New Finnair Connection: From Helsinki to Hermitage..And Back Again to the World

Finnair and Finnish railway operator VR have come together to offer combined air-and-rail tickets between Saint Petersburg and your choice of International destinations, connecting through Helsinki Airport.

These air-to-rail tickets will allow Finnair passengers to enjoy a range of travel experiences, merging the speed and convenience of flight with the romance of rail.

The intermodal tickets allow Finnair customers flying through Europe, Asia and North America to connect to and from Saint Petersburg on the high-speed Allegro train, which is a quick 3 hour and 36 minute journey from Helsinki’s Central Railway Station to Saint Petersburg’s Finland Station and then a quick skip hop and a jump to the historic State Hermitage Museum.  No need to clear passport control and customs–that all happens on the train en route.

The air-to-rail ticket allows stopovers in Helsinki, where art lovers can enjoy the Ateneum Art Museum’s more than 20,000 works, kids at heart can enjoy a ride at Linnanmäki Amusement Park, and those who want a taste of something special can find traditional Finnish and international nibbles at Old Market Hall.  Those fond of other activities will find plenty to do.

“The convenient Allegro train with its two daily frequencies in both directions is a great complement to our twice-daily Saint Petersburg flights,” says Finnair CEO Pekka Vauramo. “Working together with VR, we can effectively extend the catchment area of Helsinki Airport while also helping bring greater numbers of business and leisure travellers to Helsinki. We believe intermodality offers interesting potential for enhancing connections for travellers.”

“Together with Finnair we are offering a new and interesting opportunity for those travelling to and from Saint Petersburg,” says Mikael Aro, CEO of VR. “We believe this is an attractive offer for international travellers.”

When the service opens this October, the intermodal transfer will take around two hours and 45 minutes.  The most convenient transfer via the Finnair City Bus, departing Helsinki Airport and the Central Railway Station about every twenty minutes.  By mid-2015, though, a rail link between Tikkurila Station and Helsinki Airport will open.  Passengers will then travel seamlessly between the Allegro train straight to Helsinki Airport, and from there to other exciting destinations around the world.

 

Featured Image: Woman at Transfer Desk at Helsinki Airport/Finnair

Marisa Garcia

After working for sixteen years in aviation, specializing in aircraft interiors design and aviation safety equipment, and getting hands-on with aircraft cabins in hangars around the world, Marisa Garcia turned her expertise into industry insight. She has been reporting on aviation matters since 2014. Every day, she's putting words to work.

Recommended Articles

1 Comment

  1. […] also introduced a partnership with the Allegro Train for combined air-to-rail tickets which take passengers from Helsinki to St. Petersburg for a tour of the Hermitage, and back […]

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: