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Finnair ends in-flight retail product sales

In 2020, the airline announced plans to discontinue retail sales on flights within the EU, citing goals to reduce aircraft weight.

Tyhjä Finnairin lentokoneen istuin.
File photo of the interior of a Finnair cabin. Image: Juha Virranniemi / Yle
  • Yle News

Finland's flag carrier, Finnair, is discontinuing in-flight and pre-ordered retail sales of products on all of its flights, the airline announced on Wednesday.

Finnair's in-flight sales of cosmetics, accessories and other gift items will end on 28 February, according to the firm. However, customers that have pre-ordered items will still continue to receive them until 18 April.

However, the airline said that passengers will still be able to pre-order meals ahead of flights, and will continue to sell snacks and beverages onboard.

"Onboard and pre-order shopping has become a less important service among our customers," Valtteri Helve, product offering chief said in a statement.

The company announced plans to discontinue retail sales on flights within the EU in 2020, citing goals to reduce aircraft weight.

The airline said that starting on Wednesday it would be discounting its remaining retail items by 40 percent until the end of February.

Savings efforts

Finnair has struggled with considerable losses due to the Covid crisis and the closure of Russian airspace, which significantly impacted its ability to generate profit.

Following redundancy talks that started last autumn, Finnair announced it was cutting 150 job posts and reducing its workforce by 90 people.

In November the company also announced cost-saving plans to subcontract its inflight service staff on the airline's Thailand and US routes, potentially resulting in cuts of up to 450 in-flight service jobs by the end of 2023.

The news prompted a two-day walkout by members of Finnair cabin crew, which resulted in the airline to cancel around 100 flights on 20-21 November.

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