Finnair sent out an email late last week to elite members of its frequent flier program about changes to the upgrade process.
Gold, Platinum, and Platinum Lumo members can check the upgrade availability if logged in during the ticket purchase process.
You can access Finnair here.
Notes on the email:
As a Finnair Plus Gold, Platinum or Platinum Lumo member, you can now better utilise your benefits and points for travel class upgrades as you can check upgrade availability already when booking flight tickets on Finnair.com or via Finnair mobile app.
With the new feature, you are able to see the up-to-date upgrade availability for Finnair flights. Just remember to log in before you start booking your tickets. When choosing your flight, simply follow the link Details and upgrades and select the Upgrade availability tab next to Flight details. Currently, the feature shows you only Business Class upgrades.
Please note that we fly some routes without Business Class. Upgrades are only available for scheduled flights operated by Finnair and Norra when your original ticket is issued by Finnair.
If you already have a booking, you can purchase upgrades as before via Finnair mobile app or the online tool on Finnair.com.
Availability Check:
SFO-HEL
KEF-AMS
Conclusion
It is unlikely that the upgrade availability will disappear when you purchase and then apply for the upgrade.
But why not allow purchasing and upgrading the flights at the same time? It would remove one unnecessary step in the process.
The Finnair upgrade waitlist process is weird because if your upgrade doesn’t clear by 37 hours of departure, it won’t. So what does Finnair do with the empty business class seats at the time of departure? At least some of them could have been filled with upgrades.
