{"id":1862,"date":"2026-09-21T07:09:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T07:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/?p=1862"},"modified":"2026-09-21T07:09:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T07:09:54","slug":"philosopher-in-a-first-class-lounge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/2026\/09\/21\/philosopher-in-a-first-class-lounge\/","title":{"rendered":"Philosopher in a First-Class Lounge"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Joona R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, Senior Research Fellow, TIAS<\/em><\/p>\n

As I have worked in Denmark and Norway in recent years while also keeping my home base in Finland, I have commuted quite a lot between the Nordic countries. I also regularly travel to conferences in Europe and do some leisure travel, so I have become quite familiar with Finnair\u2019s frequent flyer program and the many lounges to which their top members are entitled. A few years ago, I reached Finnair\u2019s Gold status, and for a while now I have held Platinum status. Finnair Platinum status equals oneworld Emerald status: the highest tier of perhaps the greatest airline alliance. In this post, I offer a glimpse of what perks the top-tier members of Finnair and the oneworld alliance get. Much of my flying is in economy class; the experiences described below come from frequent-flyer status and the various benefits that come with it.<\/p>\n

The foremost benefit of the highest tiers is lounge access. Finnair Gold members get access to business-class lounges with one travel companion when flying in economy class on any oneworld carrier (Finnair, Iberia, British Airways, etc.). The perk is excellent, and I have guested a colleague in lounges, and on leisure trips my wife, and sometimes family members. One of the peculiarities of airline status is that some of the most luxurious parts of the journey have remarkably little to do with the ticket you have bought. It is perfectly possible to spend hours in first-class lounges and then walk onto the aircraft and into economy class.<\/p>\n

The quality of the lounges varies between airports. The most glamorous ones are at Heathrow, but even the smaller lounges in Europe are better than nothing, as there are snacks and beverages available. Lounges are quiet and, because of their exclusivity, have more vacant seats than other parts of the airports, as well as Wi-Fi, which makes them great places for working too. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as the buffet, are free \u2013 or, as frequent flyers say, complimentary.<\/p>\n

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The Qantas Business-Class Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 includes a famous gin bar that serves 18 different gins from around the world to mix with your favorite gin-based cocktail. Photo by Joona R\u00e4s\u00e4nen.<\/p><\/div>\n

At Heathrow, there are plenty of lounges to choose from. With Finnair Gold status or a business-class ticket, one can access basically any oneworld carrier lounge. At Heathrow Terminal 3, where Finnair operates, these include American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), and Qantas (QF) lounges. There is no need to stick to the one your boarding pass suggests you go to; you are entitled to select the one you like, go for the quietest one to make that important Zoom call or answer emails before your flight home, or even visit all the lounges if you feel like doing some lounge hopping. The Qantas lounge is a personal favorite of mine. During one recent visit, the bartender greeted me with the words, \u201cI remember you.\u201d This was perhaps a sign that my familiarity with the lounge had progressed slightly further than intended.<\/p>\n

While Finnair Gold entitles you and your travel companion to access business-class lounges, Platinum members get access to first-class lounges \u2013 even when flying in economy class. Dedicated first-class lounges are relatively rare, but a few of them are located at Heathrow.<\/p>\n

Oneworld carriers\u2019 first-class lounges at Heathrow are among the top airport lounges in Europe and globally. At Heathrow Terminal 3 you have three options: American Airlines, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific. American and Cathay offer \u00e0 la carte dining, while British Airways offers a champagne bar with several different champagnes and sparkling wines to choose from. All of the lounges also have showers where you can freshen up before the flight. This is especially nice if you have a long travel day behind you and have already travelled by train or taken another flight to Heathrow.<\/p>\n

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Champagne is a drink for two. \u00c1 la carte dining at the Cathay Pacific First-Class Lounge at Heathrow. Photo by Joona R\u00e4s\u00e4nen.<\/p><\/div>\n

At Helsinki-Vantaa, there is an excellent lounge for oneworld travelers: the Finnair Platinum Wing. The lounge is located on the non-Schengen side of the airport. While technically not a first-class lounge (since Finnair does not offer first class on its flights), it is effectively a first-class lounge as access is not granted with a business-class ticket alone; entry requires Finnair Platinum or another oneworld Emerald status. The Platinum Wing at Helsinki-Vantaa offers \u00e0 la carte dining, a buffet, as well as a bar with champagnes and cocktails. The Platinum Wing is also the only airport lounge in the world with a traditional Finnish sauna. Is there any better way to start your flight than experiencing a sauna before boarding?<\/p>\n

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The dessert table at the Platinum Wing offers a selection of cheeses, fruits, and cakes. Photo by Joona R\u00e4s\u00e4nen.<\/p><\/div>\n

As airlines often recommend that passengers arrive at the airport well before their flight to make sure they catch it in case of unusually long queues or disruptions, one normally has some spare time at the airport. Lounges are great places to spend this time checking emails, preparing a conference presentation, etc. While the lounges at Oslo and Copenhagen are nothing special, even those are good places to grab something to eat and relax a bit. When travelling to Helsinki from Denmark, the lounge at Copenhagen Airport served as a very useful pit stop for me after the three-hour train ride from Aarhus.<\/p>\n

Finnair also offers its Gold and Platinum members some complimentary business class upgrades. For the efficiency-minded traveler, dining in the skies has the pleasing consequence that there is no need to look for a restaurant after arrival. Status holders also get free seat selection, a free checked bag, as well as a free carry-on bag on the cheapest tickets. A surprisingly useful perk is also the Gold and Platinum members\u2019 own customer service, also available on WhatsApp, so there is no need to queue on the phone when plans go awry and flight arrangements need to be changed.<\/p>\n

Does it make sense to fly just for the sake of it to get access to lounges and other perks? Probably not, especially since, to achieve and maintain the highest status, you need to spend several thousand euros on flights annually. But if your work and life already put you on dozens of flights per year, it would be foolish not to learn how the system works. Of course, achieving a high status in a frequent flyer program by flying a lot during the ongoing climate crisis can itself be seen as morally problematic. As we know, travelling by plane has a much higher carbon footprint than travelling by rail, for instance. Discussions of personal ethical obligations regarding climate change are important, but they should not be considered in isolation.<\/p>\n

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Philosopher in a first-class lounge during the ongoing climate crisis.<\/p><\/div>\n

Academic careers often generate a surprising amount of travel. Because of the precarious nature of the academic job market, scholars are often expected to relocate to another country or continent every few years, leaving their friends and family behind. The arms race over publications, conference presentations, and research visits also creates incentives to travel. Understanding the peculiar economy of airline status can make the many hours spent in airports rather productive \u2014 and much more pleasant. Whether that is a reward for travelling too much or merely compensation for having to do so, I leave for the reader to decide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Joona R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, Senior Research Fellow, TIAS As I have worked in Denmark and Norway in recent years while also keeping my home base in Finland, I have commuted quite a lot between the Nordic countries. I also regularly travel … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44383,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,20,254,1],"tags":[233,224,51],"class_list":["post-1862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal-thoughts","category-research","category-travel","category-uncategorized","tag-climate-change","tag-research-career","tag-sustainability"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44383"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1862"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1869,"href":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1862\/revisions\/1869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogit.utu.fi\/collegia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}