My third visit to the new Finnair Platinum Wing in the non-Schengen area at Helsinki Vantaa airport. A late afternoon visit with two hours and 40 minutes between flights. Just perfect for a glass of champagne from the manned bar, half an hour in the sauna and then an early dinner in the a la carte restaurant.
The late afternoon is usually the busiest time of the day in the non-Schengen area in Helsinki, and of course also in the Finnair lounges. There are plenty of flights leaving to Asia around 5 pm.
The good thing though is that in contrast to the Finnair Premium Lounge, which was initially available also to Finnair Gold and OneWorld Sapphire members, the Finnair Platinum Wing will only be available to Finnair Platinum, Finnair Lumo and OneWorld Emerald passengers, however they do let Finnair Gold members in during a limited time while the business lounge is being refurbished, as there is simply very limited seating in there.
I started off the visit with a glass of champagne from the bar. They have the Joseph Perrier champagne there with either the standard champagne or the pink one.
After a very relaxing visit to the sauna it was time for an early dinner in the a la carte restaurant. The tables are very elegantly decorated with a napkin and cutlery as well as glasses and a carafe from Iittala.
The a la carte menu includes three choices of main course as well as two desserts. Very interestingly all five options are completely different from my previous (and first) visit to the Platinum Wing in June. That is rather impressive.
As I had a seat one of the lounge attendants approached my table, invited me to have a look in the menu and then asked me if I wanted something to drink. I asked for a glass of red wine and had two options. I went for the Shiraz wine, which was excellent. While the main course was being prepared I was invited to help myself to some starters from the self-service buffet.
I went for the roasted lamb for the main course, served with lingonberry sauce. I like lamb and the dish was tasty, even though it may be a bit tricky to eat. I was also offered a top-up of the wine. The other two main courses were vendace with dill butter and vegetable wok with tofu.
There were two choices of dessert. Italian ice cream or chocolate cake with berries. I went for the first one.
Just like last time the lounge staff really excelled with the presentation of the dessert. Just lovely. There are also some more desserts, cheeses and petit fours available for self service on the desserts table in the restaurant area.
After I had finished my meal I had a seat in one of the rather comfortable cubicle seats, got a cup of coffee and ordered a gin & tonic from the manned bar. The selection of gins is excellent and this time I went for the Hernö gin, a Swedish gin brand produced in Härnösand in the northern part of Swedish. Just as I finished it was time to proceed to the gate for the flight to Tokyo.
The Finnair Platinum Wing is located in the non-Schengen transit hall at Helsinki Vantaa airport.
To get in you need to have a Finnair Platinum, a Finnair Platinum Lumo or a OneWorld Emerald card, and you need to travel on a Finnair or a OneWorld flight the same day. You also need to travel on a longhaul flight or on a shorthaul flight to a non-Schengen destination such as the UK or Russia. Presumably you also get in when connecting from a longhaul flight to a shorthaul flight.
Final impression
Another excellent meal in the Finnair Platinum Wing with decent meal options, excellent wines, friendly and attentive service and a nice atmosphere. Combine it with a cocktail from the excellent manned bar and 20 minutes in the sauna and you have a great lounge visit.
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