How to Book the New Finnair Flight to Melbourne with Avios in 2026

Finnair has officially announced its first-ever service to Australia. Starting October 25, 2026, the airline will fly daily between Helsinki (HEL) and Melbourne (MEL). The flight includes a short stop in Bangkok (BKK).

This is a major win for travelers. Finnair is one of a small number of European airlines operating Australia service with its own aircraft. For those with Avios, this route offers a fresh way to reach the Southern Hemisphere using points instead of expensive cash fares.

Here is what you need to know about the new route and how to improve your chances of booking it with points.

1. The Route: Helsinki to Melbourne via Bangkok

The new service will operate every day using the Airbus A350-900. Because of current airspace restrictions, the flight avoids Russian and Ukrainian skies, making the journey to Bangkok slightly longer.

The Schedule:

• Helsinki to Melbourne: Flights depart Helsinki shortly after midnight. They stop in Bangkok in the afternoon and land in Melbourne the next morning.
• Melbourne to Helsinki: Flights depart Melbourne in the afternoon, stop in Bangkok in the evening, and arrive in Helsinki early the next morning.

This timing is designed to connect with Finnair’s morning flights across Europe. If you are starting in Northern Europe, you can often include your connection to Helsinki for no extra Avios. You can read more about these specific routing rules in our Finnair Plus Guide.

2. Award Availability: What We Know

Tickets for this route went on sale for cash on December 18, 2025. However, we have not seen award seat availability on Finnair Plus yet.

This is common with new route launches. Airlines often load cash fares first and release award seats later. Also keep in mind a practical limitation: award inventory is typically searchable about 330–365 days ahead depending on the airline and program, hence we can only search roughly 365 days ahead.

Since this route starts in late October 2026, we can only run searches up to December 2026 from today. That’s why the best strategy right now is simple: set alerts and let the system notify you the moment availability appears.

3. How to Move Avios to Finnair Plus

Since Finnair adopted Avios as its currency, booking is easier. You can transfer Avios at a 1:1 ratio between Finnair Plus, British Airways Executive Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and Iberia Plus.

Why transfer? Sometimes Finnair releases more seats to its own members than to partners. Moving your points to Finnair Plus might give you access to seats that you cannot see on British Airways or Qantas sites.

How to transfer:

1. Link Accounts: Go to the Finnair website and link your Finnair Plus account to your British Airways Executive Club account.
2. Verify Details: Your name and birthdate must match exactly on both accounts.
3. Bridge the Gap: There is no direct link between Qatar or Iberia and Finnair. You must move points from Qatar/Iberia to British Airways first, then move them from British Airways to Finnair.
4. Transfer: Once linked, transfers are instant and free.

4. How to Find Seats with AwardFares

Since availability is currently zero, you should not waste time searching manually every day. Use AwardFares to do the work for you. If you want the full feature breakdown (Live vs. Flex, filters, and pro strategies), see our guide below.

For this route, a Live Alert is the right tool because you already know the exact route and date(s). Live Alerts proactively run scheduled searches for your specific query and notify you by email when seats appear. Flex Alerts are better for discovery (broad routes, regions, or months) and use push notifications.

Step 1: Set a Live Alert

This is the most important step.

1. Log in to AwardFares.
2. Go to the Alerts tab.
3. Set the Origin to HEL (or BKK) and Destination to MEL.
4. Choose Finnair Plus or British Airways as the program.
5. Select your dates in late 2026.

AwardFares will email you the moment a seat appears.

Step 2: Check the Timeline

If you have flexible dates, use the Timeline View.

1. Enter HEL and MEL in the search bar.
2. Look at the months of October and November 2026.
3. The timeline will show colored bars if seats become available across the month. In the figure below, you’ll see results from Helsinki to New York to illustrate.

Step 3: Filter for Non-Stop (sort of)

Technically, this flight has a flight number change or a stop, but it is the same plane. When searching:

• Look for the specific route via BKK.
• You can also try searching segment-by-segment (HEL-BKK and BKK-MEL) to see if space exists on the individual legs.

To reduce noise, refine your alert with filters like:

• Cabin (Business only)
• Passengers (e.g., 2 seats)
• Stops (prefer 1 stop via BKK) or Flight number (when published)
• Max price (avoid overpriced awards)

If you’re monitoring multiple dates (or both directions), Live Alerts can cover multiple dates and ranges in a single setup — just keep an eye on your tier’s alert limits on our pricing page.

5. Is it Worth It? The Finnair Experience

Finnair uses a unique Business Class seat called the AirLounge. Unlike most seats, it does not recline. Instead, it is a wide, padded shell. To sleep, you fill in the leg area to create a large, flat bed. It feels more like a sofa than an airplane seat.

Estimated Award Pricing

Based on Finnair’s current long-haul award chart, here is what we expect the Melbourne route to cost one-way:

Pricing is estimated based on current Finnair award charts and may vary.

Our perspective on Finnair’s long-haul product is based on firsthand experience. We have flown Finnair’s new Airbus A350 Business Class and reviewed the airline’s unique non-reclining AirLounge seat in detail on a long-haul flight from Helsinki to Tokyo. The spacious cabin layout, lounge-style seating concept, and overall comfort make Finnair Business Class one of the most distinctive premium products in Europe. You can read our full review of Finnair’s new A350 Business Class here.

Final Thoughts

This new route is one of the most interesting additions to the oneworld alliance in years. While the lack of immediate award seats is frustrating, it gives you time to build up your Avios balance and set your alerts.

• Step 1: Link your BA and Finnair accounts now.
• Step 2: Set an alert on AwardFares for October and November 2026.
• Step 3: Be ready to move your Avios and book as soon as you get the notification.