Finnair to add Chicago to its network

Finnair have been building and growing their network in Asia for some time. However, it has turned its eyes over to the west, and the United States of America, with the announcement of a new service between Helsinki and Chicago O’Hare International

Finnair Airbus A330 at New York JFK – Image Economy Class and Beyond

The route to Chicago will not have an aggressive start, with only three services a week between the two cities from June 2015.

The timetable looks like this:

AY009 DEPART HEL 17:25 ARRIVE ORD 18:40
AY010 DEPART ORD 22:00 ARRIVE HEL 14:50+1

Operates Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays in both directions 
Booked Equipment: Airbus A330-300
Commences: 13th June 2015
Data: Airlineroute

A three-time-a-week service is akin to dipping your toes in the water to see what the temperature is like – is it going to be too cold or too hot (so that a service isn’t viable), or is it just right, or is there room for the service to expand in the future.

None the less, it’s an interesting addition to the network, where they serve New York, Miami (from December) and Toronto (seasonally).

Finnair is also a member of the Atlantic Joint Business Agreement between American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia and US Airways, allowing cross selling and coordination of routes and fares.

More options are always welcome across the Atlantic, and if this opens up new flows of traffic from Europe and Asia – the better.

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