One of my bucket list 'things to see before you die' has always been The Northern Lights. One evening last year whilst at work, i started Googling some options. I really had no idea where the best place was to go and see them. There are several holiday companies that specialise in such trips. The one I opted for in the end was The Aurora Zone. After a bit of reading up, Northern Finland seemed to be one of the best places to increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights.
The Aurora Zone have quite a lot of different trips to Finland, either including all the activities or basic trips with the ability to book the activities once you get there. I opted for the 'all-inclusive' 4 day trip to Lake Inari in Nellim, Finland. Flights, transfers, accommodation, cold weather gear (which included fully lined boots, mittens and an all-in-one cover all weather suit), full board meals and all activities are all included. Extra activities can be booked once you arrive (if you have time). There's also an option to book a night in an 'Aurora Bubble' which is basically a heated hut with a large clear dome over one side containing a double bed. They also offer other accommodation in separate suits including their own sauna.
Activities included 3 x Aurora Evening camps, snowmobiling, a Husky safari, a trip to a Reindeer farm which also included some ice fishing.
I’d had never done anything like this before so wasn't really sure what to expect. Other than buying some thermals, a new fur lined hat there wasn't much else I needed.
All flights are on Finnair flying via Helsinki.
I'd flown down on BA the previous day and was staying at the Crowne Plaza again, though Finnair do also fly to HEL from MAN. You then connect at HEL and fly to Ivalo (IVL).
Did I get to see the Northern Lights? Find out later
The actual flight....
Finnair depart LHR using T3, so it did feel a bit strange being there and not flying VS!! As I was flying in economy, I'd pre- booked the No. 1 Lounge.
With this been a group agent booking, I was not able to view my AY flight booking or select my seat until OLCI opened, which was 36hrs before departure. OLCI was painless (though had to use the e-ticket number rather than the PNR) where I also added by BAEC number with AY being part of the OneWorld alliance.
Arrived at check-in around 07:00 for a 10:20 departure and was greeted by a friendly agent who checked my bag all the way up to IVL. No queues at that time of the morning either at check-in or at security. Made my way up to the No. 1 lounge which was pretty busy though I managed to find a seat.
The flight was called around 09:30 as there was a slight delay. Can't remember the gate number though it was the gates where you turn left as you leave the VS Clubhouse, the ones VS don't seem to use much now.
The flight to HEL was op'ing using a long haul A333 today as apparently once it arrives at HEL it then goes to the Far East. The aircraft had the long haul business class cabin which looked quite good actually.
Priority boarding was in use, however, it didn't take long to board everyone as the A333 on this mornings flight was barely half full.
Pretty standard economy 2-4-2 config with good legroom. Certainly more than BA offer on domestic flights. Cannot compare it to VS and I cannot remember when I last flew VS in Y sorry. Lots of empty seats so plenty of room to spread out after take-off. With it being a long haul aircraft we had an in-seat touch screen IFE system as well which was a bonus. AY also have external forward facing and a belly cam which is always fun to watch during take-off and landing (even the smaller AY aircraft have these).
With this aircraft being a long haul one it also had a few rows of what AY call economy comfort which offered slightly more leg room at the front of the economy cabin.
It didn't take long before the we pushed back and rotated.
The in-flight economy service consisted on complementary tea, coffee and soft drinks with the option to purchase snacks or alcohol.
The on-board service was good, the crew where cheerful and overall I was impressed with AY.
The flight to HEL was around 2hrs 40mins. Finland in also 2hrs in front of the UK.
I didn't use the IFE much other than the external cams as I had already pre-loaded my iPad / Sky Go with several programs as I was not expecting much of an IFE.
Before long we where on final approach into HEL which is where I got my first glimpse of some snow. We landed pretty much on time using a remote stand and where soon bussed to the terminal. HEL has a line of immigration e-gates which are easy enough to to use. It was then a 10min walk through the terminal to where my next flight to IVL was departing from at 16:35 local time.
All in all I was pretty impressed with AY and the service they offered
Regards
James Mitchell
James Mitchell
