Finnair introduces changes to its ticket types and baggage allowances on 1 June 2023. A new Superlight ticket replaces Economy Light on journeys within Europe. A key driver for the change is the need to reduce the amount of carry-on baggage onboard.

“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,” says Valtteri Helve, Head of Product Offering at Finnair.

“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,” he adds. “I encourage everyone to check what the baggage allowance of your ticket is – it is less expensive to buy extra baggage as a travel extra beforehand than at the airport.”

The Light ticket – with a small bag and a carry-on bag included – continues to be available for long-haul journeys as well as for Business Class on European flights. Classic and Flex tickets are available for both long-haul and short-haul journeys in all travel classes.

“Our different ticket types come with different flexibility for reservation changes and services included. Classic is the most popular ticket type and includes a small bag, a carry-on bag, and a checked bag, together with the possibility of travel date changes. Superlight and Light are for travelling light and affordably on a set schedule. Flex is the most flexible ticket type and includes a small bag, a carry-on bag, and a checked bag, flexibility for reservation changes, and you can select standard and preferred seats complimentary. You can always further tailor your trip with our travel extras,” says Valtteri Helve.

This is what changes on 1 June 2023:

• The Superlight ticket replaces Economy Light on journeys within Europe. This applies to new tickets purchased as of 1 June. The Superlight ticket includes one small bag (40cm x 30cm x 15cm) that is placed under the seat and nothing extra. You can purchase a bigger carry-on bag (55cm x 40cm x 23cm) as a travel extra.
• The baggage allowance for Business Class travellers for both European and long-haul journeys decreases. The Business Light ticket includes one small bag and one carry-on bag, while Business Classic and Flex tickets also include one checked bag.
• All special baggage, such as golf bags, skis, or heavy bags, are to be purchased as travel extras. This means that you can have only standard-size and -weight bags as part of your checked baggage allowance.
• In connection with the overall baggage allowance changes, there will be some changes to the baggage-related Finnair Plus tier benefits.

At the same time as the baggage-related changes, we are making changes to the seat selection practices. With a Superlight, Light, or Classic ticket, you can choose your preferred seat by purchasing it in advance, and if you do not wish to do that, we will choose a seat for you. This means that complimentary seat selection is no longer available during check-in for these tickets. Finnair Plus members continue to have their current advance seat reservation benefits.

The changes that come into force as of 1 June also support Finnair’s strategy implementation through more effective operations, punctual departures at airports, and developing the offering of travel extras.

Do you want to know more about the changes? Below you’ll find questions and answers.

What is the new Superlight ticket, and how does it differ from Economy Light?

The Superlight ticket replaces the Economy Light ticket on Finnair journeys within Europe. This applies to new tickets purchased on or after 1 June 2023. The Superlight ticket includes one small bag that is placed under the seat (40cm x 30cm x 15cm) and nothing extra. You can purchase a bigger carry-on bag (55cm x 40cm x 23cm) as a travel extra when travelling with the Superlight ticket. Finnair Plus Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum Lumo members have this bigger carry-on bag as a tier benefit when travelling with the Superlight ticket.

The Light ticket, which includes a small bag and a carry-on bag, continues to be available for long-haul journeys and for Business Class journeys within Europe. This also means that when your European flight is connected to a long-haul flight, your journey is considered a long-haul journey, and therefore Light ticket is also available for the European leg of the journey.

How can I compare different ticket options?

Which ticket you should choose depends on your needs. Different ticket types come with different flexibility for reservation changes and services included.

After purchasing your ticket, you’ll see the services included in it in Manage booking and Finnair app – and you can always further tailor your experience with our travel extras.

What changes with the baggage allowances for Business Class?

The baggage allowance for Business Class travellers decreases, for both short-haul and long-haul journeys. When travelling in Business Class, you can bring one carry-on bag (55cm x 40cm x 23cm) and a small bag (40cm x 30cm x15cm) weighing a maximum of 8kg together. Business Class Classic and Flex tickets will also include one checked bag. You can buy extra checked bags as a travel extra.

All special baggage, such as golf bags and skis, and heavy bags up to 32kg, are available only as travel extras.

What are the size and weight limits for checked baggage?

The maximum measurements for a standard-size checked bag are 90cm x 75cm x 45cm, and the maximum weight is 23kg.

Can you explain what kind of carry-on baggage different tickets include?

Superlight ticket includes only one small bag (40cm x 30cm x 15cm) that is placed under the seat and nothing extra. You can purchase a bigger carry-on bag (55cm x 40cm x 23cm) for your Superlight ticket as a travel extra. Finnair Plus Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum Lumo members travelling with the Superlight have a carry-on bag as a tier benefit.

All other tickets include one carry-on bag and a small bag that is placed under the seat weighing a maximum of 8kg together. This also applies to all Business Class travellers, when the ticket is purchased on 1 June 2023 or later.

Where can I check my baggage allowance?

You can check the baggage allowance included in your ticket from your e-ticket, Finnair mobile app, or Manage booking service.

Where can I buy a carry-on bag as a travel extra?

We encourage you to purchase any travel extras in advance before you travel. You can purchase carry-on bags as travel extras when booking your tickets or afterwards in Manage booking or via Finnair app. When purchasing a carry-on bag as a travel extra at the airport, the price is higher.

Can I buy extra carry-on bags with other tickets?

You can buy carry-on bags as travel extras only when you have a Superlight ticket. We need to limit the amount of carry-on baggage onboard, as the storage space tends to get very full.

How will you ensure people don’t bring oversized carry-on bags with them anymore?

Our ground crew at the airport check-in and gate areas will monitor that the baggage allowance is followed. To support smooth boarding and on-time departures during the peak summer travel season, we will enhance the monitoring of carry-on baggage at airports from May 2023. Excess carry-on baggage will be moved to the cargo hold at a cost.

How can I choose my preferred seat for my flight?

When you have a Superlight, Light or Classic ticket, you can choose your favourite seat for your flight by purchasing it in advance when buying a ticket or afterwards in Manage booking or the Finnair app, or otherwise, let us choose a seat for you. This means complimentary seat selection is not available during check-in with these ticket types when the ticket is purchased on 1 June 2023 or later. With Flex tickets, you can select standard and preferred seats complimentary also before check-in.

We do our best to offer seats next to each other to travellers on the same reservation, but this is not always possible. If you want to select your preferred seat or make sure that you are seated next to your travel companion, you can purchase a seat in advance. Our system assigns children under 12 to sit next to at least one adult on the same reservation. If the system fails to find seats for the children next to a familiar adult, we will fix it in customer service or at the airport.

What if I purchased my ticket before 1 June?

The Superlight ticket will be available as of 1 June 2023. If you have an Economy Light ticket for a European flight purchased by 31 May 2023, you will travel with your original ticket and services included in it.

The updated services included in the different ticket types are valid for tickets purchased from 1 June 2023 onwards. If you bought your ticket before 1 June 2023, your ticket includes the services that were valid at the time of the purchase, regardless of your travel dates. However, we have made some changes to inflight services already as of 19 April 2023 on all flights.