Finnair

Customer service is terrible

If all goes well, no issue, then you don't notice it, but still get lousy food, no inflight entertainment or anything else, also they charge you for everything even water , worse than Ryanair ( but Ryanair sells you 1£ tickets not 1000€ ones!)

On a recent flight, connecting via Helsinki, the connecting flight was cancelled.

That's when you see what material customer service is made off.

- first no info, even the gate lady ( finnair employee) didn't know

- then no announcement, flight still showed to be leaving at scheduled hour despite being 45 min past - the gate agent told some passengers it was cancelled and rumor spread

- next issue, getting on another flight. Finnair transfer desk now tells all 30-40 passengers that this was not a Finnair flight but some tuck-tuck dmall operator so not their problem! Amazing! All tickets are issued as Finnair- really not customers problem if they then outsource their responsibility- only when facing an angry mob of 30 complaining passengers outraged by their attitude did someone accompany the group to another service desk. There these friendlier staff issued jotel vouchers and rebooked on nect morning 0800 flight- good enough! Right? In your dream

- attempt to check in early Sunday morning at Helsinki : the booking on 0800 flight is not there! Of course! Again passengers there ( fewer as not everyone arrives at ssme time) are again being told that it is not Finnairs problem- as people are outrage - a superbisor arrives- she is a real piece of work- rude and impolite to customers- when someone protest that this is unacceptable behavour - no threathening behavior just stating calmy these facts - she threathen to call security on the guy- total soviet police state attitude

- contemplating things as i was neatimg the general service desk- i realized that this eill probably not work out too well and i will be stuck all day in Hel...( tul tuk outsourced airline had only 1 flight a day, evening).. So i bought a ticket on Norwegian at own expense on flight leaving 1,5 hr later. Smiling staff, cheap price, free wifi, no problems, good attitude.

The main take away:

- finnair takes no responsibility to fix and deliver what they sell you ( expensively)- that's a resl brand killer- ok problems arise it happens but you expect the airline to own up to their responsibility

- you're in the service business! Well not Finnair - the company culture is totally customer unfriendly from impossibility to reach someone on phone, which they charge you 1€/min in waiting time too, to totally rude and obnocious ground staff! Which furthermore are rather incompetent as totally unhelpful in most issues apart from tagging baggages ( cabin staff are better but i believe it's probably because they outsourced cabin staffing to some lower cost asian snd /or spanish providers and they are happier people by nature?)

- seriously- Finnair is toast in the long run -

Flights were fine, damage to baggage was the issue, After reporting damage at Heathrow I wrote to Finnair as follows.

"Prior to departing Singapore on 05 Feb we booked in four pieces of luggage on AY82 booked through on AY831 from Helsinki to London.

Following arrival at Heathrow we found our four bags left unattended by the belt despite the fact no other bags had reached the belt. We immediately noticed the two smaller bags had been damaged beyond repair, photographs are attached.

Please note these bags were less than two years old and in perfect condition when handed in.

We contacted Global Baggage Solutions who act on your behalf. They agreed both bags were damaged beyond repair and informed us if it had been any of the major airlines involved they would have been able to immediately replace our bags but Finnair refused to do this. Instead we were informed they would send a damage report to you following which we would have to submit a claim on our return home.

Each of these bags cost us some US$260 so we are therefore making a claim for US$520 against Finnair, please inform us how you intend paying this."

All we have heard to date is "Thank you for your feedback. Your opinion of our service is important to us. Your case number is XXX . We are currently experiencing some backlog. We are sorry for the delay in replying to your feedback. Thank you for your patience!"

We were told at Heathrow with other airlines our bags would have been replaced there and then but Finnair refuses to do this. For now it seams they are just ignoring my claim.

DOUBLE BAD LUCK WITH FINNAIR JUST IN ONE DAY

You see, my older daughter, Ksenia, is disable person of 15 yr old. And she had to pass thru very serious and painfull surgery in Helsinki in September 4 2013. That's why I, my wife and my younger daughter ( 1 yr and 2 months) accompanied during her stay in hospital in Finland. For Ksenia mobility we have big Pixi model stroller and for my younger daughter - standard small baby stroller (Brio brand). Having check-in Moscow on Septemer 1st we got the permission to use the stroller of my younger daughter to the entrance of airplane. And the representative of Finnair at Sheremetyevo airport also advised us that she put into the system the permission to use the small stroller of my younger daughter to the entrance of airplane of our wayback from Helsinki to Moscow.

And upon check-in on September 22d at stand No.217 the representative of Finnair didn't allow to keep stroller for my younger daughter with us - up to the entrance of airplane although my younger daughter is unnder 2 yr, we got the permission as I advised the above, we have disable older daughter in her big stroller and other belongings. Moreover there was no airport stroller in close vicinity. And I was really flubergasted that the said representative granted the right to keep the stroller for the pair with older kid and bigger stroller. Also I would like to stress impoliteness and not friendly attitude of Finnair rep at Helsinki airport. And we have to use not comfortable airport stroller for my younger daughter. And I passed the appropriate claim to Finnair staff upon departure to Moscow.

Unfortunately it was just the beginning of our really bad experience with Finnair. As I told before we left the special stroller of my older daughter at the entrance of airplane and I was assured that we receive it upon our arrival to Moscow Sheremetyevo. But we didn't get it just because somebody at Finnair team didn't send it with us. Let's imagine - we have Ksenia after serious surgery which was only 2 wks before + my younger daughter + many suitcases, I ordered the taxi to 13:20 Moscow time. And my poor older girl had to suffer during 2 hours by desperately waiting if Finnair deliver her stroller... And it didn't happen ! We spent a lot of nervus to wait for nothing...

To resume all my family really dissatisfied by so-called Finnair service and especially their real attitude to disable person.

My husband and I got a long distance flight with Finnair. We had never flight with them but we had great expectations.

First of all, when we got in the plane ( it was quite an old plane, never been in such a plane in my life before), it was really hot so I asked the staff to put on air conditioning. She said in few minutes they would. But all the flight (10 hours flight) was so hot I couldn't sleep at all and couldn't stop sweating.

Then, it took quite a long time for them to turn off the lights so I asked for an eyemask and they said they didn't have any. They only gave us a pillow and a blanket and earphones. It was the first time that I hadn't received an eyemask in a long distance flight.

Not only that was enough but they didn't gave us any snacks at all. From dinner the next meal was breakfast. I was hungry after several hours without eating nor sleeping.

Furthermore, if you wanted to ask something to the staff, they rarely were in the ales.

Neither my husband or I had ever had such a bad experience in a flight.

We will NEVER fly with finnair again nor recommend it to any of our friends. It's really worth it spending a bit more money and flying with any other airline, no doubt about it.

I don't have any complaints about the flight--I flew economy and got a substantial, comfy blanket and a seat that reclines back really far. Probably the best sleep I've ever gotten during a long flight. Flight attendants were quite friendly. The food was a cut above most economy meals, too! Entertainment selection was quite good.

The service on the ground, however, sucks. They bury their customer service number on the site (never a good sign), and you need to be a member of their loyalty program to get free 24/7 service--otherwise it's limited hours, long waits, and crazy expensive!

The woman who answered me was so RUDE--she raised her voice with me when she asked for my ticket number and I said I didn't know how to find it, and she wouldn't tell me. She just kept asking for it over and over, getting angrier. Unbelievable! I used to work in a call center, I'd have been fired on the spot if I dared talk to a customer like that, sheesh!