Founded in 1923 and now 103 years old, Finnair is one of the oldest continuously operating airlines in the world and has become renowned for connecting Far East Asia with Europe through its Helsinki hub. Along with these ultra-long-haul flights, Finnair also operates an extensive short-haul network across Europe and the Nordics, all from the same single base.
As a Helsinki-based Finnair cabin crew member, you could end up spending one night away in Athens, Paris or London, and the rest of your week in Tokyo, Singapore or Delhi. That variety is part of the appeal. Despite some recent turmoil, Finnair remains a sought-after airline to work for.
We’ve been covering Finnair’s cabin crew recruitment process for years, building out the detail behind the airline’s own careers listings, drawn from primary sourcing rather than a repost of the press release. This page pulls everything we’ve built together in one place.
Finnair: Quick Facts
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 years old |
| Minimum height | 160cm |
| Reach test | 218cm, tested barefoot (standing on tiptoes is allowed) |
| Experience required | 1 year in hospitality or customer service; no prior cabin crew experience needed |
| Education | Secondary education (upper secondary or vocational) |
| Languages | Fluent English required; fluent Finnish highly valued |
| Tattoos | Visible tattoos not permitted but may be covered with skintape or makeup |
| Contract type | Full-time, permanent or fixed-term |
| Base | Helsinki (Vantaa) |
| Basic monthly salary | Approximately €1,800 to €3,000 gross, depending on experience |
| Union representation | Yes, under the PALTA/AKT collective agreement |
| Right to work | EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship required |
Insight: Finnair’s reach test allows standing on tiptoes, which isn’t the case at every airline. If you’ve ruled yourself out based on a flat-footed reach test elsewhere, it’s worth measuring again properly before assuming you don’t meet Finnair’s standard.
For Finnair’s Helsinki-based cabin crew, you must have the right to work in Finland, which in practice means EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship. Finnair does, however, have international crew bases in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Delhi, where cabin crew predominantly work flights between their home base and Helsinki.
What Kind of Airline Is Finnair?
Finnair operates from its single hub at Helsinki Vantaa Airport. The airline runs an extensive short-haul network across Europe, which also acts as a feeder service into its long-haul network. For cabin crew, that means flying a genuine mix from one contract, short domestic and European routes alongside long-haul sectors, rather than being locked into one type of flying.
Finnair’s northerly geography once gave it a real edge on the polar route, connecting Europe and Asia faster than most rivals could manage. That route is no longer possible since the closure of Russian airspace, and in response, Finnair has built out its Atlantic and North American network to complement its Asia routes.
Candidates who enjoy variety in their roster tend to thrive here. Candidates set on exclusively long-haul, premium-heavy flying may find the domestic mix less appealing than a carrier built entirely around widebody long-haul.
The Pay and Benefits Package
Basic monthly salary currently runs from around €1,800 gross for newer crew up to roughly €3,000 gross for those with long experience, set under a collective bargaining agreement. On top of the basic salary, allowances, and supplements such as Sunday pay, night shift premiums, and similar, expect around another 30% to 40%.
The full breakdown, including how the allowances and supplements work and what to budget for during unpaid training, is in the salary and benefits guide below.
Finnair Cabin Crew Salary and Benefits →
The Recruitment Process
Cabin crew applications initially run entirely online, through Finnair’s recruitment partner, Barona, which means your resume has to do all the work at the first hurdle. From there, the process moves through an on-demand video interview, a series of online assessments, a medical survey, and an in-person Assessment Day, before selections are made and training begins.
The minimum requirements are straightforward:
- At least 18 years old
- Minimum height of 160cm and a reach of 218cm, tested barefoot
- Fluent English; fluent Finnish highly valued
- Secondary education completed
- At least one year of hospitality or customer service experience
- No visible tattoos in uniform
- A valid EU, EEA or Swiss passport, with the right to live and work permanently in Finland
Our step-by-step guide walks through every stage in order, with preparation advice at each step.
Finnair Cabin Crew Recruitment: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide →
Your Finnair Guides
Before You Apply
Finnair Cabin Crew Salary and Benefits The full pay and benefits breakdown, including the collective agreement structure and what to know before you sign.
The Recruitment Process
Finnair Cabin Crew Recruitment: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide Every stage of the process, from the online application through to your first weeks at your Helsinki base.
Appearance and Presentation
Finnair Cabin Crew Appearance and Grooming Guide What the uniform and grooming standards actually require: tattoos, hair, makeup, nails, and accessories.
Companion Guides
The Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Perfect Cabin Crew Resume With no Open Day to make a first impression in person, your resume is doing all the early work at Finnair. Start here.
How to Ace the Cabin Crew Assessment Day General preparation for the in-person stage of Finnair’s process, covering what recruiters are actually watching for.
What is an On-Demand Video Interview (ODVI)? The Complete Guide Finnair’s video assignment is an ODVI in all but name. This breaks down what to expect and how to prepare.
SOAR to Success at Your Cabin Crew Final Interview A framework for structuring answers to competency-based questions, useful for Finnair’s interview stage.
Is Finnair Right for You?
Finnair suits candidates who want a genuine mix of flying rather than committing to one type of route, and who value the stability of a union-backed, collectively bargained contract over the tax-free headline figures a Gulf carrier offers. A permanent contract, direct employment, and a clear pay scale under a collective bargaining agreement are real, tangible advantages if that stability matters more to you than maximising take-home pay.
Before you commit, though, there are some things you should be aware of: training is unpaid, and six to nine weeks with no salary is a real financial gap to plan for. Standby shifts are part and parcel of cabin crew life and can’t be avoided, and while Finnair doesn’t rule out living outside the immediate Helsinki area, you do need to be able to reach the airport within an hour when called.
If you’re weighing Finnair against a Gulf carrier, the trade-off is broadly pay and tax-free earnings on one side against union protection, a European base, and a shorter distance from home on the other. Neither is objectively better; it depends what you’re actually optimising for.
How Finnair Compares to Other European Carriers
As a national carrier, Finnair is perhaps one of the smaller airlines in Europe with both a short-haul and long-haul route network. That said, Finnair has an interesting mix of destinations, especially in Asia, which can be a real draw for candidates who want that variety without giving up a European base. SAS and Lufthansa are the other Northern and Central European hub carriers candidates most often compare Finnair against.
For candidates who want the union protections and permanent contract structure Finnair offers but are drawn to a bigger long-haul network, British Airways is worth a look.
General Recruitment Resources
- The Ultimate Recruitment Guide
- Free Cabin Crew Resume Templates
- SOAR to Success: How to Answer Competency Questions
- How to Ace the Cabin Crew Online Personality Test
Frequently Asked Questions
Basic monthly salary runs from around €1,800 gross for newer crew up to roughly €3,000 gross for experienced crew, plus supplements and daily allowances on top. See our full salary guide for the complete breakdown.
You must be at least 18 years old to become cabin crew at Finnair.
The minimum height is 160cm, and you’ll also need to pass a reach test of 218cm, tested barefoot. Unlike some carriers, Finnair allows standing on tiptoes during this test.
No previous cabin crew experience is required, but you do need at least a year in hospitality or customer service.
Visible tattoos aren’t permitted. If a tattoo is fully covered by the uniform, that’s fine. If any part of the tattoo is visible, it must be covered with makeup or skin tape.
For the Helsinki-based cabin crew role, you need the right to live and work permanently in Finland, along with a valid EU, EEA or Swiss passport. It’s worth checking your eligibility before you invest time in the application.
Yes, it’s selective. Finnair’s process runs through several stages, an online assessment, a video interview, a medical survey, and an in-person Assessment Day, and only a portion of applicants make it through each one. A strong, ATS-proof resume matters at the first hurdle, but the difficulty comes from the volume of competition throughout the process, not from the lack of an in-person Open Day.