Helsinki Airport gets a new Priority Pass lounge from Plaza Premium

Helsinki Airport has gained a new Priority Pass lounge.

Helsinki Airport opened a new extension last week, called Aukio.  This first stage is primarily a commercial development, with 11 shops and restaurants being created around a new plaza.

Of most interest to me was the inclusion of a new Plaza Premium lounge.  This is scheduled to open in late February or early March.

The only existing Priority Pass lounge at Helsinki is in Terminal 1 and is only open to international passengers.  The new Plaza Premium lounge will be open to all passengers and, given their usual high standards, should be substantially better than the existing VIP lounge.

It is virtually certain that the new lounge will be in Priority Pass (free with Amex Platinum, or buy one here).  We need to see if it also accepts Lounge Club (two free passes with the free-in-year-1 Amex Gold).  It will definitely be accessible to Amex Platinum cardholders in any event, as Plaza Premium has a global deal with American Express to accept Platinum and Centurion cardholders, plus a guest, for free.

If you don’t have a lounge club card, you can book access to the lounge for cash via the Plaza Premium website here.

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, here are the three options to get FREE airport lounge access via a credit or charge card:

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here. 

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta and Eurostar lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with two free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here. 

Additional lounge visits are charged at £20.  You get two more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network.  Guests are charged at £20 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.