Is Finnair going to resume Los Angeles service this year? According to Wikipedia, Finnair will resume HEL-LAX on 1 November 2017. Is this really going to happen or is it just someone having fun?
Someone also wrote in other thread that it's likely that AY will launch LAX service. However, I haven't found any news about that.

You didn´t think to check the Finnair website first? See if you could start a dummy booking after Nov.1st, HEL-LAX nonstop?

I just so happen to have a friend at Finnair who is a flight attendant, she does long haul international flights, i can ask her

I made some searches and couldn't find direct flights from HEL to LAX at least not on some days in Nov-Dec. That doesn't mean there aren't other days when there are flights. Finnair's own webpage says about Los Angeles destination that flights there have a connection.

But, I think this will possibly happen. They have a lot of capacity coming.

No, AY is not going to open this route November and not even S18 schedule. SFO is their only destination at west coast and that is only seasonal.

But, I think this will possibly happen. They have a lot of capacity coming.

They get only one A350 more this month and next A350 is coming Q4/2018. They have allready booked all their capasity at S18 schedule.

There was a rumour about this on this forum not so long time ago. It won't happen this year, but maybe next.

I find it kind of strange why Finnair considered SFO before LAX. Otherwise, I think LAX would be a nice addition to the AY network.

NichCage wrote:

I find it kind of strange why Finnair considered SFO before LAX. Otherwise, I think LAX would be a nice addition to the AY network.

Lots of tech connections between Finland and the Bay Area. LAX not as much.

Finnair advertises faster flying times to Asia via their Helsinki flights from Continental Europe. Could a Finnair Los Angeles flight be competitive for Asia-bound passengers?

I wonder how attractive AY flying times and airfares would be when you compare flying LAX-HEL-BKK versus flying EK LAX-DXB-BKK.

Could AY capture a significant amount of these fare-conscious passengers originating from Los Angeles, for example, versus EK's current low fares to Asia? I've seen competitive Y fares on EK via DXB compared to let's say, CI LAX-BKK via TPE.

In any case, Finnair could be a nice add to the LAX roster of airlines.

A friend of mine is a pilot at AY, she just started flying the A330. She has not heard anything about LAX, although we both have seen AY advertising LAX on the net.

rwsea wrote:

NichCage wrote:

I find it kind of strange why Finnair considered SFO before LAX. Otherwise, I think LAX would be a nice addition to the AY network.

Lots of tech connections between Finland and the Bay Area. LAX not as much.

With a larger flying populace + immunized partner airline at LAX, it did seem odd that they'd add SFO first.

But I guess that explains it.

LAX772LR wrote:

rwsea wrote:

NichCage wrote:

I find it kind of strange why Finnair considered SFO before LAX. Otherwise, I think LAX would be a nice addition to the AY network.

Lots of tech connections between Finland and the Bay Area. LAX not as much.

With a larger flying populace + immunized partner airline at LAX, it did seem odd that they'd add SFO first.

But I guess that explains it.

so far nothing on Amadeus about this route, maybe they have to update the availability

rwsea wrote:

NichCage wrote:

I find it kind of strange why Finnair considered SFO before LAX. Otherwise, I think LAX would be a nice addition to the AY network.

Lots of tech connections between Finland and the Bay Area. LAX not as much.

Yes like the game industry.

AirAfreak wrote:

Finnair advertises faster flying times to Asia via their Helsinki flights from Continental Europe. Could a Finnair Los Angeles flight be competitive for Asia-bound passengers?

I wonder how attractive AY flying times and airfares would be when you compare flying LAX-HEL-BKK versus flying EK LAX-DXB-BKK.

Could AY capture a significant amount of these fare-conscious passengers originating from Los Angeles, for example, versus EK's current low fares to Asia? I've seen competitive Y fares on EK via DXB compared to let's say, CI LAX-BKK via TPE.

In any case, Finnair could be a nice add to the LAX roster of airlines.

In theory something like LAX-HEL-BKK could work. In September AY offer SFO-HEL-BKK, total travel time around 22h with 90min connection. EK's timetable shows 25h travel time, CI have 18h. But I doubt smallish Finnair could seriously compete on that market, with their current business model.

Anyways it would be cool if they returned to LAX, they flew HEL-SEA-LAX with DC-10 in the 1980s.

I seem to remember that in addition to SFO being a bigger tech connection to HEL, SFO fits into AY's strategy of having long-haul destinations that utilize no more than one aircraft frame. SFO just barely fits at the extreme edge of this, while LAX does not (a LAX-HEL rotation would take more than one aircraft day to accomplish including ground time on both ends).

AirAfreak wrote:

Finnair advertises faster flying times to Asia via their Helsinki flights from Continental Europe. Could a Finnair Los Angeles flight be competitive for Asia-bound passengers?

I wonder how attractive AY flying times and airfares would be when you compare flying LAX-HEL-BKK versus flying EK LAX-DXB-BKK.

It depends on where in Asia, but generally no, for the majority of LAX-Asia travelers LAX-HEL-Asia won't be a shorter distance (or total travel time) than LAX-NRT/ICN/PEK-Asia (or one of the many LAX non-stops). Play around a bit with Great Circle Mapper. Farther north and west in Asia gives HEL an advantage. Ankara? Yes, by (many) miles.

MIflyer12 wrote:

Ankara? Yes, by (many) miles.

Yes that corner looks better on the Great Circle map, Finnair just don't serve the main cities in Turkey, only the beach resorts. Tel Aviv could be one candidate.

OH-LGA wrote:

I seem to remember that in addition to SFO being a bigger tech connection to HEL, SFO fits into AY's strategy of having long-haul destinations that utilize no more than one aircraft frame. SFO just barely fits at the extreme edge of this, while LAX does not (a LAX-HEL rotation would take more than one aircraft day to accomplish including ground time on both ends).

That's a strange strategy, seems inefficient. They could easily rotate the aircraft with a route that takes less than 1 whole airframe, for example HEL-PEK. HEL-LAX-HEL-PEK-HEL would take 2 frames, for 2 routes.

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