Helsinki Airport is a breeze to depart from. It’s small enough for everything to feel nearby, but with all the facilities you’d expect from a hub airport. If you’re departing on a oneworld flight within the Schengen area in business class, or hold oneworld Sapphire or Emerald, you’ll be invited to use the Finnair Business Lounge (Schengen), which is located before passport control. If you’re travelling outside of the Schengen area, Finnair have other options – which I’d recommend heading to instead. In this review though, we’ll be checking out the Schengen area lounge.

Finnair Business Lounge (Schengen) Access

The Finnair Business Lounge (Schengen) is easy to find. It’s located near gate 22, and you’ll need to take the escalator to the third floor. As mentioned above, entry is open to anyone with a oneworld business class ticket, or if you’re a oneworld Sapphire or Emerald member.

Finnair also advertise the ability to purchase lounge access if you wouldn’t otherwise have access. You can do so through ‘manage my booking’.

I arrived at the lounge at approximately 2pm and it was very busy – as such, there was a small queue to enter. An automatic barrier is in place though, which speeds things up a bit.

Finnair Business Lounge (Schengen) Space & Interior

I was connecting in Helsinki from a long-haul Finnair flight in Premium Economy. Having been able to use the Finnair Business Lounge (non-Schengen) on my outbound journey, I was curious to see how the Schengen area lounge would compare. This was my first time visiting Helsinki airport in over seven years, and I was aware the lounges had been refurbished during this period. Typically, lounges in Europe catering for Schengen area flights are somewhat more basic than their non-Schegen conterparts. As such, I wasn’t expecting anything particularly impressive.

Considering what they’re working with, the space itself is nicely designed overall. There are a few different seating zones, although when I arrived, not a huge number of free options! The lounge was extremely busy. The only area with space available was at the back. Fortunately, as the afternoon progressed the lounge became somewhat less busy.

In the space at the back of the lounge you’ll find rows of workpod style armchairs. I personally found them slightly claustrophobic. This isn’t helped by the general darkness of the adjacent area. While there are windows, they look out onto the main airport concourse, and there isn’t a huge deal of natural light.

If seats are available, the much nicer area is by the windows looking out onto the airport apron. This space has a far more relaxed feel to it, and a few different seat types to choose from.

In general, it feels like the lounge has primarily been designed for lone business travellers. If you’re travelling as a couple, or in a small group, there aren’t that many places to sit that feel sociable. To their credit though, Finnair’s focus on business travellers does mean there’s no shortage of power sockets – always helpful!

Food and Drinks at the Finnair Business Lounge (Schengen)

If you’re looking for a snack, or something light, Finnair do a great job. I really like their focus on fresh ingredients and healthier options. The chicken noodle salad was particularly good.

There were a couple of other salad options too, as well as well as a selection of breads.

If you’re searching for something more substantial though, you’re likely to be disappointed. Hot options were limited to a pork stew, rice and vegetables. It was all absolutely fine quality wise, but falls short of feeling like a substitute for a full meal.

To be fair to Finnair, I’d always rather have fewer options but of a good quality than lots of options of a lower quality. That said, if you have a long connection, the options might seem slightly meagre.

Unlike in their non-Schengen lounge, there isn’t a staffed bar. Instead, there are a selection of different self-serve beer and wine options. There’s no champagne, but there are a couple of sparkling options to choose from too. I tried a couple of different wines, and both were fine.

Dispensers for soft drinks, juices and water are also available. I admit to preferring individual cans and bottles – but if this a more sustainable option, then all good. A coffee machine is also available, and the coffee was good.

Conclusions

The Finnair Business Lounge (Schengen) isn’t particularly memorable, but it’s more than acceptable for a couple of hours. While it can feel busy, Finnair have done a good job of maximising the seating capacity. On the downside, this can make make it feel cramped and it’s not a particularly relaxing space.

How acceptable the lounge is though largely depends on the context of your visit. If you just have an hour to spare, it’s absolutely fine. If you have an extended connection after a long flight though, it’s not particularly great.