Day 1 - The big disappointment...

22.3.2024

day 1

Today we're going to Finland. Our Finnair flight is scheduled to take off for Helsinki at 7:20 p.m., where we'll spend a night in a hotel before heading on to Rovaniemi / Lapland tomorrow.

We are busy packing our suitcases until noon. The taxi is booked for 4:45 p.m. At 3 p.m. my cell phone goes "ping" and I casually look at the display.

A text message!? Who is texting me? Heart palpitations! The opening sentence makes me gasp for breath:

“Your flight AY1416 Frankfurt International – Helsinki Vantaa on 22.3.2024 19:20 is cancelled. We are sorry for the inconvenience. We are working on your new travel plan and will inform you as soon as it is completed."

Crisis!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ultimate crisis!!!!!!!!!!!!

At first we think it's a joke, but unfortunately it isn't. We also find a note on the internet saying that the Finnair flight was cancelled today. Oh noooo...

Drop off the taxi, inform the hotel in Helsinki that we are not coming... and now? Wait?

3:33 p.m., a new text message arrives on the cell phone. We have been rebooked! But not until tomorrow….

New flight with Lufthansa (oh dear...) at 1:25 p.m. Unfortunately, the planned rebooking no longer works with our connecting flight, which leaves from Helsinki to Rovaniemi at almost the same time tomorrow. Damn!!! Hotline = queue. Chat = number 5.

It's quicker by phone. I explain the problem and the good man goes through all the possible options: Frankfurt - Amsterdam (KLM) - Helsinki via Frankfurt - Zurich - Helsinki - Rovaniemi. In the end, none of the flights to Rovaniemi work out.

Heartbreaker!

He even wants us to fly on Sunday. Noooo, that's not possible, then we won't be in Rovaniemi until Monday 😵‍💫

We will therefore stay on tomorrow's LH flight, will have to stay one night in Helsinki and will be rebooked on the first flight to Rovaniemi for Sunday.

1 day lost - annoying, but it could be worse. Let's see how we resolve the whole problem with Finnair in the end - if everything works out with the replacement booking.

We are excited.

So I unpacked some of my suitcases again and slept in my own bed for another evening. Hopefully no one at Lufthansa will go on strike tomorrow…🫣

Key data:

Flight: Finnair AY1416 - CANCELLED

Overnight: Home