My delayed Finnair Japan flight Experience

Further to my previous post on Flying Finnair to Japan, I want to honestly report my experience about my delayed Finnair Japan flight – a trip that did not go so well, along with tips what I learned from it and how to make the experience tolerable. I hope this helps you to make an informed decision on which carrier you choose for your trip. I understand things can go wrong with any airline. However, I felt in this case, Finnair handled both cases of flight disruption, one for technical failure, the other for weather-related delay, particularly badly.
This is my honest experience about my delayed Finnair Japan flight, and I am trying to tell the story with as little emotion as possible. I have no affiliation with Finnair or a travel company, and I paid full price for my flight. Then, I will discuss ways to minimise unpleasant experiences like this, by taking a bit of extra preparation -and about ways to redress for the inconvenience and discomfort caused by such major delays.
Table of Contents
Finnair left us stranded in the middle of the night
So, here is my retelling of the story of my massively delayed delayed Finnair Japan flight, sticking to the facts and telling you what happened to me. I flew Finnair again, because I had really liked the airline on my first trip back in May last year.
I was returning home from a week in Japan, happy and tired, just ready for my flight leaving shortly before midnight from Kansai International Airport (KIX). I had had a lovely last day, just been to the onsen, and the owner of my ryokan had kindly driven me and my two large pieces of luggage to Kyoto Station where I boarded the Haruka Airport Express – a straightforward journey I had done a few times.
This time, I was recovering from surgery, so I was using crutches on and off, especially when in a hurry or when feeling stressed, as I was not 100% stable on my feet. I had checked in online, dropped my luggage, went through security within half an hour of arriving at KIX. I had plenty of time, so I found a drugstore, loaded up on some shampoo, visited FamilyMart… and boarded at the allotted time. Our flight was scheduled to leave at half past eleven at night.
We sat on the plane, fully boarded, our departure time came and went, when the first announcement was made by the flight deck that they were just waiting on some checks. Some time later, we were told by the flight deck there was likely an air leak in a tyre so that would need to be assessed further and fixed if necessary.
A technical problem cause our delayed Finnair Japan flight
A fair bit later, they finally announced there was no suitable tyre and that our flight would be cancelled and they do not know when we would be able to fly, so we would all have to complete the entry procedure into Japan and retrieve our luggage and wait for an email or SMS from Finnair for further instructions. This was at 2am. Thankfully, there was still some staff at passport control and customs, so we were let back into the country quickly, and even customs took pity on us and only did very few checks.
After the initial shock, I quickly considered my options. Here I was, with a suitcase, a huge duffel bag, backpack, two crutches. Walking anywhere far would be out of the option. There were no taxis waiting. And all hotel booking sites had already over to the next day, making it impossible to book a room for the same night.
No assistance from Finnair whatsoever
And Finnair? They sent an SMS, saying my flight is delayed and planned to operate on the same day, and that we would receive an update at midday. At the same time, there was an Email in my inbox, with pretty much the same and the statement that “Unfortunately, due to limited availability of hotel rooms near Kansai airport, we are unable to assist you with arranging accommodation at this time. You can book the hotel yourself and apply for compensation of reasonable hotel and ground transportation costs afterwards from us.”
Finding somewhere to sleep for the night
So, that was fun. Then I remembered that there is a hotel next to Kansai Airport. Two hotels, in fact.
So I walked across to the AirPlaza, dragging my luggage with me, and picked up a fellow solo traveller on the way, too. The hotel we chose to try first was a FirstCabin, a reliable reasonably priced capsule hotel which offers micro accommodation from traditional capsules to cabin rooms with double beds.
I was glad I had been fast enough, so there was only a small queue, and when we got to the front, begging the receptionist to fund us a place to sleep, we were booked into two “First Class Cabins” where we could get some rest.
The flight crew communicated clearly, ground support was nonexistent
As a nervous flyer, I really appreciate their safety standards and I do now know whether another carrier would have flown with a leaky tyre.
We were already fully boarded when last checks were run and we were told they were going to check something again and I thought “uh-oh…” and much later, we were told by the flight deck that a tyre possibly leaking some air was delaying our flight. Some time later, it was decided and communicated that there was definitely an air leak and that the tyre would need to be replaced before we could take off and that they did not know at this stage whether an appropriate tyre was available at Kansai Airport.
They would make the announcement in Finnish first, and although I do not understand Finnish, I could just hear from the tone of their voice they were mightily pissed off. And with a final announcement that there was no tyre available and that the flight was cancelled for now, they released us back into the night and an almost deserted Kansai Airport.
Of course, several people asked what would happen next. It was now the middle of the night, hotels would be impossible to book online for the night because the booking sites would have rolled over to the next day. I don’t know if it would have been different if I had used a VPN set to European time – might try that next time.
The cabin crew were the last Finnair representatives we saw for nearly two days. We had to re-enter Japan and go through Customs, and thankfully the Japanese authorities were very cooperative and unbureaucratic, and we found ourselves in the Arrivals Hall about twenty minutes after deboarding.
A “bonus day” at Kansai Airport
Once I knew I would not need to sleep in a cold departure hall, I felt incredibly relieved, but still too wired to sleep. My highball sneakily purchased for the plane came in handy here – I chatted in the little seating area until 4am, then fell into a fitful sleep – until 10am! What wonderful earplugs I have.
We hatched a plan over a can of coffee to make the best out of an already crappy day, and spend it somewhere that isn’t an airport. Not too far, because there was to be an update at midday and we would fly some time today – or so we thought.
We didn’t fancy Osaka (too busy, and we were knackered), so our choice fell on Sakai – closer to the airport and a pleasant town with enough interest but not very touristy. It takes less than half an hour on the right train, we hired very cheap bicycles from the tourist information, and headed to the nearest Komeda’s Coffee for a bit of brunch, then rode up to the viewing platform of Sakai City Hall before cycling around several of the UNESCO World Heritage kofun.


While the weather was sunny, we strolled through the Japanese Garden opposite, getting our last fill of autumn leaves, highly cultivated giant chrysanthemums and bonsai. While we were out and about, I received an SMS that our flight would be delayed until the next morning, leaving us scrambling to book a reasonably priced hotel again. We just stuck to First Cabin, since our luggage was in a coin locker in the airport, and it would be convenient for our planned 10am departure the next morning.


Then, feeling quite cold and tired from cycling a fair distance on our mama-chari bikes, we went for a matcha latte and the supermarket. Sadly, the Sakai Museum of Craft and my favourite matcha cafe were closed, but for a nondescript satellite town of Osaka, the little mall at the station provided enough entertainment. Then we worked and chatted a bit until it was time for bed.
Could we have turned this into a bonus holiday? Not easily. On the day of the delay, our day ended at 4am the next morning. We were knackered! Plus we were told, the flight would leave at some time the next day, so we had to stay close to the airport, glued to our phones. Only the late afternoon of Day+1 we were informed by SMS that we would be flying the next day, so Day+2 after our initial departure day. We were pretty much on tenterhooks the entire time, and after 16.00, it was getting dark, so we just booked a hotel again, went for coffee and the supermarket, and returned to KIX.
Stuck in HEL
The next morning, up bright and early, we checked in for out flight which had been rescheduled for 10am. All I managed in terms of a seat upgrade was a window seat. However, all set with coffee and highballs, the flight was tolerable – just 13 hours in an Economy Seat made better by seeing some Northern Lights.
We had not been given confirmation for our onward flight until we landed in Helsinki, and were told by SMS we would have to fly to Frankfurt first, then from Frankfurt to Berlin, and arrive in Berlin late at night.

Customer Service from HEL
Once I arrived back home, having barely slept for four days of stress and uncertainty, I spent the next 24 hours mostly sleeping. Then I contacted Finnair on the form on the company website, supplying a list of expenses, all boarding cards and receipts and asked for reimbursement of my cost as well as compensation.
The answer came fast – allegedly technical issues do not fall under the EC regulation: “Flight … was delayed due to damage in aircraft wheel. According to the information we have received from Finnair Technical Department, this kind of damage in wheel does refer to a manufacturing defect. Therefore, Finnair could not prevent this sudden damage by any reasonable measures available. As this is an exceptional condition, the standard compensation will not be paid. Due to your additional stay in Osaka however, as per our internal policy for additional care costs, we will reimburse the requested 143 Euros for accommodation, plus up to 50 for meals, 30 for transport and another 20 for phone costs, amounting to a total applicable of 243 Euros.”
So, that was Finnair’s response to an extra two days in Kansai and Helsinki, and a loss of about 55 hours. I am just leaving this here as it stands.
Honestly, after this experience I take nothing for granted until my flight has taken off… or, has landed safely at my destination. It definitely pays to be prepared for an eventuality like this and to know your rights as a passenger.

How to troubleshoot
If you ever find yourself in a situation like this, there are a few simple measures to help with anxiety and discomfort, and these are the things that helped me during this very stressful trip.
Stay Connected
Keep your phone charged and with some phone credit or some connectivity to keep your family updated. You can even ask them to book a hotel room on your behalf. Also, if there are messages from the airline, you want to make sure you can receive them.
Head for an easy-to-reach hotel
Knowing Kansai Airport a little bit, I knew there were two hotels in the airport, then a lot of hotels in the nearest town, across a long bridge. What I know about Japanese hotels is that the cheaper and mid-priced ones don’t always have 24-hour reception, and online booking wasn’t possible, so I did not want to risk summoning a taxi on speculation of finding a hotel room.
I stayed at First Cabin Kansai Airport – conveniently located about 2 minutes walk from the main terminal. all rooms there are full height, and their “First Class Cabin” may not have a proper door you canlock, but there is plenty space for a double bed, luggage and even a small table.
So I chose to try the nearest airport hotels first and was lucky enough that they had beds available. my next step would have been walking to the (much more expensive) hotel next door, then probably phoning hotels in the nearest town from my skype account to enquire about vacancies, reserve on the phone, call a taxi from my taxi app – in this case, I use Go Taxi in Japan.
Unless you get stuck in the middle of the night, the best way to find good accommodation is to take a local or rapid service across the causeway to Rinku Town, one stop from Kansai Airport, and stay at a hotel there. Hatago Inn is a very smart business hotel literally next to the train station with a 24-hour reception, an onsen and ample working space, with rates starting from 50 Euro per night. The OMO Kansai Airport costs about 90Euro per room per night but is much larger, also with a 24-hour reception, a spa, airport shuttle and many other amenities, in easy walking distance from the station. Last not least, Henn na Resort is right next to the sea, has themed rooms,a spa and similar prices. All three are literally next to Rinku Town Station. As train stop around midnight, a taxi will not be too expensive, as these are some of the closest to the airport about 3km away.
As soon as I got the SMS about my flight being delayed by another day the next afternoon, I just used Booking.com on my phone to book myself into the same hotel where my luggage was still sitting in a locker.
Have backup funds
Even if you spend all your cash, keep a small amount for food and incidentals. In Japan, this would be coin lockers! I was a bit stunned that at Kansai Airport, you needed actual 100 Yen-coins to feed the luggage lockers. Also, make sure you always have enough funds on your credit or debit cards.
Also, consider getting some emergency cash. not only does the Arrivals Hall at KIX have plenty of ATM, but there is a convenience store (FamilyMart) next to the Airport Railway Station which has an ATM.
Know your rights
I am not the person shouting for compensation when my flight is two hours delayed, but a delay of over 50 hours, combined with a lot of stress and extra cost, is definitely something the airline should apologize for – and reimburse my cost.
Keep everything in relation to the delay or cancellation – boarding passes first and foremost, of course, but also make a note of the time of delay, when you departed and arrived. Keep every receipt for accommodation, food and communication costs.
Regulation 261/2004
If a flight starts or lands in the European Union (EU), the Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 has established common rules on compensation and assistance in the case of delayed or cancelled flights. The amount of compensation is graded according to distance to destination, but for a long intercontinental flight, you are usually entitled up to 600 Euro in compensation.
It does not matter your nationality or country of residence, if your flight starts or lands in the EU, this regulation will apply.
Contact the Airline directly first
Compensations claims should initially be made to the airline, and all extra cost listed and receipts attached. It is rare that an airline will compensate you right away. At least, it never happened to me.
So in this case, when I contacted finnair through the recommended channel, which is a contact form for compensation applications on the company website, I received a polite Email a few days later, stating that “Having checked flight AY0068 was delayed due to damage in aircraft wheel. According to the information we have received from Finnair Technical Department, this kind of damage in wheel does refer to a manufacturing defect. Therefore, Finnair could not prevent this sudden damage by any reasonable measures available.As this is an exceptional condition, the standard compensation will not be paid.”
However, they gave me a Finnair virtual gift card which would cover the cost of the two hotel nights in Kansai Airport plus my (very low) meal costs, which I could convert to cash, or I could spend on Finnair product, in which case the value of the gift card would be 50% on top of the amount I spent on hotels.
Yeah, okay. How about keeping a standard A350 tyre available at a large international airport, or asking their code share partners, JAL? We were told a few days later when the flight actually took off that the tyre had to be brought all the way from Tokyo and then attached to the wheel, which took 36 hours. That’s all fair enough, but not offering passengers assistance or offering to book them onto other flights, for example their more frequent Tokyo flights, is just poor customer care. Time to proceed.
Try Arbitration
The next step can be arbitration – either the airline is a member of an organisation that deals with cases in your country (Finnair isn’t), or you can apply to the national Office of Justice in your country of residence or the country where the airline is headquartered. I chose to apply for arbitration in my home country -the Bundesjustizamt in Germany. Just bear in mind this may be different for your country.
In my case, it may have been possible to complain to the Finnish authorities, but since my flight started and ended in Germany, the German authorities would be appropriate, too. I have never done this, and I am not a fan of German bureaucracy in general, and two months need to have passed until you can go through arbitration with them. I recently did this, the website is bilingual German and English, so it is suitable for international travellers, too. Just a slightly confusing website, but it worked in the end. This will now take time – probably two or three months, I was told, and it will not be legally binding for the airline. SoI am not holding my breath, but the form was easy enough to complete.
Consider Legal Action
If you had a lot of expense, it might be worth hiring a lawyer to claim back your costs plus compensation. Or you can refer the case to one of many companies who will claim your compensation on a no win, no fee basis. They do keep a commission of roughly 30% for their trouble.
But honestly, I would prefer if things like this didn’t happen in the first place, and a couple angry emails won’t change the airline’s procedures. So, in this case, I also complained to my country’s air traffic authority. I also wrote a review on an airline quality website.

Take Home Message
Finnair is a decent enough airline once the plane is in the air. I now do not expect more from them than take me to my destination and back safely in their relatively modern aircraft. If this is all you want, Finnair might be a suitable airline for you.
My personal opinion is pretty accurately reflected in the Airlineratings site, where they get a safety rating of 7/7. a product rating of 5.5/7 and a passenger rating of 3.4/10. I have flown finnair to Japan three times now, and had problems two out of the three trips, so I will be looking at other carriers in the future.
For someone who is a very nervous flyer, I rate Finnair for their high safety standards. Finnair even fills the spot on the top as far as airline safety rating is concerned according to JACDEC. But this is really all.
Are you looking for a carrier to fly you to japan? Please feel free to read my detailed reviews of Finnair and Etihad Airways for more details. I am looking to book my next flight with Qatar Airways, which also comes very high in safety rankings, and my next flight is actually with klm, which is not in the “Top 20” but gets a 7/7 Safety Rating from Airlineratings, too.
The Small Print
I flew this particular flight in November 2024. As always, I had purchased this flight and paid full price. This represents my personal experience on a flight delay. I am merely sharing my experience here, and this does not constitute legal advice. This post contains some affiliate hotel links to Booking.com – if you make a booking using these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Glad you got the compensation for at least the hotel and meals. However, I strongly feel that in cases like these, the airline should compensate for the anxiety that a traveler goes through.
Sounds like Finnair truly did not support you during this huge delay. Glad you made the best of it, and were able to find lodging so easily.