Oneworld Emerald level customers are in for a treat! Finnair, which otherwise feels like the most expensive low-cost airline in Europe, has really outdone themselves this time. They have removed free carry-on bags from their cheapest tickets, turned Finnair Plus into a spend based program, removed all additional benefits from oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members, reduced the maximum weight of checked-in luggage in business class if you upgrade and so on… After this continuous decline on every aspect, I was surprised to see that Finnair Platinum Corner lounge is probably the best Schengen lounge in Europe!
Finnair has operated Platinum Wing first class lounge for the longest time for flights that go out of the Schengen zone. The real issue for any flights within the Schengen zone has been the underwhelming lounge option Finnair has had in the Schengen terminal. Not anymore! The new Finnair Platinum Corner lounge in Helsinki is here to save the day. At least for oneworld Emeralds and people with a same-day connecting flight in first class.
Location
Helsinki Vantaa airport has gone through a massive renovation in the recent past, and this lounge is located where the priority security check used to be. It definitely brings back some memories from an era before the pandemic. To find the Finnair Platinum Corner lounge, just take a right after clearing the security.
The lounge is located upstairs. There is an escalator taking you up there, but when you leave, you have to walk down the stairs. Better not overeat in the lounge!
There are two doors upstairs. The one on the left takes you to the business lounge. The one on the right takes you to Platinum Corner. I was surprised that I did not see a oneworld Emerald logo by the door at all. Maybe this is their cost-cutting strategy – people eligible for Platinum Corner might accidentally go to the crappy lounge.
Amenities
The lounge looks super nice in comparison to the previous lounge. As soon as you enter the lounge, you are greeted by a stunningly luxurious corridor that takes you to the lounge.
There are showers in the lounge and closets to stow your luggage. You can book a shower directly from the shower door, which is quite convenient.
If you need to make a call, there are two sound-proof booths for some private calls. I just wonder if two booths is enough. Especially in the mornings, there will be plenty of business travellers flying to other European cities. There might be quite a line for those booths.
Food
At first, the food section does not look like much. But it is not about quantity but quality here. The dishes were both healthy and extremely tasty! I liked it that the chicken salad had actually big pieces of chicken in it! The regular Schengen lounge barely has any meat at all in the dishes anymore.
Beverages
There are several types of wine, sparkling wine and beer. There is even some of their signature blueberry juice in the alcoholic section. Odd, but I take it, I guess.
There is also soda, juice, water, coffee and tea. Pretty standard, I would say. Of course, there could be more to drink, but then again, Schengen lounges are not usually as fancy as the lounge outside of Schengen.
Seats
There are plenty of different kinds of design chairs in the lounge. Finnair Platinum Corner lounge is quite compact, but it manages to have something for everyone.
My personal favorite were the chairs that looked almost like the business class seats Finnair has on their long-haul flights. I could almost feel like I was flying to a distant destination while sitting there.
Conclusions
I was positively surprised when I visited this lounge for the first time. Now I don’t feel quite as bad when I am flying in Europe and I can’t access the Platinum Wing. Finnair Platinum Corner is quite nice and I know I will have a blast there for flights to come! Something good after all these years of decline in Finnair’s level of service.
