Finnair AY604 Ivalo-Helsinki A321 Economy

1. Total Score: 6/10 Points (🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑)
2. One-line Summary:
   • An economy class that covers the basics, and only the basics.
3. Route:
   • IVL (Ivalo Airport, Finland) → HEL (Helsinki Airport, Finland), AY604, 13:45 → 15:20, Duration 1h 35m
4. Aircraft Type: A321-200, OH-LZI (Dec 2013 delivered, 11-year-old)
5. Ticket Price: Iberia Plus 6,000 Avios + $38.9
6. Seat: 1A, Economy Class, Window Seat, Bulkhead Seat
7. Check-in & Baggage Allowance
8. Departure Lounge
9. Boarding Process
10. Cabin & Seat Detail
11. Food & Beverage
12. In-flight Entertainment & Wi-Fi
13. Landing & Immigration
14. What Could Be Better
15. Final Thoughts & Conclusion

Ivalo Airport View and Security Check Entrance

Finnair Check-in Counter at Ivalo Airport

I arrived at Ivalo Airport about an hour and 40 minutes before my flight to Helsinki. Ivalo Airport is a small facility with a total of 8 routes, handling around 6 flights a day. About half of those are bound for Helsinki, and some even make a stopover at Kittilä (KTT) Airport. When I arrived, the line at the check-in counter was quite long. Fortunately, as a oneworld Sapphire member, I was able to use the priority check-in counter and drop my bags with almost no wait. Finnair does not include free checked baggage for ‘Light’ fares. However, partner award tickets aren’t considered Light fares, so they include one free 23kg checked bag per ticket. With oneworld Sapphire status, I was entitled to an additional 23kg bag. There were four check-in counters open, but since my flight was carrying about 210 passengers, the line was long enough to make me worry if everyone could check in before the deadline. While they probably wouldn’t close the counter 45 minutes before departure if there’s still a line, I highly recommend arriving a bit early if you’re flying an A321 out of Ivalo on Finnair. Given the airport’s small size, there were only two security checkpoints, which also had quite a line. It took about 20 minutes to pass through security.

Ivalo Airport Passport Control (Left) and Landside Shop (Right)

As a small regional hub, Ivalo Airport doesn’t have any lounges. The compact, single-story terminal simply features a convenience store selling various items and a small cafe. Interestingly, despite being a tiny airport, it has a Passport Control area since it handles flights to and from non-Schengen destinations.

Ivalo Airport Gate 5 (Left) and our Finnair A321 Aircraft (Right)

Boarding was scheduled to begin at 13:25—about 20 minutes before departure—but due to a slight delay, it didn’t start until closer to 13:40. Just like at Helsinki Airport, boarding followed a sequence: pre-boarding, then Groups 1 through 4. However, because the airport is so small and everyone was gathered around the gate, it was chaotic and nearly impossible to tell which group was boarding or where the line started. Two sets of airstairs were used for boarding, allowing passengers to enter from both the front and the rear. Even so, boarding over 200 passengers took more than 25 minutes, which made me think this might be a contributing factor to the frequent minor delays. More notably, unlike in the US, the overhead bins weren’t very spacious, meaning carry-on luggage had to be laid flat rather than stored upright. This led to a shortage of bin space. If you’re traveling with a carry-on, you should try to board as early as possible.

Finnair A321 Economy Bulkhead Seat

Finnair’s A321-200 is a standard narrow-body aircraft with a 3-3 configuration. Seat pitch ranges from a minimum of 30 inches to a maximum of 31.5 inches, with the slightly roomier seats located in rows 2 through 9. (These seats are sometimes operated as Euro Business class depending on the route and demand). I sat in row 1A, the very first row. The legroom in 1A was a bit tighter compared to the bulkhead seats on Finnair’s A350 or E190 that I flew previously, but it wasn’t overly uncomfortable. The seat itself was a standard European economy seat (Recaro 3530) featuring a fixed, fabric-covered headrest. Overall, I’d say the seating is slightly better than Korean low-cost carriers, but a step below Korean Air.

Finnair Pre-order Meal Nordic Combo (Left), Panini (Right)

Since the flight from Ivalo to Helsinki is a short hop of about 1 hour and 30 minutes, there’s only one beverage service. As always, water and blueberry juice are complimentary, while other drinks and snacks are available for purchase. Given the timing, I had pre-ordered some food for lunch. I opted for the Nordic Combo—which includes chocolate, a smoothie, and a salmon sandwich—along with a panini. At €12.90 and €9.90 respectively, the prices felt quite reasonable considering Nordic price levels and the captive environment of an airplane. You can also pre-order pizza and other sandwiches, mostly ranging from €9 to €15, which seemed like a great option if you are flying at an odd hour. The taste was ordinary—nothing mind-blowing, but certainly not bad. If you didn’t pre-order, you could still purchase hot meals onboard like oatmeal, curry noodles, or pasta bolognese, along with simple snacks and alcoholic beverages. However, since the onboard selection is limited, I strongly suggest pre-ordering your meals.

Finnair In-flight Entertainment

Finnair In-flight Entertainment

Finnair’s A321 doesn’t have personal in-flight entertainment monitors, but you can access their entertainment system by connecting your own device to the onboard Wi-Fi. Messaging is free, while a full internet pass costs €5.95 for an hour on short-haul flights, or €9.95 for the entire flight. However, for flights under two hours, you’ll only be at cruising altitude for an hour to an hour and a half max, so I recommend just buying the 1-hour pass. These rates are for Finnair Plus members, so if you’re not a member yet, it’s worth signing up to get these prices. You can also check the flight status through the entertainment portal. A fun touch was their custom Finnair Aviation Game. Sure, it wasn’t a high-quality masterpiece, but I applaud airlines that put effort into creating their own games and content.

Helsinki Airport Apron (Left), Inside Helsinki Airport Airside (Center), Helsinki Airport Baggage Info Board (Right)

Considering our slightly delayed departure, my flight landed at Helsinki Airport without being too late. Since Helsinki isn’t an overwhelmingly busy airport, the lack of traffic-induced delays during takeoff and landing is a huge plus. Once you disembark, just follow the ‘Arrivals’ signs to reach baggage claim. The baggage claim area at Helsinki Airport was very spacious and clean. After picking up your bags, you can pass through customs and head out to the landside. To catch the HSL airport train, just follow the ‘Train’ signs. Since the train station is located deep underground, I recommend taking the elevator rather than the escalators.

Helsinki Airport Baggage Claim

One major disappointment of this trip was that my bags arrived on the carousel almost dead last, despite having priority tags. I could brush it off if it happened once or twice, but since I experienced the exact same issue at Rovaniemi Airport earlier, I suspect there might be a flaw in Finnair’s priority baggage handling system.

Ivalo Airport (Left), Finnair A321 (Center), Finnair Blueberry Juice (Right)

With this flight, I’ve wrapped up my three Finnair segments. My overall impression of Finnair is that they stick to the basics. There’s no flashy luxury or extreme attention to detail, but there aren’t any major inconveniences either—which might be their biggest strength. However, compared to other major European carriers like Air France, British Airways, or Lufthansa, their complimentary beverage list falls a bit short. The existence of their ‘Superlight’ fare—which doesn’t even allow a standard carry-on—and the ‘Business Light’ fare without lounge access or checked bags might be a letdown for some passengers depending on their situation. Therefore, if you plan to fly Finnair, I strongly advise double-checking your fare type and baggage allowance before purchasing. Still, their signature blueberry juice was delicious.