Finnair Devalues Alaska Airlines Awards
Since joining the Avios family back in 2024, Finnair had offered one of the cheapest ways to book Alaska Airlines flights. That's not the case anymore. Finnair quietly devalues Alaska Airlines awards and unveiled a new award chart. These new changes were first noticed by Frequent Miler. The new award chart incorporates Hawaiian Airlines flights (after the two airlines merged last year) and its new, expanded international network. But here's the big news: The Finnish flag carrier hiked award rates for several Alaska and Hawaiian routes, but flights to and from Hawaii were one of the biggest casualties.
New Finnair Avios Award Chart For Alaska And Hawaiian Flights
Finnair had offered one of the cheapest ways to book Alaska flights. Here's a look at the new Finnair Plus award chart for Alaska and Hawaiian.
Previously, economy flights from anwhere in the United States to the Hawaiian Islands were just 13,500 Avios one way—an incredible deal. Under the new award chart, flights between the Hawaiian Islands and the U.S. (excluding the East Coast) will now cost 19,500 Avios each way—a nearly 45% increase. Meanwhile, fights between Hawaii and the East Coast are up to 28,500 Avios each way—a more than 110% increase. As Frequent Miler notes, that's more expensive than flying all the way to Japan or New Zealand!
As for the rest of the Finnair Avios Alaska award chart changes, flights between the U.S. and Canada also took a hit. Flying from anywhere in the continental U.S. to Canada now costs 17,500 Avios each way—up from 11,000.
There's some positive news: First class awards got slightly cheaper on many of these routes. Pricing also remains the same for flights between North America and Mexico at just 12,500 Avios each way.
Best Ways To Book Hawaii Flights With Avios Now
There's one silver lining: Finnair's award chart for American Airlines flights remains untouched. Flights on American to the Hawaiian Islands are still just 15,000 Avios each way. That's whether you're flying from the West Coast or all the way from the eastern U.S.
And let's not forget one of the major upsides to booking partner awards through Finnair. Unlike airlines like British Airways, Finnair award flights are not priced per segment. That means the cost of your award flight is the same whether its direct or you have a one-stop flight.
Note: You cannot book Alaska, Hawaiian or American flights through Finnair's website. You must call Finnair or use the online chat feature and speak with an agent to book.
Still, Qatar Airways Privilege Club might be the best option for booking Alaska and Hawaiian flights with Avios now. For flights under 3,000 miles, Qatar Airways only charges 16,000 Avios each way. Many West Coast destinations, like Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (LAX) fall within that distance band.
As you can see in the screenshot above, Qatar prices American flights the same. Longer flights, like this one from Dallas (DFW) to Honolulu (HNL), will cost slightly more.
British Airways also remains an option for booking Alaska and Hawaiian flights. But after several award rate hikes over the past few years, it's hardly a good deal.
The great thing about Avios is you can move them between any of the Avios-earning airlines. So it's easy to transfer your Finnair Avios to your British Airways Club or Qatar Airways Privilege account, and vice versa.
Finnair Devalues Alaska Airlines Awards: ToP Thoughts
Finnair's recent award chart changes have certainly made what was once a great sweet spot for cheap Hawaii award flights a little less enticing. But Finnair Avios remain a solid option for booking flights on Alaska and Hawaiian (as well as American) with points and miles. That's especially true if you don't have a way to earn Alaska Atmos Rewards points or American AAdvantage miles. If you earn points with any of the major banks, you can easily move your Avios between accounts to get the Finnair Avios you need to book Alaska flights. We're hardly ready to write Finnair off completely just yet.
What do you think about Finnair's award chart changes? Let us know in the ToP Facebook group!
