Helsinki to Singapore
- How to get to Helsinki on points and miles
- The best websites for searching Oneworld award availability
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month