Late Flight Availability Oslo / Tallinn

I got caught up in the Finnair strikes a couple of weeks ago.

They don't decide until two days prior which flights are being cancelled. (And don't go by which flights did and did not fly on previous flight days.)

I was notified two days ahead of time that my flight was canceled. A few hours later I was offered an alternative. It involved a connection where my canceled flight was direct.

They usually announce which days will be strike days a week or two ahead of time.

Worst comes to worst, both Norwegian and SAS fly between Oslo and Helsinki--although SAS involves a connection. They will probably put you on one of these. No charge to you.

The good news....if you arrive later than you were supposed to by three hours or more, you will get compensation. I go 400 Euros.

I don't know what your trip looks like, so it's a bit hard to give advice. But, if you want peace of mind, there are few things you can do.

Rebook and fly to Tallinn instead. Air Baltic has direct flights from Oslo to Tallinn, and you can then visit Helsinki by ferry. I would do that now, as prices are still reasonable. Or you can add a stop in Stockholm inbetween and take the overnight ferry to Finland. Either for a few hours, or a couple of nights.

Keep in mind that even other airlines can be affected at Finnish airports since Finnair also does a bit of ground handling there.

Right, I had read about the airport being affected with adverse effects on other carriers flights. So, since I was only going to spend 2 nights, 1 full and 2 half days in Helsinki my opt out will be to bypass Helsinki and put the time to Oslo or Tallinn. With various air / ferry options looks like there will be adequate seating even close to time. So wanting to go to Helsinki if I can I'll hang in there as long as I can hoping the situation will resolve.

Be aware...even if your flight day is a strike day, that doesn't mean your flight will be canceled. Not all are.

My flight was canceled but they routed me to my destination the same day albeit seven hours later than planned. But I got there.

We were advised to pack necessary items in our carry ons as baggage handling would be affected.

Food service would also be affected. Only water, blueberry juice (a staple of Finnair) and a cookie would be served in Economy. Biz class would also have the choice of coffee or tea. That's it for domestic and European flights. Transoceanic flights would get full food service.

If they do cancel your flight, and you want to change to a different airline, you will get a full refund. Even if your tickets are non-refundable.

If there was a bright side, Helsinki airport wasn't very crowded.