Oneworld carrier Finnair has announced an expansion of its long-haul network to Melbourne in Australia from October 2026, and it’s a destination that will require an intermediate stop in both directions, due to the significant journey length.

That’s where Bangkok comes in – Finnair’s chosen stopover point on the route – and critically the carrier has also secured “fifth freedom” traffic rights on its Bangkok – Melbourne segment.

That allows it to sell seats solely between the Thai and Aussie cities, adding a new Oneworld redemption option between Southeast Asia and Australia, with Business Class awards starting at just 62,500 Avios one-way – competitive pricing for a 9-hour flat-bed experience in an exciting new product.

The schedule

Finnair will provide the only Oneworld option on the Bangkok – Melbourne route, which is also served twice daily by Thai Airways using Airbus A350s and four times weekly by Jetstar using Boeing 787s.

Here’s how the full daily schedule looks between Helsinki and Melbourne, with the new “fifth freedom” Bangkok – Melbourne and Melbourne – Bangkok services highlighted.

Finnair
Helsinki ⇄ Bangkok ⇄ Melbourne
From 26th October 2026

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	AY145 A350
HEL 00:10		BKK 16:30
Duration: 11:20
	AY145 A350
BKK 18:15		MEL 07:15*
Duration: 09:00
	AY146 A350
MEL 15:35		BKK 20:45
Duration: 09:10
	AY146 A350
BKK 22:30		HEL 06:05*
Duration: 12:35

* Next day
AY146 operates from 27th October 2026

Total journey time from Helsinki to Melbourne will be 22 hours 5 minutes, increasing to 23 hours 30 minutes in the return direction, each including a 1 hour 45 minute transit stop in Bangkok.

Most of our readers will be interested in the “fifth freedom” Bangkok – Melbourne – Bangkok option.

From the Thai capital down to Australia it’s an evening departure, with arrival into Melbourne at 7.15am the following day, while in the northbound direction it’s wheels-up from Melbourne at 3.35pm for arrival into Bangkok the same evening at 8.45pm – probably a bit late for dinner sadly.

Flights clock in at around 9 hours each way on this route, so there’s ample time for a meal, a movie and some shut-eye – quite a good sector length in our opinion for trying out the AirLounge Business Class if you’re curious to experience it.

The new service will be Finnair’s first ever flight to Australia, and its only “fifth freedom” flight globally – a significant development for an airline that has historically focused on point-to-point services through its Helsinki hub.

Fun fact: While this marks the first time Finnair has operated flights to Australia, the carrier has effectively been doing so for a few years now on a wet-lease basis for Qantas, providing Airbus A330 aircraft and pilots on both Bangkok – Sydney and Singapore – Sydney services.

Finnair’s AirLounge Business Class

We finally got to try Finnair’s unique AirLounge Business Class on a 13-hour overnight Helsinki to Singapore flight in 2024, and we were impressed.

The seat delivers excellent privacy even without a closing door, and the non-reclining design actually works nicely, offering multiple comfortable positions for lounging and a large flat bed for sleeping.

That said, the unconventional layout requires some adjusting to at first, and passengers with mobility issues might prefer a traditional recliner.

Check out our full review for all the details.

Finnair’s A350s are in two configurations, but all have the AirLounge in Business Class:

Award redemptions

Finnair uses Avios points as its award currency, and that means you can book these flights with a variety of Avios partner programmes, since you can transfer your stash free, instantly and 1:1 between accounts, via a British Airways Club ‘hub’ account.

Here’s how award rates look for these nine-hour non-stop intra-Asia “fifth freedom” flights between Bangkok and Melbourne.

Award redemptions on Finnair Bangkok to Melbourne (one-way)
FFP		Economy	Premium Economy	Business
	Finnair Avios	30,000 + S$119	43,500 + S$149	62,500 + S$201
	BA Avios	30,000 + S$74	43,500 + S$74	62,500 + S$74
	Iberia Avios	30,000 + S$74	43,500 + S$74	62,500 + S$74
	Qatar Avios	25,750 + S$74	50,000 + S$74	77,250 + S$74
	Cathay Asia Miles	27,000 + S$74	43,000 + S$74	63,000 + S$74
	Qantas Points	34,700 + S$74	70,800 + S$74	90,000 + S$74

Note: In the MEL-BKK direction, taxes and fees are around S$30 more than those shown above.

The Avios ‘set’ are a bit disparate, because:

• Finnair Plus applies an award surcharge to tickets on its own flights issued using Finnair Avios, which is why the taxes and fees are higher, especially in Business Class. Book via BA at the same rates to avoid this.
• Qatar Privilege Club applies its own partner award chart pricing to Finnair awards, which is cheaper in Economy at 25,750 Avios each way – while British Airways and Iberia match Finnair’s own award chart, which is cheaper in Premium Economy and Business Class at 43,500 Avios and 62,500 Avios respectively.
• Iberia Club Avios awards on partner airlines (except BA) are completely non-refundable. Don’t book via this FFP – availability should be identical via BA at the same rates, and your booking is then refundable.

Cathay Asia Miles should actually be your go-to for Premium Economy though, at 43,000 miles one-way, and if you’re short of Avios but rich in Asia Miles it’s only 500 miles more for Business Class than booking via BA – at 63,000 miles one-way, or 1,250 Avios more for Economy Class than booking via Qatar at 27,000 miles one-way.

Qantas Points, as you can see, don’t provide much value here.

Bottom line? Use BA Avios for Business, Cathay Asia Miles for Premium Economy, and Qatar Avios for Economy on this route.

Bangkok – Helsinki service expands

Once this new Melbourne link is established from late October 2026, Finnair will offer 18 weekly Airbus A350 flights between Bangkok and Helsinki, meaning up to three daily services on selected days.

This will represent a capacity increase of around 30% compared to the current 14-times-weekly schedule on the route, which is good news for additional award space in Business Class to and from Europe.

That’s the real ‘sweet spot’ Avios redemption on Finnair, at 62,500 miles one-way with low taxes, and applies for all the carrier’s Asia-Pacific to Helsinki routes which also include Singapore, Phuket, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul.

Finnair’s new Bangkok – Melbourne service launching in October 2026, marks both its first route to Australia and its only “fifth freedom” operation globally. The daily A350 service creates a valuable new Oneworld redemption option on a route currently served only by Star Alliance’s Thai Airways and low-cost carrier Jetstar.

The standalone Bangkok – Melbourne flights are bookable for 62,500 BA Avios in the carrier’s unique AirLounge Business Class, one of the most talked-about seat designs in the industry and one we personally love.

The best award redemption rates vary by programme though – use BA Avios for Business (62,500), Cathay Asia Miles for Premium Economy (43,000), and Qatar Avios for Economy (25,750). Avoid Finnair’s own program for the surcharges, and steer clear of Iberia Club for its punitive “no refunds” policy.

Beyond the fifth freedom flights, this route also boosts Finnair’s Bangkok – Helsinki service to 18 weekly flights next winter, hopefully increasing award availability on the true sweet spot: Europe to Asia redemptions in Business Class at 62,500 Avios with low taxes.

(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)