We are slated to arrive in Helsinki May 23 around 2:00pm local time, flying on FinnAir from JFK. Wondering if anyone can provide information about these strikes; how they are affecting arrivals and departures into Helsinki; suggestions for alternative means to get to Helsinki. Spouse and running partner are entered into an Ultra Trail Marathon in Lahti and would need to arrive by 24 May morning at the latest to allow time to acclimate to the area and prerpare for the race.
Thanks
The effect they will have is that many Finnair flights will be cancelled.
I have no specific knowledge beyond what I have seen on the news.
There is probably not much that you can do except proactively monitor the situation. For example, a strike has already been announced for May 16th. Hopefully, future strikes will be announced far enough in advance that you can make alternate arrangements. If a strike is announced for your date of travel, contact the airline immediately to reschedule (e.g., fly earlier).
If there is a strike and flying to Helsinki on a different date won’t work, you could see if the airline could get you to an alternate destination via one of its partners. For example, if you could get to Tallinn, you could take the ferry to Helsinki; the ferry takes around 2 hours. Another option would be Stockholm where you could take an overnight ferry to Helsinki.
I suspect the obvious alternative is to fly into Stockholm then the overnight ferry to Turku and the boat train connection from Turku Satama (Harbour station) as opposed to the regular train from the Town station.
Strikes are now called for May 16 and May 19.
Two strike dates have been announced as mentioned, and there will probably be more. Maybe there will be an agreement and the strikes will be called off, who knows? But it might not be a bad idea to look at a possible plan B.
I'm in a similar predicament. I am currently planning a short trip to Finland to take the train from Rovaniemi to Helsinki. To get to Rovaniemi, I need to fly from Helsinki.
My potential trip is planned at the end of this month. I may reroute away from Finland.
I am supposed to be flying through Helsinki on the 16th. No word from FinnAir yet but I'm assuming one or both of my flights will be cancelled. I can provide more information once I'm notified if helpful.
Below is the announcement of the strike and options that will be provided.
https://www.finnair.com/us-en/flight-information/travel-updates/effects-of-the-finnish-aviation-union-s--iau--industrial-action-on-finnair-flights-on-16-and-19-may-2025--3876776
