Finnair has announced the strengthening of ties with fellow one world alliance members Japan Airlines and Qantas, which give Finnair passengers new codeshares services to Busan, South Korea and Perth, Australia.
Finnair passengers can now reach Busan daily via Tokyo Narita on services operated by Japan Airlines. The Finnish airline, which has made routes connecting Europe to Asia a core part of its long-haul strategy, highlights Busan’s attractiveness as “South Korea’s prosperous second-largest city, with a population of 3.6 million that is growing in economic clout and seeking more connections to Europe.”
Japan Airlines and Finnair already codeshare extensively throughout Europe and Japan, and this new destination represents an expansion of that partnership.
Starting 26 June 2015 Finnair passengers can also connect to Perth via Singapore on services operated by the airlines one world partner Qantas. This adds schedule and route options for Finnair passengers, who can already connect to Perth via Hong Kong on the airline’s one world partner Cathay Pacific.
Finnair passengers can also connect to Australia on Qantas’ or Cathay Pacific’s services to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Cairns Via Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong.
The airline has focused on providing an attractive and competitive in-flight product which also serves to drive traffic from Europe through its hub in Helsinki, an airport which has made great investments to modernise and improve the passenger experience.
Read more here on Skift:
Helsinki Airport’s Plan to Bring One Great Gateway Airport Under Just One Roof
Helsinki Airport’s New Relaxation Area Gives Flyers a Free Place to Sleep
Airports Provide Nordic Designer Pods for Weary Flyers
And the airline has done its part to make the terminal experience special at its lounges:
Finnair Just Raised the Stakes in the Battle for the Best Airport Lounge
But what we’re all really excited about is Finnair’s decision to be the first European carrier to fly the A350 XWB aircraft.
Finnair has given us a peek of the interior, and it’s very attractive, but the long-term question is how well the A350 XWB works with the airline’s Asia strategy.
Finnair Reveals Its Cabins for Its New Long-Haul Airbus Fleet
I have previously reported that Airbus believes high-passenger volume markets, like Asia, are ideally suited to the A350 XWB, but we’ll have to see how it performs. It is a gorgeous aircraft.