Bitter Finnair customers vent their disappointment – The company apologizes for the inconvenience

Finnair customers share their experiences with flight rerouting and travel date changes on social media.

Many people’s travel plans have been changed after Finnair canceled hundreds of flights in early summer due to labor disputes.

Flight cancellations have affected Finnair’s reputation, according to social media discussions in recent weeks.

The discussion has been held on Jodel and Tiktok, among others.

– Finnair doesn’t seem very reliable anymore, with all the strikes and cancellations.

Another commenter says that he doesn’t feel like choosing Finnair in the future.

– I have always been a loyal Finnair user, but at the moment I would not book anything from them.

Finnair’s Director of Rerouting Sami Suokas commented to Iltalehti via email.

He reminds us that the majority of Finnair flights are operated normally.

“We are truly sorry for the uncertainty and inconvenience this situation has caused. We are doing our best to minimize the impact on our customers’ travel plans,” he assures.

Although an agreement has been reached in the labor dispute, according to current information, hundreds of flights will be canceled for Midsummer week.

Long rerouting and shortened vacation

Finnair’s customer service has become congested, which is why many have ended up asking for advice on social media.

There has been uncertainty, for example, about what to do when a flight is canceled due to industrial action.

“Our customers can accept the new flight we offer, move their travel date without additional charge, or cancel their trip and request a refund in the My Reservation service,” Suokas explains.

In comments on social media, many people talk about long reroutings and flight delays for days.

– Nice that Finnair shortened this week’s vacation, commented one person, who said on social media that his flight had been moved from Monday to Thursday..

Another commenter has a similar experience when Finnair rerouted their return flight a day earlier than originally planned.

– We missed a whole day of our vacation and the hotel had already been paid for that night. Finnair didn’t compensate us for anything, he says.

One commenter says that he had three flights cancelled due to strikes, none of which he received compensation for. One of the rerouted flights, he said, was 16 hours late.

One commenter tells about a group of three friends’ trip home from France to Finland, where he got a direct replacement flight, but the friends had a layover – the other friend, according to him, via Japan.

– He preferred to stay in France for two extra nights and then take a direct flight home. There was no compensation for hotels or additional expenses, the commentator says, and wonders whether Finnair’s passenger levels affected the friends’ routes.

Suokas says that they strive to find the best possible available option for all customers.

He also explains why in the example situation the hotel will not receive compensation from Finnair.

“In the case of cancellations due to industrial action, our customers are informed of the flight cancellation before their trip, so in practice we help passengers with possible rerouting depending on the flight availability. We operate in accordance with EU regulations,” Suokas clarifies.

Finally, he reminds us that if rerouting significantly delays the journey or the flight is significantly delayed, the airline may be obliged to pay compensation in accordance with EU regulations.