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When you’re just taking a short hop across Europe, there isn’t often much to separate one airline from the next. But when you have Qantas Frequent Flyer status, choosing certain airlines can make the journey a touch more like Business Class. Even when flying Finnair’s Embraer E190 Economy Class on the cheapest ‘Superlight’ fare type.
Read on to learn more about Finnair, and how this flight saved me hundreds while simultaneously more than doubling the points and status I’d get in return.
Qantas Premier Platinum
- Sign-up Bonus: Up to 90,000 bonus Qantas Points
- Rewards Earn Rate: 1 Qantas Point per whole AU$1 on Domestic Spend up to $10,000 per statement period and 0.5 thereafter. 1.5 Qantas Points per whole AU$1 equivalent on international spend plus 1 additional Qantas Point per whole AU$1 on selected Qantas spend.
- Annual Fee: $349 for the first year and $399 p.a. ongoing
The Qantas Premier Platinum card offers 50,000 bonus Qantas Points for new cardholders who spend $5,000 or more on eligible purchases within 3 months from approval, and an additional 40,000 bonus Qantas Points for those who haven’t earned Qantas Points with a credit or charge card in the last 12 months. The card also includes a discounted first-year annual fee, two complimentary airport lounge passes, and 0% p.a. interest for 6 months on Balance Transfers (a 2% Balance Transfer fee applies).
Hopping aboard Finnair
I’m flying from London to Hamburg via Helsinki, so today’s journey begins at Heathrow Airport. I’m promptly assisted – my boarding passes are issued and my bag is tagged through. Having access to priority check-in through my Qantas status shaved a couple of minutes from the wait time, but even the normal lines weren’t busy. If you have Qantas Silver (oneworld Ruby) or higher, you can do the same.
But why the Finnish detour on this short European hop? Simple. On the day I needed to travel, direct London-Hamburg flights were over AU$750 on British Airways, and Lufthansa one-way fares weren’t cheap either. Naturally, this was the day before a 10,000+ person conference was due to begin. But on Finnair, I could get to Germany for around AU$422, provided I transited through Helsinki.
Some wouldn’t like it, but I wasn’t pressed for time. While saving the company hundreds on airfares, the transit also becomes a small win for my frequent flyer account. Had I booked BA directly, I’d have received 100 Qantas Points plus 10 Status Credits. (Or, 400 Qantas Points plus 20 Status Credits, if BA’s ticket mapped to Flexible Economy). But Finnair delivers more: and from two flights, instead of only one.
I score 550 Qantas Points plus 15 Status Credits just from London to Helsinki. Then another 325 Qantas Points plus 10 Status credits for this Finland-Germany hop in Finnair’s Embraer E190 Economy Class. That’s more rewards for less money – the accountants are happy, and I’m happy too. Talk about a win!
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Holding Qantas status qualifies you for priority check-in, but the regular line isn’t long today either.
While making good progress to keep my Qantas tier for another year, I put my current benefits to good use. As a oneworld Emerald member, I don’t have to pay for a checked bag – even on a Finnair ‘Economy Superlight’ ticket (the cheapest fare class). I also have a quick moment for some afternoon tea in Finnair’s Helsinki Schengen lounge before jetting off to Germany in Embraer E190 Economy Class.
Economy Class seating on the Finnair Embraer E190
As for the flight itself, this is one of the better planes to book when travelling in Economy. That’s because the aircraft is only large enough to have four seats in every row, which means a 2-2 layout. Translation: there’s not a single middle seat on the entire plane. Everybody gets a window view or an aisle seat – it’s bliss.
Today, I’ve chosen seat 8F in Finnair’s Embraer E190 Economy Class. It’s a standard seat by the window. For Economy, legroom is respectable. My knees aren’t pressed against the seat in front. There’s even room to cross my legs, still without touching the seat pocket.
The tray table is a great size for enjoying a beverage while multitasking on an open laptop. I wish there was power, though. Currently, there isn’t so much as a USB socket if you’re in need of a recharge.
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Economy comes in a 2-2 layout on Finnair’s regional jet.
Finnair is currently embarking on a fleetwide seating upgrade on its 12 Embraer E190s. That’s set to be completed by late 2026 – but it seems, introducing inflight power isn’t part of those plans.
Food and beverage in Finnair Embraer E190 Economy Class
If you’re travelling in Finnair’s Economy Class cabin on the Embraer E190, don’t come expecting a meal to be included. For that matter, most drinks are also only provided by purchase. Complimentary choices are limited to blueberry juice and water. For anything else – including tea and coffee – you’ll need to pay.
Knowing my Helsinki transit would be too short for a substantial meal, I’ve pre-ordered lunch. For £8.40 (just under AU$17) via Finnair’s mobile app a few days before I fly, I’ve pre-paid for the chicken bowl. It’s a tasty salad packed with noodles, and enjoyed with water on the side. It’s a little pricey, but remember, I’m still hundreds of dollars ahead compared to the direct flight I’d have otherwise needed to take.
I’m glad that on travel day, I didn’t have to chase down the food. It’s brought straight to my seat after take-off, unprompted. Happy days.
Service and entertainment in Economy on the Finnair Embraer E190
This is a two-hour flight, but unfortunately, there’s no entertainment on Finnair’s Embraer E190 – whether in Economy or Business. Instead, I’ve come prepared with work to do on my laptop. Of course, I also make the most of the picturesque window seat views.
Service-wise, there isn’t much to it. This isn’t the type of trip where you’re regularly interacting with the crew. But my lunch comes quickly and the container disappears promptly. After a spot of pre-conference work, it’s time to land. Because I’ve cleared Schengen passport control in Finland during my transit, I’m free to collect my bag and venture straight to the hotel. Good thing, because I’m a little sleepy after an early start!
The verdict
Finnair’s Embraer E190 Economy Class offering is all about getting from A to B. When you’re not booking at the last minute, fares can be even more affordable than the ‘Superlight’ ticket I purchased. These short intra-Europe sectors can also be a good use of frequent flyer points. At least, on days that are less busy – or when planning further ahead.
As for Finnair’s core inflight offering, it’s relatively basic. Having to pay for food isn’t ideal when you’re already spending a good chunk of coin on the ticket. But when the overall saving still has you hundreds of dollars ahead, it’s hard to complain.
A real upside of travelling with Finnair is its partnership with Qantas. Not just because you can earn (and sometimes, redeem) Qantas Points, but because of status recognition. By regularly flying with Qantas and its partners, I’m able to book literally the cheapest available ticket on the plane – Economy Superlight – and get many of the perks of Business Class.
Checked baggage? Free (up to 23kg), and with a priority tag. Lounge access? I began my day in London in the fantastic Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge, and visited Finnair’s Helsinki lounge in transit. Priority boarding? I’m in group one, so I know there’ll be space for my cabin bag. Even if the inflight food and drink offering isn’t much better than the complete ‘user pays’ experience of EasyJet or Ryanair, it still feels like a win overall.
I didn’t even mention how that Qantas card scored me a free seat upgrade to Finnair Premium Economy on the first leg from London. Now that’s hitting the jackpot!
Also read: How to get free Premium Economy seat upgrades on Finnair
All photography by Chris Chamberlin, who travelled at Point Hacks’ expense.
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Finnair Embraer E190 Economy Class (Helsinki – Hamburg) was last modified: April 7th, 2025 by
While you may feel differently, it’s not the role of a flight review to list every alternative option available. Instead, it tells the story of the journey that was, which can include why that particular flight was chosen, while speaking to a specific audience. In this case, the audience is the traveller who is loyal to either Qantas or oneworld, and prefers to seek out oneworld flights. That audience would have followed the same pattern, defaulting to BA on a short flight from London – and then if the price is unexpectedly high, looking for an alternative that doesn’t deviate from their preferred alliance. To that end, this type of traveller is going to do something exactly as the story describes – saving hundreds of dollars by booking Finnair instead, in a way that still keeps them in the lounge and also earns more Status Credits – rather than going out of their way to fly on a low-cost airline from a secondary airport where everything (baggage, meals, seat selection etc) has to be paid on top, negating many of the savings of taking that alternative path.
For what it’s worth, I also priced Lufthansa to check, but it was in the same league as BA. Neither Ryanair nor EasyJet fly from Heathrow, at which I had arrived. Plus, when you’re flying in the day before a conference attended by over 10,000 people and booking rather close to the event date, finding an affordable airfare takes a little bit of strategy, and that’s part of the fun. 😉
Being mindful that your question has been responded to, and that we are ultimately a website that publishes flight and lounge reviews (which requires taking those very flights, including at our expense as we’ve done here), we’ll switch off discussion here to avoid getting off-track.