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Home » Reviews » Lounge Reviews » Review: Finnair Platinum Wing Helsinki (HEL)
FinnairLounge Reviews

Review: Finnair Platinum Wing Helsinki (HEL)

Matthew Klint Posted onAugust 13, 2020November 14, 2023 6 Comments
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a bar with bottles of alcohol on the counter

Few lounges make me more excited to return to the skies than the Finnair Platinum Wing in Helsinki. This instantly became one of my favorite lounges in the world and is so highly recommended that I would go out of my way to fly Finnair in the future just to access this lounge.


In This Post:

Toggle
  • Finnair Platinum Wing Review
    • Hours + Access
    • Lockers
    • Food + Drink
    • A La Carte Dining
    • Seating
    • Service
    • Restrooms + Showers
    • Sauna
  • CONCLUSION

Finnair Platinum Wing Review


Hours + Access

The lounge is open daily from 5:30AM to 12:00AM and located in the non-Schengen area near gate 52. Hours may vary during the pandemic.

a sign in a building

a sign on a wall

a white wall with text on it

a reception desks in a building

This is not a business class lounge. Instead, it is a status lounge available for Finnair Plus Platinum Lumo members (+ four guests), Platinum members (+ one guest), and oneworld Emerald members (+ one guest).

You’ll scan your boarding pass yourself above a beautiful cluster of lights.

a reception desk in a room

a hallway with a screen on the wall


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Lockers

As you enter, lockers are available if you’ll be staying for awhile. I may be naive, but I feel very safe in these sorts of Nordic lounges and generally will just pick a spot and leave items unattended if I am eating or even showering.

a row of purple lockers

Food + Drink

As you enter the lounge, the first thing you’ll notice is a beautiful bar, fully stocked including a barista happy to make a coffee drink of your choice. I’m pleased to report the cappuccinos were not just good, but great.

a room with a bar and chairs

a bar with a counter and shelves

a bar with a counter and chairs

a bar with a counter and chairs

a bar with a counter and chairs

a bar with a counter and shelves in a room

a shelf with bottles and glasses

a coffee machine and coffee maker on a counter

a bar with a counter top and a bar with glasses and cups

a cup of coffee with a spoon and candy on a plate

I love the Ultima Thule glassware (below) and Marimekko cups (above) found throughout the lounge.

a group of vases with water and lemons

A drink menu includes a number of cocktails and mocktails.

a menu on a table

a menu on a counter

a menu on a table

a menu of a bar

a menu of a restaurant

a menu of a drink

a menu on a table

Further into the lounge you’ll find a large buffet (will it survive COVID-19?) with a selection of freshly-prepared foods depending upon the time of day. The breakfast spread included delicious bread, cold cuts, porridge, fruit, yogurt, preserves, and a number of hot dishes. Additionally, omelets were made to order.

a food on a table in a restaurant

a room with a round table with food on it

a table with different types of food on it

a table with food on it

a group of pots and bowls of food on a counter

a buffet with black lights and silverware

a table with food on it

a table with food on it

a table with food on it

a sign on a table

a plate of food and a cup of coffee on a table

a plate of food on a table

a tray with food and drinks on it

This egg dish with green onions and mushrooms was fabulous. Anyone know what it is called?

a bowl of food on a table

a bowl of fruit and yogurt

For lunch and dinner, the buffet was updated to include appetizers like shrimp, reindeer, goat cheese plus salads, soups, and a number of vegetarian and carnivorous dishes. Choices included turkey filet, perch, vegetable lasagna, and salmon.

a group of bowls of food on a table

a group of pots of food

a group of food on a table

a buffet table with different food items on it

a table with bowls of fruit and drinks

a tray of desserts on a table

A La Carte Dining

The main dining attraction, however, is a la carte dining from 12:00PM to 5:00PM each day. The menu included three main courses: Arctic char, chicken Wallenberg, and an asparagus hotdog.

a sign in a restaurant

a white box with a picture of rice in it

a menu on a white surface

If I had the stomach capacity I would have tried all three, but I did try two of the three.

For starters, I made myself a nice artichoke and arugula salad from the buffet and enjoyed it with delicious dark rye bread with butter.

a plate of salad and glasses on a table

a piece of bread on a plate with butter

a plate of salad on a wood table

First, I tired the Arctic char with orange hollandaise sauce. It was perfect. I loved the spicing on the fish and the fennel was a great touch.

a plate of food on a table

a plate of food on a table

a plate of food with sauce

The asparagus hot dog was too interesting to pass up, so I ordered that as well. Rather than hot dog link, there was an asparagus stalk wrapped in a fried egg with ketchup on the side. Quite honestly, it was a nice substitute for the mystery meat of a hot dog. The sweet potato French fries were also nice.

a plate of food with a drink and a glass of ketchup

a sandwich with asparagus and fries on a plate

a plate of food on a table

a plate of food on a table

Finally for dessert I had rich chocolate cake with ice cream, berries, and a cappuccino.

a plate of dessert with a spoon and a cup of coffee

a dessert in a bowl with a spoon

a dessert with ice cream and berries

a cup of coffee on a saucer

It’s a shame the hours are so limited for this service, because it is one of my favorite features of the lounge.

The lounge also features two self-serve drink stations. One even dispenses different varieties of Rynkeby.

a tablet on a counter

a tablet with drinks on it

a tray of food and condiments

a coffee machine and cups on a counter

Seating

Past the bar is a large seating area that includes comfortable chairs plus a dining area with simple wooden chairs. On the other side of the bar is hidden alcove with about 20 more seats that I never saw occupied even when the lounge got a bit more crowded in the afternoon.

a room with couches and tables

a room with chairs and a tv

a room with chairs and tables and a plant

a row of chairs with a lamp

a room with tables and chairs

a room with tables and chairs

a room with tables and chairs

a room with tables and chairs

a room with a round table with food on it

The hidden seating area:

a group of chairs in a room

a group of chairs and a table in a room

Behind the buffet is another large room with dark furniture, dark carpets, dark walls, and gold accents. It features a combination of couches and chairs and offers the only tarmac views from the lounge.

a room with couches and tables

a room with couches and tables

a room with couches and tables

a room with a blue wall and chairs

a room with chairs and tables and windows

a group of chairs and tables in a room

Service

A friendly barista greeted me as I entered the lounge and offered me coffee before I could even ask. What a great start! She ended up making me three cappuccinos throughout the morning.

The waitress in the a la carte dining area was very friendly as well, insisting that I try the asparagus hot dog when I asked how it was.

There’s also a hidden crew of attendants who keep the lounge spotless. The restrooms and showers were always perfectly in order.

Restrooms + Showers

The lounge includes three shower suites plus a large locker room with three more showers plus restrooms. Shower suites were reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis by simply touching the small monitor outside the door, which reserved the shower for 30 minutes.

a hallway with blue walls and a wood floor

a screen on the wall

a sign on a door

a door with a lock and a green light

a digital device with green lights

a screen with a red light

a bathroom with a sink and toilet

a bathroom with a sink and toilet

a bathroom with a shower and a sink

a group of bottles with labels on them

a hair dryer and shampoo on a counter

Male and female changing rooms separated the common sauna area. In addition to showers and toilets, the changing rooms included key-coded lockers that even had plugs inside so you could charge your devices while enjoying the sauna.

a sign with symbols on it

a sign on a wall

a bathroom with a mirror and stools

a group of boxes on a wooden surface

a shower with a shower head and a hose

a bathroom with a sink and toilet

a lockers with numbers and buttons

a blue locker with a ladder and a stool

a man in a towel rack

a two doors in a sauna

Sauna

We finally each my favorite part of this lounge. The sauna is a central part of Finnish culture and Finnair offers a lovely one in this lounge. Throughout the morning I enjoyed three sessions in the sauna, a soothing exfoliation of sweat and stress. A mood-lighting ceiling outside the sauna conveyed a sense of the morning sky. It is a superb sauna and well-worth the effort of getting undressed (this isn’t Germany so wrap a towel around yourself) and spending 10-20 minutes inside.

a room with a couch and stools

a grey couch with pillows

a door to a sauna

a door and a wall

a room with a light on the ceiling

a bucket of ice and cans

a sign on a blue surface

a bucket and two sticks on a wooden bench

a bowl of rocks in a wooden table

a dark room with a bench and a table

a room with a skylight and a bed

Twice I was alone in the sauna. The final time, there was a Finnish guy in there and we ended up chatting for 15 minutes about COVID-19, which was just beginning to rear its ugly head. He just started talking (in Finnish first, but effortlessly pivoted to English)…apparently that is how it works in Finnish public saunas? So not only did I get to enjoy the sauna itself, but the communal fellowship in Finland that characterizes it. I continue to find Finnish people amongst the friendliest in Europe, which I understand bucks conventional wisdom.

CONCLUSION

I cannot say enough nice things about this lounge and really cannot think of anything I did not like about it. Hopefully it will maintain its lovely character post-pandemic. Even writing this makes me so excited to get back in the air and back to Helsinki.


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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

6 Comments

  1. UA-NYC Reply
    August 13, 2020 at 7:58 pm

    It’s pretty PG, but still not sure you want one of those bathroom shots in there Matthew!

    • Winnie Reply
      August 13, 2020 at 10:44 pm

      Matthew just leave it. For all of us!

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 13, 2020 at 11:20 pm

      Oh wow, that was an oversight. I’ll actually have a couple of deliberate sauna shots when I compare the Air France and Finnair saunas, but this wasn’t one of them.

  2. Jerry Reply
    August 13, 2020 at 7:58 pm

    Can’t believe I haven’t made it to this one. AY is a must fly as soon as it’s worth it.

    I too, seem to get along well with Finns. They always seem to appreciate my sense of humor.

  3. Paolo Reply
    August 14, 2020 at 9:56 am

    Definitely worth a visit. It never seems crowded. The balance between buffet and a la carte works well. I’m not a big fan of lounges, but like this one ( …and the quality of it stands out all the more if it’s sandwiched between visits to the overcrowded and nightmarish lounges at Arlanda and Schipol). Very nice….

  4. Gary Reply
    August 15, 2020 at 1:01 am

    The egg dish you did know is called eggsouffle. In finnish, munakohokas.

    I don’t know the origin, but here in Thailand my wife do it sometime.

    Easy to do: 2 person. -3-4 eggs
    -½dl water
    -salt,pepper
    -green onions or
    leak
    -mushrooms
    -steam about
    20min, enjoy!

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