trip report

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Lounge Review: Finnair Lounge Schengen Helsinki Airport (HEL)

I wasn’t expecting much from the Finnair Schengen region lounge at Helsinki, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this lounge. First, I loved the design of the lounge. It felt airy and open with lots of cool furniture and lighting fixtures. There were large windows, so there was natural light. The lounge was pretty…

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Lounge Review: Platinum Lounge Non-Schengen Budapest Airport (BUD)

To get to this lounge, you need to go up a floor from the gates. It’s accessible via Priority Pass, which is how I entered. It’s worth noting that this is the only lounge in the non-Schengen area of the airport. The lounge was a pleasant place to sit for a little bit. There were…

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Lounge Review: Finnair Premium Lounge Non-Schengen Helsinki Airport (HEL)

I had previously transited the Helsinki airport, but the Finnair Premium Lounge in the non-Schengen region did not exist at the time (the lounges I did visit include the Finnair lounge, the Almost@Home lounge, and the Aspire lounge). Finnair doesn’t have a first class product, so this lounge was opened essentially for oneworld emerald members….

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Flight Review: Finnair Business Class A330-300 KIX to HEL

I’ve flown Finnair before, but this was my first time flying Finnair in business class. Finnair doesn’t fly as much to North America (they used to fly to a number of destinations, but I believe only New York, Miami, and Chicago still have service, with San Francisco coming next year), but they seem to connect…

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Lounge Review: Lounge Pacific Osaka Airport (KIX) North Terminal

Lounge Pacific is the lounge used by the non-JAL oneworld airlines at Osaka Kansai (KIX) airport in the North Terminal (although I think Malaysia Airlines may have since switched to the ANA lounge, but Cathay and Finnair still use Lounge Pacific). Unfortunately, there’s no JAL lounge available in the North Terminal. The lounge is pretty…

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Lounge Review: Korean Air Lounge Osaka (KIX)

The Korean Air lounge at Osaka Kansai (KIX) airport is located outside of security and is accessible via Priority Pass. Go down to the third floor, and look for the lounge sign near Uniqlo. Given that the lounge is located outside of security and immigration, make sure to leave plenty of time to get to…

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Flight Review: Japan Airlines (JAL) Business Class Boeing 787 BKK to KIX

Prior to this flight, I used the JAL lounge in Bangkok, which is decent, but you should probably go to the Cathay Pacific lounge instead if it’s open. For this flight, only the JAL lounge was open. This flight marked the third time I had flown on a Boeing 787, and the third airline’s 787…

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Flight Review: Qatar Airways Business Class Boeing 77W Doha (DOH) to Bangkok (BKK)

My flight from Doha to Bangkok was on a Boeing 77W on Qatar Airways. Qatar now flies an A380 on this route, but it can be hit or miss on whether your flight is actually operated by an A380 (Qatar likes to swap aircraft). On the plus side, in business class, the seats are fully…

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Lounge Review: Bangkok Airways Domestic Lounge BKK Airport

To get from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, I flew Bangkok Airways. I’ve also taken the overnight train, which is a decent way to get between the two cities as well. Bangkok Airways markets itself as a boutique airline, and one cool amenity is that all passengers get “lounge” access. In some airports, this doesn’t mean…

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Lounge Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge Doha Airport (DOH)

At the time I visited the Al Mourjan lounge in Doha, the first class Al Safwa lounge had not yet opened (I have since visited the Al Safwa lounge, but at the rate I’m posting trip reports, it’ll probably take me another… let’s say 6 months to write about it). The Al Mourjan lounge is…