Finland’s flag carrier, Finnair, has an important presence in the US and seeks to leverage airline partnerships for further expansion. The oneworld airline recently introduced Avios as its loyalty currency, aligning its frequent flyer program with other alliance members.
An important market
Finnair
has been flying to the US for just over 55 years, with its first destination being New York. According to the airline’s CEO, Turkka Kuusisto, the North Atlantic market has been very important for Finnair, but partnerships are essential for its growth and further development. Speaking at a roundtable session in London, Turkka Kuusisto said to Simple Flying,
“The North Atlantic market has been very important for us. We’ve seen good development, but at the same time, we also need to be humble and be part of those alliances and joint businesses with British Airways and American Airlines. The migration to the Avios platform supports this partnership and cooperation.”
Finnair is a long-standing member of the 
oneworld
alliance,
along with American Airlines and British Airways
. Its hub in Helsinki operates as both a gateway and stopover point between Europe and North America. Earlier this year, Finnair revamped its Finnair Plus loyalty program, making it spend-based and
introducing Avios as its new loyalty currency
.
Photo: Photofex_AUT | Shutterstock
Avios is the loyalty currency of five other airlines: British Airways, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, Iberia, and Vueling. However,
customers can spend and earn Avios with other oneworld carriers
. According to the airline, the new loyalty currency aimed to open new opportunities for earning and spending beyond the previous options offered by its award points.
Related
6 Airlines Now Use Avios For Their Frequent Flyer Programs
More airlines are using Avios for their frequent flyer programs.
Finnair’s United States network
Finnair celebrated 100 years of operations last year
, making it one of the world’s oldest airlines still in service. The airline initially focused on domestic markets before expanding to serve international destinations. New York was its first long-haul destination, launched in May 1969, marking its entry into the US market.
This month, it will fly to three US destinations: New York (JFK), Los Angeles, and Dallas/Fort Worth. According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, the airline has an average of 14 weekly flights to the US in October 2024. JFK is its top destination, with daily flights on the Airbus A330-300.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Dallas is the second most-served airport, with six weekly flights on the A350-900. The airline launched flights to Dallas in March 2022. This coming winter, it plans to increase frequencies on the route to a daily year-round service. Los Angeles is served at least once a week with the A350-900.
The airline also flew from Helsinki to Chicago during summer
, but only until September 1, 2024.
Finnair’s September traffic
Finnair continues to see year-on-year growth in monthly passenger traffic. In September 2024, the carrier transported nearly 1.02 million passengers, a 10.2% increase from September 2023. North Atlantic traffic increased by 5.1% year-on-year. Meanwhile, passenger numbers increased by 10.8% in Asia, 10.2% in Europe, 18.7% in the Middle East, and 24.1% domestically.
Overall capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometers (ASK), grew by 9.0% compared to the previous year. This was due to the additional narrow-body capacity deployed by Finnair after the wet lease-outs to British Airways ended in March 2024. Last month,
Finnair was the fourth most punctual airline in Europe
, with about 79.9% of its flights arriving on time.